The Teaching Lifestyle

It's amazing how much changes in a year.  A year ago I was still substitute teaching and waiting for the next interview.  I was insecure and only dreaming about having a full time job.  Now I'm living that dream.  Every day I get to go to a job that I love.  But it's more than that. 

At the beginning of the year our superintendent told us teaching is not a job; it's a lifestyle.  Little did I know how true that was.  Rarely do I do something outside of school without coming up with an idea for a class.  My plans revolve around school events and extra curricular activities.  I can't go shopping without thinking about the school dress code.  Cuteness is not longer the only factor in picking out shoes.  It's nearly impossible to leave school at school, and it's difficult for me to have a conversation with someone without bringing up my students or classes.  It's a physically and emotionally draining profession, but to me the rewards far outweigh the negatives. 

I once had an administrator ask me when I was a senior in high school, "Why do you want to teach?  You have endless possibilities!"  He seemed to think I was "settling" for teaching.  Was I capable of other great things?  Sure, but that wasn't what I wanted.  I've always loved school and learning, so it was a natural choice for a profession.  But home ec?  A lot of people have the idea that FACS is useless.  In fact, some of my students have that view.  But I beg to differ.  (Of course I would, right?)  I teach kids that don't know how to cook anything without a microwave, don't know anything about reading a recipe or doing laundry.  They come from broken and abusive homes and don't know the first thing about communication or what a good relationship looks like.  They know nothing about insurance, loans, or making a budget and keeping a checking account.  If they have a hole or lose a button, they don't know how to fix it.  Now I'm not turning them into professional chefs, financial gurus, or custom tailors, but I am making a difference.  I see the pride in their first successful foods lab.  I hear the stories of how they're communicating with their boyfriends and having fewer fights.  I see the results of sewing a button back on their coat and the excitement of making good decisions with their money.  So you tell me, do we need FACS teachers?

(*Disclaimer - I am in no way suggesting that my subject is more important than any other.  I am only arguing my equality.) 

I love looks when they finally understand why we've been doing these things in class.  It means they;re learning something, and all my teaching is not in vain.  The great thing is I've not been the only one teaching in my classroom this year, nor have my students been the only ones learning.  My students have taught me countless lessons.  They've taught me how to be a better teacher and a better person, and they've taught me to celebrate the small successes.  These students have become my children.  I cheer at their games, laugh at their jokes and antics (classroom appropriate of course), smile at their happiness, and cry with their pain and sorrow over things they should never have to face as teenagers (even though they never see my tears for them).  And I hope that through this process of learning together that I have touched at least one life even half as much as they have all touched mine.  Because that is the reason I teach.