If you’re a teacher, you’ve probably been asked more than once, “Why would you want to be a teacher? All that work, for so little pay? How do you deal with kids all day for nine months out of the year?”
These kinds of questions make it clear that you actually have to be a teacher to truly understand and appreciate the rewards a career in this profession brings. Teachers don’t choose this line of work for the summers off, and they certainly don’t enter the profession because it’s easy. Anyone who thinks teaching mathematics to third graders is easy, has obviously never taught mathematics to third graders! Teachers enter this crazy, passionate, rewarding, and rollercoaster of a profession for many reasons. Let’s explore a few.
Teaching Isn’t Just a Career — It’s a Calling
Far too many people do not feel a sense of calling to their job. It’s simply a 9-5 that helps pay the bills. Teaching, and other service-oriented careers, bring an inherent sense of calling and deeper purpose. Helping students learn, grow, and develop is something that brings far more rewards than just a paycheck. Teachers see the fruits of their labor every time a student has an “a-ha!” moment, masters a concept, or does well on a test of quiz. They also impact their students’ lives every day, just by being present and listening to them. Teaching is truly far more than a job; it’s a calling that most teachers were born to fulfill.
Teachers Embody the Idea of Continuous Learning
Almost every job offers the chance to grow and improve over time, but teaching is one of the few professions with opportunities to learn each and every day. With a classroom that is likely full of kids with diverse backgrounds, and varied levels of development and learning styles, there is something new for teachers learn about their students every day. This pushes teachers to continuously learn and get better. The unique growth and adaptability that teaching provides makes the profession a true blessing in every sense of the word.
Teachers Are Creative Superheroes
Let’s face it: Some jobs just don’t require a lot of creativity. In those kinds of jobs, every day is the same, and day-to-day activities rarely change. Teaching, however, is the least monotonous job in the world! It’s extremely rare that each day is the same—even when teachers have the same class for every period!
Every student is different, and no two learn the same way, so teachers get to discover the best way to teach their students. Each day, teachers face new challenges that force them to think on their feet, identify ways around learning blocks, and work with very limited resources. They call on their own creativity to create an engaging learning environment in their classroom, and are constantly working on their communication skills so they can reach every student.
Our non-teacher friends might believe the stereotype that teaching is all about testing, testing, and more testing. We challenge them to spend one day in a school classroom, where they’ll see an abundance of creative academic engagement, where students are not only learning, they’re having fun and building a solid educational foundation.
We solidly believe that teaching is—and always will be— one of the best jobs in the world.
This article originally appeared on Sycamore School.
