Why Teaching?
Right now, everyone is talking about teaching. We’re all talking about how hard it is, the unmanageable workload, the disrespect of the profession, the absenteeism, the resignations and the broken system. And these discussions are important, we need to talk about it or nothing changes. But, these cannot be the only conversations we have or we’ll breed a sense of helplessness.
I invite us all to dig a little deeper and add something more to these conversations. I want to know why you chose teaching and continue to make that choice. You didn’t choose teaching because you thought it would be easy, for a promise of high pay or an easy workload. So, what led you here?
My “Why”
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. When people ask me, I often answer and say it’s because of my values- “community” and “making a difference.” But, I’ve been digging a little deeper than that lately. Where did these values come from and why teaching?
I recently found some journals from my childhood and one of my first teachers was the star of several entries. The entries weren’t about a classroom teacher, but they were about my Pa (my grandfather). He was not a school teacher himself, he was an electrician, but he had some attributes that made him an exceptional teacher. He was an incredible storyteller, he had a great imagination, was creative, loved to play games (a big kid at heart), had a great sense of humour and provided his grandkids with plenty of explorative and hands-on learning (woodwork projects, putting on musicals and theatre shows, learning to ride motorbikes and drive cars). There was an entry when I was 7 years old that read: “My Pa teaches me to build things out of wood and tools and now we are building a cubby house and tree swing.”
The more I reflected on his influence on my life, there are 2 things that stand out above all else:
He made my childhood magical
He gave me a belief in my future
I know that not all young people are blessed with safe childhoods and with grandparents or teachers who create some childhood magic and instil a belief in their future. And at my core, this is my “why” and this is where my values came from. This was my “why” when I chose to take a graduate position in an alternative high school and when I taught incarcerated young people. It continued to be my why throughout my years teaching in alternative schools. It was my why as I left the classroom for leadership and it continues to be my why now as I work with schools as a consultant. Students need great teachers, whether it be in mainstream, specialist or alternative schools. And while I may not get to be the teacher at the front of the classroom right now, I now get to do everything I can to support more teachers to stay well so they can keep doing what they do best for our students.
What is your “why”? Let’s keep these conversations going- please comment with the story of your “why” below.
