What I Like Most About Being a Teacher

I've been teaching for 10 years and I'll be the first to admit how easy it is to pick out the negative things about teaching.  Endless hours of planning, piles of paperwork, difficult students, tons of grading, and uninteresting meetings, just to name a few. There are days when I ask myself, "Why did I choose this profession?"

photo from www.theguardian.com

I like those days.  Those difficult days force me to reflect on the reasons that I chose teaching as a profession.  And that reflection is generally all I need to get me back on track.  So, while there are, at times, things that I dislike about teaching, thankfully there are triple that many reason why I love teaching!

Here are the things that I like most about being a teacher:

1.  Well-executed lesson plans.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing a lesson plan that I've spent countless hours on actually work the way I planned it.  That doesn't happen all the time.  Sometimes, when I think a lesson plan is great, the kids don't get into the lesson that way I'd hoped.  So, when I am able to see a lesson plan work exactly how I envisioned it, I get very, very excited!

2.  Reaching academic goals.  I love helping students reach their academic goals.  It is a really good feeling when students have that "aha" moment.  Especially those students who were on the brink of giving up.

3.  The finished product.  Teachers are in the business of helping equip students with what they need to become successful citizens.  It does my heart well when I see former students who have taken the tools that we have given them and used them to become successful young men and women. 

4.  New days.  Every single day of teaching is different from the day before.  I don't know of another profession that can guarantee an absolute fresh start each day and each year.

5.  Flexibility.   I enjoy the flexibility that being a teacher affords me.  My schedule is the same as my children's schedule which allows me to see them off to school each day and also be available in the afternoons to take them to practices and attend their games and performances. 

6.  Relationships.  I love the camaraderie that I share with my colleagues.  I am blessed to work with some brilliant teachers who don't mind sharing their knowledge to help me perfect the craft.  Almost daily I sit down and talk with teachers in my department about strategies that worked well in their classrooms as well as things that didn't quite work so well.  I also enjoy building relationships with my students.  I love seeing students who start out shy and reserved grow into confident, outgoing students throughout the school year.  I also love when my former students come back to me and tell me that they miss being in my class.

Being a teacher is one of the toughest, yet most rewarding careers ever.  I am glad that I accepted the challenge to teach and I strive daily to become a better teacher than I was the day before.