How I feel about inspiring kids to be teachers.

 Boy is this a mixed bag.

You know, its funny. I didn't start college knowing I was going to be a Teacher. I knew I wanted to be a scientist but I didn't know what I wanted to be a scientist in. I thought about being a ranger or a researcher or material specialist or work for a company like Dow or UpJohn. 

Then I accepted a job to tutor college kids in classes I was good at..... Specifically chemistry. And that was it.... I had the teaching bug. Boy did I not know what I was getting into!

 There is always two sides to a story and I want to make sure you truly understand both.

It makes me wonder if they know how hard the job is.

Some things I didn't realize. I didn't realized how little I was prepared. I mean I knew the stuff. You know? I knew the science and I knew the content. What I didn't know was how to put it in a learnable way. I didn't know how to manage kids. I didn't know how to fill out the forms or plan for retirement or manage my time or keep markers from drying out too fast or organize grade books or the different ways to calculate grades or .... Or.   Or...... 

I didn't know that the salary would be so low to begin with and how slow it would be to increase. I didn't know how much of my life would be spent grading papers and planning lessons and replanning lessons and emailing parents and attending extra curricular and....and ...... And......

Then I wonder if they knew how awesome and rewarding the job is.

I didn't know how fun teaching was. It was so fun to just teach science and show kids how everything worked in the world around them. Its fun to just let go of inhibitions and just show how excited I am about everything science. Its exciting to see the kids smile and laugh and enjoy how much I get worked up. It so much fun to do the experiments with the kids or watch them enjoy performing the labs. 

With all that, I didn't know how much teaching would affect me personally and emotionally. I tell my students that once they are my kids they are always my kids and I mean it. I have laughed and cried and mourned and learned right along side of them. I've been proud and surprised and sad and disappointed with them. 

I remember many times laughing so hard and enjoying the moment so much that I forgot what I was teaching.

I remember sitting with a girl who had just told me her mom was diagnosed with cancer and would probably die. I didn't know what to say but I sat and just shared the space with her willing comfort into her.

I have watch with awe a kid build and test a machine for competitions and practically floated with them up to the stage to get their winning medal. 

I have hugged a kid and was told that my hug was the only hug they get during the day. 

I have sat in front of a class with tears in my eyes telling them that I was so happy to see them and meaning it with every atom in my body because a student I had that they didn't know died the day before. 

I have talked to parents in a gas station who tell me they can't get their kids to stop talking about my class because they liked it so much.

I have had a student that had a quarter of their brain removed with no verbal ability give me a gift for Christmas because they chose only me out of all their teachers to give a gift to. 

I have had a kid say that because of me and talking to them while looking into their eyes like I was looking into their soul.....  decided not to commit suicide the next day. 

I have watched my kids get their diploma. 

I have kids give me trinkets and small gifts because that is one of the only ways they know how to show me how much I meant to them as a teacher. And I keep a lot of them. These trinkets...... These gifts from kids make hard days easier.

I have had the honor of becoming not only a mentor but a friend of several of my kids for any years after they leave my class. It makes me feel like I really did make a difference in their lives.

And the list goes on and on and on and on...... 20 years worth of those kind of memories.

So. . . . 

So..... When a kid says that I inspired them to become a teacher, I wonder if they know. I wonder if they know how hard the job is. I also wonder if they know how awesome the job is. Then I smile and wish them luck because there is no job like it and they are in for a treat if they hit the job like a Schlipp!