I became a teacher because…
1. Growing up in my neighborhood, I was the oldest kid of “our gang.” I enjoyed being the leader. In contrast, in my own grade level, I was a late bloomer and one of the youngest which often meant I felt behind my peers. Comparing these two groups and my status in each one led me to enjoy leading and teaching others.
2. One of my first jobs as a swim coach helped me realize how much I enjoyed teaching others. Swimming was one thing I was really good at and it was fulfilling to have a unique knowledge/skill that I could lead others to develop in themselves.
3. I always enjoyed history (that’s my ‘context’ strength) and usually made “A’s”. History is fun for me. Teaching history forced me to learn far more than I ever did as a student. I feel like I have a fairly solid concept of human history and that context helps me to interpret the world today. Studying the relationships and events of the past reveals clues about relationships and events in my own life. Despite thousands of years, human nature is essentially the same. (If they say, why? why? Tell ’em that it’s human nature)
4. I started out as an International Business major, but hated Accounting 1 & 2. It wasn’t Sister PJ’s fault. I just didn’t enjoy it. Eventually, it led me to change my major to education. This led me back to Georgia.
5. After much soul searching in my freshman year, I realized that while my grand goal as an 18 year old of being a millionaire by age 30, driving a black BMW with leather seats, and living in a castle in Germany was not as motivating as I once thought. I discovered I was much more motivated by leading and influencing others to be their best.
Why did you become a teacher? I want every teacher reading this to know that I hope you will respond in the comments section. I really am interested to learn what led you to become a teacher/educator, too.
I enjoyed reading this post as I frequently like to reflect on why I became a teacher; it helps ground me and keeps my ego in check. Although school was easy for me, I really hated the class/learning part until college. Part of my intense feelings about school existed because school was easy and learning was rote, which made it very boring. Although high school was more challenging than middle and elementary school, it still consisted of rote learning and I had already “checked out.” I did what I had to do to make good grades, but I learned very little. To be honest and fair, this had as much, if not more, to do with what was happening at home than what was happening in school. One of the best teachers I had taught a class that was well-structured and challenging. At this time in my life, Mrs. Morehead provided me with the type of environment I needed to thrive. My personal difficulties, no doubt, have inspired me to make a difference in a child’s life. That’s sounds so vague and can mean so many different things. However, at the most fundamental level, it means trying to be Light in a child’s life, so they can see their own. I try to be in tune with what my students are experiencing outside of school since it affects their emotional stability and has a direct impact on learning.
I didn’t actually consider being a being a teacher until my senior year of college. However, I became passionate about my own education during my freshman year of college when three different teachers helped to open my mind. Although they were all very different from one another, they were both passionate and, fortunately, their passion spilled over to me. Then I had one professor, Dr. Christa Slaton, who further challenged me to think critically and creatively, which resulted in a rapid acceleration or my personal and spiritual growth. All I knew was that I wanted it to continue. In the world of academia that I experienced, a few teachers inspired me to challenge assumptions, learn everything I can, and then search within for answers. Fortunately, there are teachers everywhere who can do just the same. They come in all forms – writers, businessmen and women, school leaders, housewives, athletes, students, my own children, and the list continues ad infinitum. Because “teachers” have empower and change my life, I want to be that instrument to others in and out of the classroom. I can’t conclude without contemplating the purpose of education. For me today, it means helping others and myself to understand our world and our place in it so that we can align our own intelligence with Divine Intelligence. Then we can’t help but be driven to serve the community (at all levels) and make a difference.
When I became a teacher, I did so because I had been really, really good at school; I wanted to work with young people in a setting daily devoted to learning; and I (in hindsight) liked the setup (power related?) of sharing my passions and interests.
Now, I re-become a teacher everyday to help make school more like real-life for ALL learners. To be a part (not apart) of the solution for making school a great experience for ALL kids – one that’s more about “how am I smart” than “how smart am I.” To prove Einstein wrong when he said “It’s a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”