3. You HAVE to go back in time and choose a different career path for yourself. What do you choose?
Eighteen years ago I told my high school History teacher, Mr. Taylor, that I wanted to become a teacher. I expected to see pride sweep across his face. I wanted him to understand that he had inspired this calling in my life. He made learning something to look forward to and I wanted to do the same for future teens.
But instead of congratulating me on my wise decision, he seemed…worried?
“Teaching is a pretty good job,” he said, “but have you considered something in the field of technology at all? I really feel like if I could do things over I might choose to go in that direction. Just look at the progress we’ve made so far. That’s where the demand is going to be. That’s where the future is. You could probably make really good money if you start learning everything you can about technology and computers right now.”
Technology?
Why would I ever be interested in learning about computers? Or Internet? Or websites? Who really cares about that stuff?
So I became a teacher.
It took me four years to learn everything I needed to know to inspire the youth of America. I earned my degree, secured my position and was ready to change lives! It took less than one year for me to slowly…back away…from the teenagers.
What was this, a school for ants?? How the heck was I supposed to inspire kids who didn’t even come to school? I wasn’t inspiring. I was jaded. I was annoyed. The kids who COULD be inspired by me were already college bound. They wanted to be inspired. They were on a successful path.
But when you’re not open to being inspired and you don’t want to learn and you don’t do your work and you don’t come to class…those were the kids I wanted to reach. They didn’t care.
How do you force someone to care? How do you force someone to show up?
So I started to think about how statistically a (too) large percentage of my freshmen would not graduate from school. They would argue that they didn’t need to know what I was teaching to get a job. Vocabulary and The House On Mango Street and essay writing was not necessary in the real world.
I would go through the lip service of attempting to convince them that these skills would serve them, but actually the opposite was happening. They were convincing me that maybe they were right. Maybe school wasn’t for ALL walks of life. Maybe they could be perfectly happy working a blue collar job that never once references To Kill A Mockingbird.
And was there anything so wrong with that? We can’t all be college graduates…and even those kids often end up struggling to secure a job that will support their family and pay off student loans. We need all the workers…the lawyers, the pizza deliverers, the garbage collectors, the doctors…everyone has a valued place.
Looking back, I wish I had not allowed myself to become so discouraged by those few struggling kids or with the content I had to cover. A good teacher probably would have taken the required work and weaved in topics relevant to their lives, our community, the WORLD. Who knows if that would have been enough to save the strugglers, but at least it would have given me a little faith in my own purpose.
I work with three year olds now because baking cakes together is so much more fun than college prep and I get to eat their leftovers.
If I could go back and choose a new career path for myself, maybe I would take a stab at Mr. Taylor’s convoluted idea of “technology”. Maybe he was on to something.
Smells like dirt? They were such good little helpers. #tbt
Jennifer says
First of all. Mt Rainier?? I think we live in the same area. Suburb of Seattle???
I adore teachers. I believe in them and wish their salary was more than it is. It’s almost funny, knowing what I know now, if I could go back in time, I probably would be a teacher.
Technology confuses me. It gives me anxiety. I cannot even change my blog template (Christmas themed) because I have no clue what I am doing.
tima says
Fellow teacher here too.
My dad wanted me to do some technology thing too. Not sure why. Or what I would do. Although I think I need to come up with a great app! But you know, tech does come up in the classrom a lot. ;)
Mama Kat says
Just imagine if we had started learning about websites and coding back then…we could really be onto something now. I wish tech came up even MORE in the classroom. All the kids should have computers to work with in class in my opinion.
Andrea says
I wanted to be a university professor, and decided that the kids I would be teaching were too smart and smug for me. I wished I had stayed with it.
Now I am a mom, raising the smart but hopefully not smug.
Mama Kat says
Oh man, thinking about some of the college kids I went to school with. They were pretty awful…especially with English as a major. So many philosophical, analytical, deep thinking over achievers. No thank you. They would challenge every word that came out of my mouth.
Emily says
I have often thought of being a teacher if I had to do it all over again, but you certainly don’t paint a pretty picture of it!
Mama Kat says
Haha! Well I loved my students, but no I never felt like I did enough to help them.
Astrid says
I remember wanting to become a teacher, but I saw it more as a helping profession than as a teaching profession. I can relate to those big dreams about changing the world.
Mama Kat says
Yeah, I think I went into with bigger life changing ideas in mind. If I go back I’ll definitely have a different direction.
Jill says
I was an Education major too! However after subbing in the public school system I decided teaching just wasn’t for me! I am much more a one on one person and having a classroom of 25-30 kids was just chaos! I worked in finance for many years after that which I pretty much knew was wrong for me from the start and grew to loathe. I’ve been a nanny now for 2 years which I love. Hello snuggling babies all day! But there are still many things I’d like to try! I’d love to be a writer and have more freedom to travel and make my own schedule.
Mama Kat says
Writing and traveling…that’s the life right there!!
jerralea says
Oh my goodness, my oldest is a high school teacher and the stories she brings home every night – I just could not deal. They can’t even bring a pencil to class. We are talking high school kids and they are not responsible enough to remember a pencil.
The thing is, I don’t think any of us know what we want to do when we are young. We take a stab at it and slowly evolve into a different career than where we started. I’m thinking of a switch to being a travel writer … LOL.
Mama Kat says
I completely agree, we definitely don’t have a clear concept of what the future will hold for us when we’re teens, but coming prepared to class is a great step in the right direction! Ultimately I think class is just a distraction for most high schoolers where high school is often seen as just an obstacle to get through and a way to meet up with friends.
Gigi says
Pffft! Technology? Surely that’s *just* a fad! ;-)
Mama Kat says
Exactly! Technology is borrrring! ;)
madamdreamweaver says
The little ones are easier to influence (and control) and cake is good. Do you think you might ever go back to the classroom–say after your kids are grown and out, even as a sub?
Mama Kat says
Yes, I would definitely consider subbing next. I might consider teaching full time again if I get hungry for a life change. It’s great to have that as an option!
DonettaS says
I remember the few teachers I had that really enjoyed their jobs, wanted to reach students, and touched me. I also wanted to be a teacher. I wanted the feeling of teaching students, wanting students who would remember me 20 years after graduation, and summers off work……………. but life got in the way and looking back, I think I was too lazy at the time to concern myself with college. After all, I completed 13 years of school if you count kindergarten. So a break became 21 years.
This was an amazing post. I do wish I cared more about computers, other than the social media and blogging.
Mama Kat says
Those teachers were so talented. I don’t think it comes naturally to all of us to be as inspiring as they were!