Many people are struggling financially right now. Most of us would love to get a raise (or a job for that matter). Between ads and some television shows, it seems like we are constantly reminded of what we do not have. I wanted to write this post to show why I chose to become a teacher even though the pay is not that high.
This is my 12th year teaching. I currently teach special needs students and also have taught pre-k, kindergarten, first grade and second grade. I knew I wanted to be a teacher after having Mr. Stutzke in 9th grade Civics class. He was an amazing educator and inspired me in so many ways.
Upon entering college and declaring my major (elementary education) I heard from others that I would not make any money and would probably be broke my entire life. I realized at that point that I still wanted to be a teacher even though the pay was not as high as some other professions.
Old Classrom © by Art Poskanzer
The basic fact is that if you spend more than you earn, you’ll eventually be in trouble. It doesn’t matter if you make $10,000, $100,000 or even $1,000,000 a year; the same principle applies. Think about some of your friends. Do any of them make a lot of money but have nothing to show for it?
There might be some who press the snooze button numerous times on Monday morning because they dread going to work. If someone makes $500,000 a year but is unhappy Monday through Friday do you feel that person is “wealthy?” I do not. Sure, they may have less monetary worries than others but are they truly “rich”?
Many of these same people spend money and buy things to make themselves “happy.” Once the weekend rolls around, they can come up with some great reasons to buy things. “I work so hard and put up with so much, I deserve________________.” Fill in this blank with clothes, jewelry, eating out, and so on. So many people do this in search of happiness.
Let’s face it, buying things can bring about a sense of joy. But only for a moment. If I go out and buy a shirt it feels great. The first few times I wear it, it feels good. Then, after five or six times of wearing this shirt, something happens—it becomes old. How many of us have looked in our closet and said, “I have nothing to wear” even though we have 50 outfits staring back at us? At one point in time we liked these clothes (or at least we liked them enough to buy them) but, after a while, that feeling goes away. If we base our feelings of happiness on materialistic things, we will be in a constant cycle of having to buy things to make ourselves feel happy.
That is what is so great about being a teacher. Most get into teaching because it is a calling – if you got into it for a large salary your college professor lied to you. For the past five years I’ve taught what is known here in Georgia as severe/profound special needs class. Many of the students I currently teach have IQs below 30, some are in wheelchairs, some are fed using a feeding tube and most use nonverbal cues to communicate.
A lot of people have told me that I must have a big heart and great patience to teach these students, but the truth is that I feel like I’m the lucky one; these students actually teach me more than I could ever give them. They get joy out of what many of us take for granted. I had one student who was happy as he could be when he was eating marshmallows out of Lucky Charms cereal. I currently teach a little girl who smiles the biggest and prettiest smile I’ve ever seen when she sees Blue from Blue’s Clues.
In these days of consumption and wanting more, I get reminded on a daily basis of the little things that most of us can find happiness in but overlook in the pursuit of wanting more. As a teacher I may never drive a Rolls Royce, live in a 5,000 square foot house or take exotic vacations; however, I get to wake up on a daily basis and get to go to a job that I am passionate about. That, to me, is priceless!
Have you made a similar career choice or a decision to become a teacher because of your passion for the work? If so, let us know about it in the comments.
