At the dinner table the other night, our almost 13-year-old made an announcement.
Apropos of nothing, she declared, “I think I want to be a teacher when I grow up.”
The silence that followed from me was mostly due to trying to arrange my voice and face to not to sound and look too ecstatic. I had to fight the urge to not call out “Yes!” and fist pump the air.
Instead, I answered calmly, “That’s great news, you will make a fantastic teacher.” Because I know she will. In fact, I have been hinting at the idea for many years, as she is naturally drawn to children, has great leadership qualities and a calm and level headedness that is well suited to the profession. Any mention of teaching as a career path in the past however elicited much eye rolling and responses such as “Yuck! No thanks!” I’m unsure what prompted my daughter to change her mind, but in that moment, I was smug in my happiness.
Later that night however, I got to thinking, Am I really happy my daughter is leaning toward the teaching profession? Is it still a job I feel is going to be satisfying and worthwhile?
With all the rhetoric around education, teacher conditions and wellbeing, and with educators leaving the profession in droves, is this the career path I would wish for my second born? My doubts were short lived however, and once I started thinking with my logical brain, rather than being guided by emotions, the answer I landed on was a resounding “Yes!”
Yes, teaching is still a noble and worthwhile profession. The role of a good teacher is still so important, maybe more important than it has ever been, and I want my daughter to answer that calling if she chooses.
And at the same time, teaching is hard and misunderstood and is different in so many ways to when I stepped into the classroom well over 20 years ago. And that’s okay.
Because worthy things are hard. When you choose a profession that is as significant and influential as the education of our future citizens, there is bound to be pressure and pain points. Schools are in the business of growing people, and people are wonderful and flawed and unpredictable.
I am privileged enough to work with some outstanding leaders and educators who fully understand the challenges the teaching profession faces, and who continue to show up as the adults our children need day after day. Who acknowledge that the gig is a tough one, but a rewarding one.
This is what keeps me hopeful, and full of pride that my daughter may get to experience the awesome, difficult, dynamic and important job of being someone’s teacher.
I do want that for her.
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