The Profession Of Teaching/ Why I Teach

Teaching is a tough, but super rewarding career. Yes, there are attitudes you deal with frequently. Yes, you repeat the same information over and over and over, year after year. Yes, it’s surprisingly a lot more work and a lot more sacrifice than I expected going into it. It’s super common to take work home with you, or come in on your off days. Lesson planning can be a long confusing process. It’s one thing for you to understand the content. It’s a whole different beast trying to teach it to someone else. There’s a lot of strategy, a lot of technique, and a lot of empathy. The task is difficult, but the reward is great because it’s an awesome feeling when you see something finally click in a student’s head, and you see them excited about learning. It’s a humbling feeling hearing student's stories, their hardships, their struggles, and being able to mentor and share advice with them.

It’s sacrifice. It’s giving your time, your energy, your encouragement, and your resources.

It’s never just about the subject. The subject you teach is simply the medium used to share a greater message with people. Its about the people. I think this is true for any job though. When you approach your work as more than just your subject, and you instead focus on serving the people around you, you can transcend the medium you use to serve others. Your subject becomes that much more powerful, and effective.

It’s tough. It’s tiring. It’s frustrating. It’s exciting, and monotonous. It’s a sacrifice, but it’s worth it.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

- Albert Einstein