This past year, I have been faced with the same question countless times: “Why did you choose to go into education?” The first several 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 be so much 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. And to be honest, if someone is going into teaching for the summers off and benefits then they probably will not enjoy their job the least little bit. Teaching is so much more than getting up every morning to go “babysit some bratty kids."