Our experiences make us who we are. Mine made me into a math teacher. No, I didn't have an inspiring teacher that made me want to be a teacher. Even though I had some good teachers, none of them left any desire to teach. In all honesty, my Math teachers were rather horrible at inspiring me to do anything with math. Thank goodness math was a cool thing in my family. The particular inspiration to become a teacher came when I realized I never wanted to grow up.
I decided that I wanted to become a teacher the summer before I started college at Utah State University. I got to thinking a bit (which teenage boys do seldom, but I was having a lucky day). I had always entertained the idea of being a teacher, and during that summer I realized it has exactly what I want:
1. I don't have to work in foods or customer support (often). I worked fast food and ride operator at a local amusement park. This taught me a wonderful lesson: people suck way bad. Particularly adults. I don't know what happens between teenage years and adulthood, but people become real dicks.
"WHAT!?! You put in a complaint that I didn't GENTLY put your bag of food on the counter!?! It's freaking Arby's! I was running around like crazy getting everyone else's food together!" "You can't ride the swings without close-toed shoes. I don't care that you waited in the line for 20 minutes. It's not my fault you didn't read that gargantuan sign at the entrance to the ride. Stop shouting sir, it won't change anything... FINE! I'll call my supervisor so HE can tell you the exact same thing."
Yeah, adults suck. Teachers get to spend almost all of their time with adolescents? Sweet! If they give me a ridiculous time I can at least get a counselor to do something about it.
2. I don't have to work outside. Man, this one summer I worked for a general contractor doing random jobs. These included the following:
Docking and shooting up some 50 50 lbs pigs with drugs. After injecting them, I had to carry them around the corner an place them over a 4 foot high fence. Ever picked up a 50 lbs bag of salt? Now imagine it doesn't want to be lifted and starts throwing its weight around. Stupid pigs. They don't know what's good for them. (Actually running away would be good for them. My boss already had all the meat from those pigs sold before they reached full size.)
Picking up every single rock in an acre plot of land.
Moving rocks from one location to another.
Drive re-bar into concrete.
Destroy fences while being careful the cows don't eat the old barbwire (why cows eat barbwire is beyond me).
All of these were outside in the summer in the sun that burned my bald head (yes, even at 19 I was quite bald.) I decided that I better get an education to avoid skin cancer of the head.
3. I don't have to change my schedule. I love having my summers to do what I please. Perhaps the most important part about having a school schedule is that I will be out of school when my future kids will. I want to be there with them playing in mud, going to the park, eating snow cones, and terrorizing Mom. (I can't wait for when my wife gets annoyed yells at me to go play outside. :)) Honestly, this is perhaps the most important cool thing about being a teacher.
4. I get to teach. I absolutely helping other people understand stuff. Maybe it is because I like being smarter than everyone else. Maybe it is because I like seeing the light bulb come on. Maybe it is because I like hearing the sound of my own voice, but whatever the reason I like teaching.
Teaching looked like the best possible thing I could do with my life and so I chose it and went to school for that.
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