What Is Your Why

By. Teresa Marchant

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. As a young child, my older siblings and I would play “school”. However, I was never allowed to be the teacher. Not until I was older when my siblings were no longer interested in playing with their baby sister, I was the teacher of my dolls and stuffed animals. Our family had a large chalkboard that we used. It was then that I discovered that I was allergic to chalk. How could I be a teacher, but couldn’t write with chalk?

During my upper elementary years, my family moved. My teacher at the time figured out why I had a difficult time in math. She was the reason I ultimately decided to become a teacher. She wanted to help ME learn!

Years passed and I was accepted into college however, I needed to declare my major. Everyone told me that teachers didn’t make very much money. So I did not declare education as my major. After a few semesters of taking classes I discovered my true passion was learning and helping others.  I scheduled an appointment with my advisor and changed my major to Elementary Education!

Then came student teaching. Oh, it was exhausting, it was thrilling, and it was scary. After graduation, I wasn’t sure where I would find a job. My whole life I had planned for this moment and I was very unsure where I needed to be. One day I went to the public library; it felt like home. A few months later I accepted a position in a school library and never looked back. Thankfully, the years of using chalk are eons behind us and I am happy to use dry erase markers and technology instead!

So why do I tell you this? Reflecting on the past can help you discover the future. Educators have a deep rooted devotion to education. So why do I get up every morning? BecauseI love what I do and want to help others achieve their goals. 

So what’s “your why”? This can be a reminder when days are tough, meetings run long, and parents are overbearing…take the time to remember why you do this hard job. Just like me, it’s for our students! Here’s to a great school year!