College students are always asked the same question: “What is your major?”

I am always happy to share my plan for the future because it is something I am very passionate about. I am going to be a high school English teacher. I have been a teacher at a summer camp for the past three years, and am currently student teaching. I get to wake up every day and go to a job I love, and I know I am truly blessed.

Usually when someone who is years older than me asks about my future and I share my plans, they are ecstatic, applauding me for going into a field where my work doesn’t just start at 8 and end at 3. They realize there is so much more that goes into being a teacher than just what happens during school hours.

While I am not becoming a teacher because I want to be praised and applauded for my work, I would gladly take that reaction over the one I get from my peers in college.

For whatever reason a majority of young adults believe that teachers are “underpaid babysitters”, and they have no problems voicing their opinion.

I am not usually a very violent person, but when someone calls me an “underpaid babysitter”, and yes it has happened many times, I get a sudden urge to kick them in the throat. But because my parents raised me correctly I brush it off and respond, “My career gives me the opportunity to change children’s lives. What does yours do?”

A majority of people then respond in either one of two ways. They’ll either say they are undecided at this point and have no clue what they want to do. Instead of poking fun at them for this and pointing out the irony of someone making fun of my profession when they have yet to decide theirs, I support them. I support they need to explore and find their passions in life, and encourage them to find a major which lets them use their passion and gifts for good. I fully believe the saying “If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life” because I live it every day.

The second response I receive is “I am a/an __________ major, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with that.” The blank is usually filled with a business major or an accounting major. I don’t know why these are the answers that are most often given, but I am assuming it is because there are numerous jobs and possibilities these majors can give someone. But again, it is hard not to point out the irony of someone who is not confident in their future to have the audacity to judge mine. My response to them is the same as it is to the person who is undecided on their major, “If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life” and I caution them to choose wisely.

I believe the people who criticize my line of work haven’t fully realized what positive effects can come from having a great teacher. I strive to be the kind of teacher who is there for her students for more than just educational stuff. I want to be there for them when they need someone to talk to and feel like they have no one else. I want to be their biggest cheerleader when they ace a concept they were struggling with, a teacher who makes them a better person and not just a better reader, etc. There are so many things I will do with my teaching degree other than just teaching English.

I think the two main reasons I receive praise from people who are years older than me is because 1.) They have kids, and have seen firsthand what the effects of having a good teacher or a bad teacher can have on a child, and 2.) They have grown up enough to look back on their time as a student, and realized the effects their teachers had on them, good or bad.

It is my hope that through time and experience, the people who criticize and make jokes about my profession will learn what having a good teacher (one who cares about more than their students’ test scores) can do.