Why Do You Want to Teach?
You need to examine why you want to teach. Positive reasons
for wanting to teach are:
- Satisfaction in seeing others learn — Whenever
I interview potential instructors, I often hear this as a
reason for wanting to teach. Many people phrase it something
like this: "I love the feeling when a student suddenly
gets the concept. You can see the light bulb go on above their
heads."
- Correcting a poor instructional situationii
— If you have been the recipient of poor instruction
in your educational career, this can motivate you toward becoming
an instructor because you feel you can do a better job.
- Teachers are strong role modelsiii —
What career are you most familiar with when you graduate high
school? Probably teaching since you’ve been exposed to
that profession on a daily basis. Teachers command a lot of
respect due to the authority and trust placed in them by parents
(and ultimately by students in adult education). Wanting to
feel respected and admired is a strong motivation for teaching.
- Making a significant contribution to societyiv
— Many people are unhappy with the state of society today.
Since teachers, especially of young children, can have a marked
impact on a student’s development outside the classroom,
many people feel this is one way they can affect positive
changes in the world.
- Subject matter expertisev — After
working for a number of years, some individuals become immersed
in subjects that they love. Often, people feel that the best
way to always work in the areas that they love is to teach
them. Teaching is especially attractive to these individuals
since effective teaching requires a constant upgrading of
skills and striving for currency in your discipline.
Poor reasons to teach exist also. Here are a few commons ones
I’ve run into:
- Enjoying exercising power — Teachers have a
lot of power over students’ lives. Think about the fear
of not doing a homework assignment and then being called on
in class to explain it. Although teachers have a great deal
of power, you shouldn’t enjoy the exercise of power for
its own sake.vi
- Teachers get a lot of time off —When I tell
people I work at a college, they often exclaim, "Boy
are you lucky. You get the summer off!" Nothing could
be farther from the truth. Although you may not have to teach
in the summers, during spring break, etc., you will spend
a great deal of time improving your knowledge base, preparing
lecture materials, grading papers and taking courses. Teaching
effectively requires a great deal of time beyond the hours
you are in front of the classroom.
- You’re your own boss — Sorry folks, but
this just isn’t true. Actually you can have too many
bosses. School administrators, parents, taxpayers, politicians
all can become involved in the classroom experience.
- What else can I do with my degree? — Unfortunately,
many people look upon teaching as a last resort when they
have an interest in a certain area, but can’t think of
an applicable job for their expertise.
Only you will know your true motivation for teaching. Hopefully,
it is an altruistic one. Now, let’s explore some of the
many rewards of a teaching career.
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