Why Teach?!?

      Many people have career goals and dreams that they want to pursue in life. Some want to be football players, writers, police and firemen, or even president of the United States. Wanting to become a teacher is completely different than all of these careers. We've all heard the saying of people putting “blood, sweat and tears” into their work, and it definitely applies to teaching.Teachers put in hundreds of extra hours outside of the classroom each year lesson planning, gathering needed supplies, decorating, planning, and more, but never do they get compensated for these. With all this extra work, people might wonder, well, why do teachers teach?

Adding a little humor :)

     As I said before, teaching is unlike any other career, as are the teachers that perform the job who are motivated to teach for many different reasons. People teach because of their love for children, they teach because they were inspired by one of their own teachers and want to have an impact on students like their teachers did, and teachers certainly teach for the rewarding feeling of helping a student grasp a concept they previously struggled with . Teachers don't teach for the pay check, as it is not that large. Teachers teach because they have a real passion for what they do.

      I recently read an article on CNN titled “Why They Teach Despite It All,” and it was extremely inspiring. Profiling a family from California with a mom and a dad who are teachers and professors. While I can not relate with the budgeting aspect of their life, I can relate to many things that Renee said throughout her interview. Renee Longshore said she decided her career path when she was in second grade and knew that no matter what life threw at it, that was her destined career. I feel the same way, having dreamt of becoming a teacher since around that same age, having also been inspired by former teachers.

     Another article that I have read about this topic was titled "21 Reasons to Quit Your Day Job", and a couple of these reasons stood out to me in particular. The second reason “to positively IMPACT THE FUTURE of our world” popped out to me because it not only do teachers teach math, reading, and writing, they teach students many rights and wrongs over their educational journey. I also liked the fourth and eighth reason, which in sum said people like to teach because it is rewarding, and not in the materialistic type of way. When a teacher receives a note, card, letter or even just a simple “thank you for helping me,” it shows that the teacher has made a positive difference, and in my opinion, that in itself is worth teaching. There is no greater feeling than being appreciated by a student or parent and knowing that you were able to help someone. “To experience the JOY of working with kids every day,” was also on the list as number 16, and because I have grown up with little kids around me all of my life, I can relate to this. Although they are children, teachers learn something new from their students each and every day. Children are also very cute and say some of the craziest and funniest things, which is a reason why I personally love to work with them. The final reason of why to become a teacher that I enjoyed on this list was the third to last one “to prove that ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” People don't realize how much of an impact a teacher can have on a child. Teachers truly care about their students, and many are willing to help them in any way they can.

     Teaching in this day and age is a lot of work, and many teachers are not valued by parents and others around the country. However, there are still numerous amount of reasons why people become teachers, with the biggest reason being because they have a passion and a motivation to inspire. It really is a rewarding career.