The question has been asked by my family and friends, “Why do you put up with it? Why would you or anyone else want to teach?”

So here it is, in no particular order, my list of why I teach:

• the variety—No two days are alike, ever!
• the goosebumps—The absolute magic of seeing a beginning reader take off.
• the wonders of genetics—The longer I teach siblings the more confused I am that the same gene pool and the same environment can yield children from different planets!
• the mystery—The detective in me loves reading beginning writers’ work. Who knew that golmretwvr is golden retriever?
• the perks—You know your friends are jealous of your coffee mug collection and your apple-themed decor!
• the kids’ enthusiasm—For example, the excitement kindergartners display when they realize the word “the” shows up in just about every book!
• the fame—Check out the look of awe on a child’s face when he spots you at the grocery store or figures out exactly which car in the parking lot is yours.
• the art of teaching—Taking state and district standards and figuring out how to best make that knowledge accessible to children.
• the drama—Getting so wrapped up by those kids you know you’ll never forget, the ones that you worry about when you should be sleeping.
• the camaraderie—Sure there are days when they drive you crazy, but the support of colleagues really is priceless.
• the newness—We get a completely fresh start every school year!
• the learning curve—The longer we teach, the better we get.
• the supplies—It’s OK to admit that you are obsessed with new pencils, crayons and glue sticks!
• the growth—The amount of progress children can make in one school year is phenomenal!
• the humor—You can’t make stuff up that’s as funny as the things that really happen in our classrooms.
• the balancing act—Exactly how do you keep children challenged, parents informed and your desk organized?

Simply put, I love teaching! No other job compares to it. So tell me, why do you teach? [Use the Discussion link to post your list of whys.]

Sue Gruber
Barbara Gruber Online Courses for Teachers
www.bgrubercourses.com

Copyright 2009: Barbara Gruber Courses for Teachers

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