“Really? You want to teach? I could never do that.” I know. Just like I could never be a doctor or a lawyer or whatever your profession is, you could never be a teacher.
Since I decided that I wanted to be a teacher, I’ve gotten a lot of slack for it. From people saying, “I could never” to “don’t you want something that will pay a bit better,” I’ve heard it all. More often than not, I just smile and say, “Yes, I want to teach.” I often bite my tongue, but this is everything I really want to say in response.
1. “I could never deal with that many kids at once.”
OK, confession time. When I started my journey into teaching, I was aiming to be a high school teacher and this was my excuse for not choosing elementary. I’ve since realized just how wrong this statement is. I’ve learned that any student, whether six or 16, is more than just a kid to “deal with.” As teachers, we don’t “deal with” students. We work with them. We mold them. We help them. We support them. We laugh with them, and occasionally we cry with them. Age level doesn’t matter. Though a classroom of 30 can be intimidating, knowing you’re doing more that “dealing” with them changes the game.
2. “I couldn’t work for that little pay.”
Yeah, it does kind of suck that teachers don’t get paid much, and we often pay for supplies out of our pockets. But teaching comes with so many rewards that make up for that. The look on a student’s face when they finally understand whatever they’ve been struggling with is one of my favorite rewards. Knowing they’ve applied that knowledge outside the classroom is even better. Having students who love learning, stand up for each other, wonder, criticize, question, answer, analyze, and think are all amazing rewards. Watching students grow from the beginning of the year to the end, and even from the beginning of the day to the end of one is inspiring. I don’t need a lot of pay. Not when I have amazing students.
3. “Well those can’t, teach, right?”
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Of all the things people say to a teacher or future teacher, this is likely the one to get the biggest response. One of Taylor Mali’s most popular spoken word poems is a response to someone saying, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” (Watch it here.) Because teachers aren’t people who can’t do anything better. We are people who can do so much. We do more than just teach your child to read or about the Civil War. We are counselors when they’re feeling down, parents when theirs aren’t there, and nurses when they need a Band-Aid. We are storytellers when talking about history, actors when students say things we shouldn’t laugh at, and referees when our students can’t agree. We are travel agents when booking field trips, reporters when telling our students about what’s happening in the world, coaches when our students need motivation, and their biggest fans when they do something they thought they couldn’t. We can do, that is for sure. We can do quite a lot.
4. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Yes, yes, yes. I am completely sure that I want to teach. I want to teach more than anything. I want to teach children to love learning. I want to teach because I know that even on my worst day as a teacher, I will still be a child’s best hope. I want to teach because I am passionate about it. I don’t care that my students may not say thank you or that I won’t make a lot of money. I don’t care that people will criticize me for wanting to teach. This is what I want to do.
Before you doubt or criticize anyone for wanting to be a teacher, think about where you are in life. You wouldn’t be a doctor or a lawyer without your teachers who over the years taught you how to count, spell, answer the hard questions, and who prepared you for this thing we call life. Before you criticize a teacher, thank them, because, without teachers, you probably wouldn’t be where you are now.
