Why did you first decide to become a teacher, and what keeps you going as one?
Iām sorry this took so long for me to answer (hah 5 days) but I wanted to think about it long and hard because I didnāt want to bore everyone with details.
Why did I first decide to become a teacher?
Thatās a really good question. Iām not sure when the transition happened. All I know is from a young age, all I wanted to do was help others.Ā
I first wanted to be a veterinarian, then I discovered euthanasiaĀ was a thing, so I kinda put that on the backburner.Ā
Then I wanted to be a writer. I killed that dream when I took Journalism because I was told a hard truth āyou should only write what others want to readā and I didnāt want to.Ā
Next, I was shooting for a guidance counselor, and this one kinda stuck for a bit. However, I realized I didnāt have the organizational skills for it, and I slowly filed that one underĀ ājobs not for meā as well.
It wasnāt until a job fair came to my school and was likeĀ āteaching kids is a skill because kids need a lot of patience and loveā and I was likeĀ āhey I could probably do that.ā So I signed up to go see the school. At first, my parents didnāt like the idea.Ā āTeachers donāt make much moneyā they told me.
The strange thing was, I didnāt really care.
As for what keeps me going as one?
Itās 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 wasnāt an adult becauseĀ āI didnāt yell at him.ā
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 theirĀ 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 itās hard, because I wonāt 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, becauseĀ āonly people who fail in their field teach,ā because Iām told Iām a glorified babysitterā¦ just to do it anyway, because I believe what Iām doing is important.
I teach because a child hid behind a toilet yellingĀ ādonāt hit meā when he had an accident and heĀ needed a hero.
I teach because I may not change the world, but I can change someoneās world for the better.
