When people ask what I majored in I am always excited to tell them. "Education!!", but sadly I always get the same responses, "you really want to teach?" or "Oh, you're gonna teach? You know they don't make a lot of money, right?". Trust me, I have heard some of the craziest responses. Its usual that I get a congratulations on choosing to teach. What people don't know though is I'm not in it for the money. I am in it for the lives I will change! So, let me give you some reasons to show you that teaching is one of the best professions there is!
1. Teaching keeps ya young.
Yes, I'm young now, but I will get older. No worries though! The kids keep you young and make sure you still know whats cool. I learn new words every day. Okay, some I don't want to know the meaning of, but its gucci (new word I learned for good/cool). #ForeverYoung
2. Each day is a new surprise.
You write those lesson plans that are perfect. There is nothing that will go wrong. SURPRISE! Yes, it will. Little Johnny is gonna have a meltdown. Little Susie will tell you no, and the entire class will be clueless about how to do that Kagen strategy you prepared and learned about in your college classes.
3. You get to be the center of attention.
Literally, every day of your life as a teacher you are the center of your students attention. Well, except the two in the back talking and totally ignoring you.
4. Summer vacation and snow days, plus every major holiday off.
What more can I say? I am basically a student for the rest of my life!
5. You have the ability to change lives.
As a teacher you have the ability to make such a positive influence on your kids. You find out as a teacher that sometimes you are the only positive person in a kids life. You can be changing a life and not even realize it.
6. The daily humor/weirdness.
There will be days when you just fall over in tears from some of the things your kids say to you. It can get real weird sometimes, but I promise if you are having a bad day some kid will make a weird remark and you will laugh for the rest for the day. Recently, I had a child tell me and the entire class that I said a dirty word when I said the word "dictatorship".
7. You make some of the best friends.
Your colleagues and fellow teachers seriously become some of your best friends. You can't wait until it gets to planning time, so that you can have some adult conversation and tell them about the crazy thing that just happened in your classroom.
8. Light bulb moments.
I call those times when you have a student who has been struggling, but finally catches on to something their "light bulb moment". As a teacher this is one of the best moments. You can literally see something switch on in their brain. Its a good feeling to know to know you contributed to that!
Teaching is not for everyone by any means. You have to be a special type of person to be able to deal with the ins and outs of an average school day. Sometimes, I even say to myself, "Why am I doing this?", but I am reminded when I have those "light bulb" moments with kids or when that lesson I was worried about goes better than planned why I began this journey. Teaching keeps you on your toes, but it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.
