As a child growing up, people are constantly asking you what you want to be when you "grow up". It's cute when you're in elementary school, and everyone thinks that they're going to be the president. Most teachers and adults commend you on aiming for the sky. As you move along in your education career you spend more time really considering what your skills are as well as your passions. By the time you're a high school graduate, that's it ... you should know what you're going to be for the rest of your life.
In elementary school I wanted to be Indiana Jones (and then a aeronautical engineer, a paleontologist, then ultimately a foreign service officer). Never did I tell anyone that I wanted to be a teacher. This is coming from me, the child of an 2nd grade teacher and an 8th grade Math teacher. Don't get me wrong, my parents love their jobs, but there were times that they told me that teaching is not for the faint of heart (I now get it!). Seeing education from the perspective of two really dedicated teachers, I was absolutely sure I would never become a teacher. The amount of money and time that my parents spent on their students made me question their sanity sometimes. But now that I'm a teacher, I get it ...
I teach because it matters!
(FYI - I'm actually getting emotional writing this ... oops)
The love that my parents had for their line of work and the work ethic that they instilled in me, makes me appreciate every single day I spend with my students. Of course, every teacher has their stories of students who tell them that they changed their perspective of life. As an individual, you probably came across your own versions of those teachers. It all makes sense; teachers teach because there are always going to be students. I teach because I love to learn, and I want every child that comes through my doors to leave with that same level of love for their education.
Funny story, today in my third period class, my students took the reins and taught me a thing or two. Now, you should know we're discussing/reviewing the basics of physical geography in my World Geo class (and science is not my "thing" ...), and I prefaced the unit by letting my students know that if I leave out something, they shouldn't hesitate to let me know. Well, I began going over some reflections questions to open up a discussion about water accessibility around the world, and for some reason, the scenario I provided them was all wrong for them. So, I sat down with my students, and we reworded the scenario until it encompassed everything that I was trying to convey with everything they needed to know. Not going to lie, during this process, we became really frustrated because it just wasn't working, but we worked through it. Ultimately, the process was magical ... my students were teaching me how they learn.
So looking back to the days of wanting to be Indiana Jones, I realized something ... Dr. Jones was a teacher. Deep down, the 6-year old me already knew that I was going to be a teacher. Because passion, curiosity, and down right grit is what made Indy so great, and ultimately that's what makes teaching the best choice for me.
-A
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