Blogger Challenge: Why Teach?

ThisTeacherSings recently blogged about why she teaches.  She then challenged other #oklaed bloggers to address the same topic.

Homework?  It's SUMMERTIME!  But I am not one to back down from a challenge.

So, why do I do it?  Why teach?  Why did I go back to teaching after trying out the instructional coaching gig?

Answer:  It makes my heart happy.

I taught for 12.5 years before becoming an instructional coach.  Coaching became my work for the next 3.5 years.  It was an amazing experience, but there was always something missing.  I can still remember the feeling of complete and utter peace when I hit the send button accepting a teaching position in March 2014.

My heart was happy again.

When I started school, my mom purchased a spiral-bound booklet to hold all of my report cards.  On the back you were able to list different memories from each grade.  The only part I really filled in was the "When I Grow Up I Want To Be.." section.

In 3rd grade I would use purple carbon paper to make worksheets for my kindergarten brother.  Why the carbon paper?  Of course every teacher needed an answer key!

In 5th grade, I read everything there was to read on Helen Keller.  Her story is inspirational, and I was determined to be like Annie Sullivan.  Somewhere along the way I realized Annie Sullivan had a trait that I constantly have to work for - patience.  

In high school, I taught Sunday School.  I suppose at this point I started my first lesson planning experiences - except they occurred on Saturday nights instead of Sunday nights.  HA! 

I always knew I was going to be a teacher.  It was hard for me to understand my college friends who were Undecided.  How could you not know what you wanted to do with your life?  While I understand it now, it was foreign to me at the time.  

My brain thinks in terms of classroom activities/lesson plans.  In a book store, I gravitate to the teacher section.  When surfing the Internet or browsing through Pinterest, inevitably a teaching related site will appear on my screen. It takes effort to not think about teaching.

When my daughter says she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, I don't discourage her.  I don't tell her that she can make more money doing something else.  I don't tell her that she can do more than just teach.  I simply smile.  I hope that she can find something that she is passionate about.  I hope she can find something that makes her heart happy.