Journey

I have been fortunate enough to take many journies in my life, adventures all of them, but one of my greatest was becoming a teacher. Contrary to popular belief it wasn’t the pay, the summers off, or the short hours that drove me to that particular profession. It was the hard core believe that by helping others become something special I was adding a positive force to the world. That may sound cheesy, but it happens to be a belief I still hold.

Over the years, and in many different places, I was fortunate to teach some amazing people. They grew up to become contributing members of society who help others and spread the light of positivity in all their many directions. In that way I was always fortunate, I taught the best kids.

Aside from that I worked with amazing teachers, all of whom were dedicated to the profession. Some were dedicated to their subjects, others to student growth, a few like me, were looking to help kids become the light of the world. Teachers are motivated by a host of things, but the great pay, benefits, short hours and summers off is rarely part of the equation. As a matter of fact, as a teacher I rarely worked less that 80 hours a week. More if we had conferences or special events at the school.

Those summers off, when students are out playing and running their lives, teachers are planning, traveling, and paying tuition to meet recertification requirements in order to move on the pay scale. In a profession where education is valued, working as a teacher doesn’t include free tuition at Universities and to stay current, you have to take classes. At least none of the places I worked counted free tuition as a benefit, I never even got reimbursed.

For me, summers were spent taking classes and writing, creating, and getting things done that there would be no time to do during the school year. Essential things like cleaning out the closets or rearranging the cabinets. Being a teacher comes with headaches, rewards, amazing amounts of stress, and a feeling of accomplishment. It is not a way to get rich, it is not stress-free, and if it is done correctly it comes with a heavy weight of responsibility.

I miss it and have nothing but respect for people who become teachers. Everyone always assumes that those who teach must have had wonderful school experiences, and while in some cases I am sure that is true, it isn’t for everyone. Not all teachers were great students. Sometimes the worst student can become a fantastic teacher. What do you think makes a great teacher?