Why did you first decide to become a teacher, and what keeps you going as one?
I’m sorry this took so long for me to answer (hah 5 days) but I wanted to think about it long and hard because I didn’t want to bore everyone with details.
Why did I first decide to become a teacher?
That’s a really good question. I’m not sure when the transition happened. All I know is from a young age, all I wanted to do was help others.
I first wanted to be a veterinarian, then I discovered euthanasia was a thing, so I kinda put that on the backburner.
Then I wanted to be a writer. I killed that dream when I took Journalism because I was told a hard truth “you should only write what others want to read” and I didn’t want to.
Next, I was shooting for a guidance counselor, and this one kinda stuck for a bit. However, I realized I didn’t have the organizational skills for it, and I slowly filed that one under “jobs not for me” as well.
It wasn’t until a job fair came to my school and was like “teaching kids is a skill because kids need a lot of patience and love” and I was like “hey I could probably do that.” So I signed up to go see the school. At first, my parents didn’t like the idea. “Teachers don’t make much money” they told me.
The strange thing was, I didn’t really care.
As for what keeps me going as one?
It’s kinda related to the reason I became a teacher but reinforced through experience.
I teach because somewhere out there, there is a kid who needs a teacher.
I teach because there is a neurodivergent child who is being held to neurotypical standards and could use someone who tries to understand.
I teach because a student looked at me and told me I wasn’t an adult because “I didn’t yell at him.”
I teach because a girl lit up when I asked her how to speak Vietnamese and used her first language in the classroom.
I teach because a parent told their child his artwork is garbage, and he deserved someone who would hang their art on their cabinet and gloat about how well he did.
I teach because a foster child came to my center after being ripped away from everything familiar and needed someone to offer stability and support.
I teach because it’s hard, because I won’t get praise, because there will always be people who hate me because of what I am because they had bad teachers so I must be the same, because “only people who fail in their field teach,” because I’m told I’m a glorified babysitter… just to do it anyway, because I believe what I’m doing is important.
I teach because a child hid behind a toilet yelling “don’t hit me” when he had an accident and he needed a hero.
I teach because I may not change the world, but I can change someone’s world for the better.
