Recently at the BC School Trustees Association, I was listening to Larry Rosenstock from High Tech High talk about the moment he knew he wanted to be a teacher. It was a very interesting thing to reflect on and try to pinpoint the time I really knew I wanted to be a teacher.
I do think we all have these moments.
For me it was when I was about ten years old. I can remember being backstage after the showing of Wizard of Oz by the students at Killarney Secondary School in Vancouver. My dad (and for a time my mom) spent a long career teaching at Killarney and for many of those years he produced the annual school musical. From a very young age I remember going to Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Oklahoma!, Sound of Music among others. When you are in a family with two parents as teachers going to the high school is a big family night out.
The Wizard of Oz and getting to go backstage stands out. I remember the amazing joy and happiness from all of those involved in the production. I can clearly remember getting to meet all of the actors and being in awe as if I was on a Hollywood movie set, and I remember them interacting with my dad. There was such excitement. And not only did I want to meet the actors, they wanted to meet me; I was Mr. Kennedy’s son. I knew then I wanted to be a teacher. Until that point what my parents did was quite obscure for me. Even though I went to school everyday, I don’t think I really knew what a teacher did. I learned that day that teaching was something really special. Teaching was about making connections. Teaching was about making things come to life. Teaching was about being on a team.
It is interesting that as soon as Larry Rosenstock had us think about when we knew we wanted to be a teacher, this moment, one I hadn’t really thought of in more than three decades immediately came back to me.
While I kicked the tires on other career options in high school and even into university I knew from a very young age I wanted to be a teacher. And while some think a child of teachers is born into the job, it wasn’t that for me. It was seeing the amazing joy that comes from the work in schools. I am sure this Wizard of Oz moment and others like it are why I still advocate so loudly for strong arts and athletic programs and other options outside the classroom that round-out the school life.
I am sure I am not alone in having a moment I knew I wanted to teach – so what is yours?
cultureofyes.ca 
I love how MUSIC programs connected you to wanting to be a teacher! We have had an amazing week of public student music events in WestVan Schools this week, thanks to our many incredible music teachers and organizing team!
For me, I knew I wanted to be a teacher once I learned to print, and began creating ‘worksheets’ for my little brother and friends on our kitchen table. This ‘passion’ was only heightened in grade school when the teacher brought back freshly minted worksheets from the photostat machine, bright-blue watery ink that smelled great!
I’m happy to say that I don’t use so many worksheets in my classroom these days 🙂
That is great! Probably sharing your passion for worksheets would not get you many jobs today. And yes, it was a great week for the arts in West Vancouver!
I remember lying on the gym floor at McNair right on the Marlin logo looking around the room and thinking, this is where I want to be. I was alone waiting for my class to start. It was a quarter course and I took 4 blocks of PE a day for 6 weeks until the new semester started and I could return to a more normal load. It was like a light went on and I knew that the gym and its atmosphere was where I wanted to be. 29 years later…
That is a great story Trish . . . not too many chances to take 4 blocks of PE a day now . . . at least you moved a couple blocks over from McNair for your teaching.
Thanks for this story. It warmed my heart. I grew up with teachers too. My mom, my grandma, my great-grandma and two of my aunts. My moment of “ah ha!” came when a counsellor at University asked me what I loved in school. The loudest answer was clear. I had LOVED my Band and Performing Arts classes the best. For me there is no drug on earth that is the same as a performance high. The bubbling energy you spoke of makes my spirits soar. Thanks again for sharing your memories.
Thanks for the inspiration. My moment came when I was volunteering in an adult special education class in Delta. The teacher, Flora taught with an amazing combination of intelligence, patience, and humour. One night we were working on reading. Flora had students working on very different types of reading programs. I realized that the way reading is taught in schools may not be the best fit for many students. I knew at that moment that I wanted to learn how to teach students who struggle at school…to solve the ‘puzzle’ of how they learn and teach in a way that opens up the world of learning for that child. 21 years later as a teacher and administrator I still embrace the challenge of connecting with the strugglers and helping them see their own possibility.
Thanks for sharing Vicki. What a powerful story. It is interesting reading the different stories and seeing the huge impact these moments still have on us today and what we value and see as important in our work.
Hi Chris,
Perhaps I’m a bit of an anomaly, but I never had that moment, I never “knew”. In fact, after struggling through school, the classroom was the last place I thought I’d ever find myself. But although it was by “chance”, there truly isn’t a day that goes by as an administrator where I don’t have a “I love my job” moment. Sometimes it’s on those ridiculously hard days, and sometimes it’s when all is well. I found my way because a few special people saw my potential before I could see it in myself. I hope to do the same for others. Huge responsibility. Enormous privilege.
Nice – what a great reflection. I think there are actually a number of people like you – who may not have had the best experience but see the possibilities and the opportunities of school. It is so interesting how amazingly powerful our experiences with school when we were young have such an influence on us as educators.