Has anyone ever asked you why you teach? What did you say? Maybe you said, “I teach because I love seeing aha moments,” or, “I teach because I want to support kids who might not have support anywhere else.”
Whatever your reason, our hats are off to you. Teaching is without a doubt one of the most demanding professions today. Not only are teachers tasked with imparting knowledge to students, they’re also responsible for keeping students safe, calming anxieties, and doling out doses of comfort and love.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week this week, we asked teachers to share with us why they teach. What motivates them? What made them want to become an educator? What keeps them in the classroom and in school?
We asked, you answered: “I teach because…”
I grew up without a dad, but I had great male role models – including teachers. I teach because I want to make a difference in a child’s life. I want to be a role model to Ss in the same way those teachers were to me 25 years ago. #edchat #teacherappreciationweek
— Rob Kelly (@robkellytweets) May 2, 2019
I have to. Teaching is what I was born to do. I didn’t even really know until I did my student teaching, and suddenly everything clicked. I feel absolute joy when I am teaching art every day, and widening the horizons of these wonderful kids.
— Ｒ. ˢƳｌт尺є (@SylvestreMrs) May 2, 2019
I teach because I love to watch things grow. I love watching young learners become readers, writers and thinkers.
— karen hertlein (@khertlein) May 2, 2019
I Teach Because I want a student to think that it was because of me he/she didn’t give up #TeacherAppreciationWeek
— Kristen Koppers, NBCT (@Mrs_Koppers) May 2, 2019
Growing up schools was difficult for me; I had to learn a lot of techniques and shortcuts to get through, so now I teach those very skills to my students so they don’t have to struggle like I did. I am essentially trying to demystify the whole process.
— Michelle (@eClassDesigner) May 2, 2019
Davey Sapinski, Tech Ed Teacher at Medford Area Senior High, Summer Educator at Rural Virtual Academy & Rescue Captain Medford Area Fire Department (via LinkedIn):
I teach for many reasons. Each student has many possibilities within themselves. I teach to help cultivate those possibilities into realities.
Substitute teachers make a huge difference as well. Swing Education gathered input from substitutes on why they teach:
“I sub because in the school I go to there aren’t many teachers that look like the students in the schools. I have had students surprised by having a black male sub and how it positively affects classroom behavior. I appreciate the flexibility in schedule and to just be present in these classrooms and students appreciate it. I feel like I am able to make an impact.”
–Mike B
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