Why I Decided to Become a Teacher

   “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions” (unknown). Some of you may know that I went to college to learn how to teach the young minds of this world. Most of you do not know the conversations I hold with others who ask me different questions about my profession. So, I am writing this to inform you of some of the questions and conversations I have had over the past four-five years.

   Question 1: What are you going to college for?

      Me: I am going to be a teacher in elementary schools.

      To this I typically get one of three answers: “oh that’s nice,” “wow I could not do that so 

        more power to you,” or “good luck with those kids.”

   Question 2: “What school districts have you taught in so far?”

      Me: “Lancaster Country Christian School, Manheim Township (public school), The 

        School District of Lancaster (public, city school), Maytown Community Nursery 

        School (Christian school), and Donegal Intermediate School.”

      The typical answer here is the person totally skips over the other schools and says: 

        “Wow, those School District of Lancaster kids must give you a really hard time.” 

        Every once in a while people will just say “that’s nice,” or “I went to [insert school 

        name here].”

   Question 3: “Where do you want to teach when you get out of school?”

      Me: “I don’t really know. I will go where God calls me; but, if I had a choice, part of me 

        wants to teach at a Christian school. That way I can teach others about God directly. 

        But, the other part of me wants to go back to Donegal (the public school that I grew up 

        in).”

      At this point the person may say something like “that’s nice.” Or, “it is great that you 

        want to teach others about God.” But one answer that I specifically remember was: 

        “oh, don’t go back to Donegal. The district doesn’t pay well and the kids are horrible.”

   I’ve had more conversations about teaching but these are the main questions and answers that come into all of the conversations. All of these questions made me think about the whole reason I got into teaching in the first place. It is true I had people tell me that I was good at teaching before I went to college; but you cannot just be “good” at teaching in order to be a teacher.

   To me teaching is more of an art than a science. For the past four years I have made more lesson plans than I can count, talked about differentiated instruction (Definition here) out the wazoo, and gotten to know more acronyms and planning things to teaching than I can even remember. That is the science part of teaching and it is important. But, if you are a teacher and all you know is how to plan I can guarantee you will not make it far in the classroom.

   Children are not cut and dry. People are not the same. I mean, just look it up in the Bible. God made us all unique. That's why I don't like it when people say "those city kids must give you a hard time." Sure some days it is hard. But those kids still deserve to learn. They didn't chose where they lived or who their parents are. But teachers can choose to make an impact on their lives.

   A good teacher knows that she cannot teach all children in the same way. A good teacher will cater to student needs. That’s not an easy task; but I won’t get too far into that because there are some other points I want to make in this blog. I just want you to think about how many students you had in your classroom when you were younger. And think about the best way you learn. Is the way you learned different from the way one of your friends learned?

   One reason I decided to become a teacher is because I had great teachers who cared. These teachers worked hard day and night in order to make sure every student learned to the best of their ability. If you are a teacher you did not get into teaching for the money. Because, they honestly don’t make that much money. In fact, if you think about it they should make more because they are shaping the future. But I won’t go into that right now.

   The main reason I got into teaching is because I wanted to change the world. I want to help others. I want every child to feel loved and cared for. And, I want every child to be able to learn to the best of their ability. God has given us all the great responsibility of leading others, being a role model, and training children to walk with him. We need to love others even when it is hard.

   That is exactly why I decided to become a teacher even though it is one of the hardest professions that I know. I know I will get headaches in the future. I mean, I am getting them right now and I’m not even in the classroom all day. But, I know that when I see that “ah ha” moment, when I get a present, a hug, a compliment, or see their smiling faces it will all be worth it.

   This week I encourage you to think about the teachers you had. It doesn’t matter whether or not you thought they were a good or a bad teacher. I want you to thank God that you were able to get an education even if it was hard. I encourage you to thank God that you had teachers who cared enough to work overtime in order to help you learn more. And, if you happen to have any way to contact your teachers, can be current or past, I encourage you to just say thank you to them.

   Titus 2:7-8, Proverbs 22:6, 1 peter 4:10