Why?

Why?  Why do I teach?

To be honest, I don't come from a highly educated family.  I have thirty-plus first cousins and I fall somewhere in the middle of the pack.  I absolutely adore all of them.  At one time, my mom, her four siblings, and my grandparents all lived in the same neighborhood.  It was a great way to grow up:  Dallas Cowboy games on Sunday afternoons at grandmas, summer picnics, fried pies, and cokes in a bottle were just a few of the things we all shared.  Going to school?  Not so much.  Well let's just say I was the book nerd of the family.

Although I fall somewhere in the middle, age-wise, I was the second grandchild to graduate from high-school, the first to graduate with honors, and the first to graduate college. Needless to say, growing up in a middle-class, blue color family, I didn't grow up interacting with many college professionals.

The majority of degree holders I encountered were the teachers I saw on a regular basis, or medical professionals I saw periodically.  It made perfect sense that I would gravitate towards teaching.  It was teachers that recognized and appreciated my zest for learning, and my academic successes.  It was teachers who helped me believe I could go to college, when no one else had gone before me.  It was a teacher who helped me get a semi-scholarship for my class-ranking. While it may seem I chose to be a professional educator by default, I do not believe this.  I believe being an educator is who I am.

I have had many jobs: baker, shoe sales, administrative assistant, jewelry sales, hotel reservationist, cosmetic sales, clothing sales, organizational store clerk, finance, and many more, but ... they. were. just. jobs.   From the time I set foot into my first role as a student teacher  in that first grade classroom at Buda Primary School, I felt at home.  Teaching didn't feel like a job, it felt like a calling.

So why?  Why do I teach?  I teach for our future . . .

• for other kids like me who may be first in the family college graduates
• for the first grade boy who used the f-bomb on the playground because he heard it from mom and dad
• for my student who spent the night in the car with her brother and sister while her momma turned tricks
• for the high achieving students
• for the struggling students
• for the athletes, the band, the drill team, the cheerleaders, the theater students, the choir, and the many others who are trying to find their way

I teach because it's who I am.  I may have a college education from the University of Texas at Austin that cost more than I made my first year of teaching.  I may be "smart enough" to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or an architect.  I may have been able to earn triple or quadruple my current salary, but that's not me.  I make a difference every day capturing hearts and educating the minds of our future, and it doesn't feel like a J.O.B.  What more could I ask for?  You see . . I AM AN EDUCATOR - it's who God called me to be.

Source:  http://quotesgram.com/gods-plan-for-us-quotes/

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