Why I Don’t Teach

I’ve always admired people who say that they love their job. How can I feel like that again? When I was 14, I prayed that God would tell me what to do what my life. God, please show me my calling. I heard teacher. So I became a classroom teacher. I absolutely loved it. I loved watching students faces light up when they finally got a concept. I loved seeing a student start the year with the ability to only read a few words and then end the year being able to read a chapter book. I loved the community of the classroom. I loved the big ideas of students. I loved watching students grow.

What I didn’t love was mandated curriculum that wasn’t a good fit for students, long hours that consumed my days and nights, pressure to have all students at a certain place academically at the same time, educational initiatives that just didn’t make sense, making decisions that were best for politics but not students, tests, tests, and more tests… I could go on with my list but I won’t. I have the ultimate respect for classroom teachers. I still work with them everyday. I do not have a respect for a flawed educational system that I have no clue how to fix.

So was God wrong? Of course not! Did I hear wrong? I am pretty sure that I didn’t. But I know that the classroom is not for me anymore. I am almost 40 now and many days I sit and I fantasize about my dream job. I don’t know exactly what that job is but I know how it would make me feel.  My dream job will make me feel accomplished,  peaceful, excited, and  challenged. It will be flexible enough that I am not tied to a desk or an office. I will be able to teach in my dream job. I am learning that teaching is not bound to a classroom or academia. My dream job will allow me to be able to provide well for my family. More than anything, my dream job will give me satisfaction in knowing that I am doing what I am supposed to with my life.

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Prayer

Thank you Lord for your wisdom.  Allow me to do the work that you have called me to do. Order my steps in the direction that you would have me to take. In Jesus name, amen. 

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Today’s post is a response to the Daily Post’s prompt: If you’re like most of us, you need to earn money by working for a living. Describe your ultimate job. If you’re in your dream job, tell us all about it — what is it that you love? What fulfills you? If you’re not in your dream job, describe for us what your ultimate job would be.