This past year, I have been faced with the same question countless numbers of times: “Why did you choose to go into an education major?” The first couple of times I simply replied, “Teaching is something I have always wanted to do.”

I soon began to realize that my answer to that question was extremely vague, and it made me sound somewhat selfish. Is teaching something I have always wanted to do? Yes, but I am not going into teaching for myself. When I think of a teacher, I think of it as exactly what a teacher is, someone who teaches people. I also think of a teacher as a million different things put into one person.

A teacher is someone who understands people, is a good listener and is someone who can give great advice on anything at any time during the day. A teacher is a role model. A teacher is a mentor. Most importantly, a good teacher is a superhero. A teacher does not teach because it’s something they have always wanted to do. Is there a correct answer to the question?

Now, when someone asks me, “Why did choose to go into a teaching career?” I’ll tell them that I am not going into a teaching career for myself. I am going into a teaching career for all of the students I will get to see on a daily basis. I am not only choosing to teach a child a simple math trick, I am choosing to impact that child’s life. I am choosing to teach so I can develop relationships with my students and get to know each and every one of them. I am choosing to be the best person I can be for my students. I am choosing to be a role model for my students. I will know that all of my students will have at least one role model in their life. When I chose teaching, I chose to be a good listener, whether they tell me about how they got a new toy or how good or bad their night was last night. I am choosing to teach but I am also choosing to a lot more.

The person that asked that question will probably have a follow-up comment, “All that, for a teacher’s salary?” As much as I want to tell them it is none of their business, I know that would not be very professional of me.

A teacher does not work for the salary. A teacher does everything to make a difference in a child’s life. A teacher teaches for their students. They teach so they can get the students to do their best. A teacher teaches so they can be the first to see a student’s eyes light up when they tackle a long division problem and get it correct on the first try with no help. A teacher does not teach for themselves; they teach for all of the students out there.