The last two years I have finished the school year with posts of lists that have been a lot of fun to write. In 2022, I wrote 26 Years, 26 Teachers, 26 Lessons and last year I wrote 27 Ways Schools are Better to wrap-up my 27th year.
As teaching shortages locally and globally have become more common, I have been thinking a lot about our profession and how rarely we share the amazingness that comes from our work. So, as I wrap-up year 28, here are 28 reason to love teaching, schools and education (in no particular order):
- Impacting Lives – Teaching has this amazing opportunity to change life trajectories for young people. Beyond immediate family, it is often teachers who a child will spend the most time with in any given year.
- Everyday is Different – No two days are the same. Each day brings new challenges and experiences. And this is amplified year to year – even if you teach the same grade or same subject, each year is so different from previous ones.
- Mentorship – I have had the opportunity to be on both sides of this. It is a great profession to learn from others more experienced and then share your experiences with others. The chance to role model for others is exceptionally fulfilling. There is a great sense in teaching you learn from those who came before you and pass along wisdom to those who follow.
- Make a Difference – It is a bit cliché that teachers make a difference, but it is true. It is a job where every single day is a chance to make a difference and that stacks up over time. It is often the smallest thing like a positive comment to a child in class that can have a huge impact.
- Using New Technologies – When I started teaching I never contemplated this. And while some might think teaching is antiquated at times, from calculators, to laptops to VR goggles to AI there is always a chance to see how emerging technologies in our world could enhance learning.
- Collaboration – Teaching is a team game. You are reliant on others to work together in the support of students. This synergy can be exceptionally fulfilling.
- The Pay is OK – Teachers don’t usually have a summer home in Europe but they make a good salary that is stable and reliable and comes with comprehensive benefits. Good for us low-risk money people.
- Lifelong Friends – Teaching can create a great network of friends. Some of those I went through education with and started teaching beside are some of my best friends today. Teaching draws people who often have a similar view of the world, which makes it an easy friendship circle.
- It is a Respected Profession – Now I know some will point to how jobs in the public sector like in health and education have come under attack in recent years, in a recent poll (HERE) teaching was among the most highly respected professions in Canada (OK – not firefighter level – put still pretty good!).
- Sharing passion for subjects – Whether it is a love of Ancient History or of botany or robotics, teaching lets you share your passion with others. Actually many of the best school experiences are built around teacher passions for a particular content area that they not only teach but inspire.
- Social Impact – Teaching helps contribute to reducing educational inequality. The power of a great teacher or school can have a dramatic impact on a community.
- Family Friendly – We have 4 kids and having similar break times when your kids are in school is amazing! Watching other parents try to manage Winter, Spring and Summer breaks while balancing work was a good reminder of how lucky we were to share much of the same time off.
- Always Learning – I have learned so much while teaching. You are in the learning business so you are constantly curious and learning new material, new methods and new ways to approach learning. As students change and the world around you changes, you change.
- Creativity Flourishes – Schools are not assembly lines. Teachers bring their own style and creativity to the classroom. Both lesson plans and teacher methods are places where individual flair can come through.
- Community Connections – Teaching is part of the community. You are often connected to professional in health, non-profits and a range of other community organizations that wrap around schools. Many times you can bring in experts from the community to support your classroom activities.
- Stimulates the Brain – Somedays in makes your brain hurt. When every student and situation is different it can be challenging but so stimulating. It keeps you fresh and always forces you to think about different possibilities.
- Leadership Opportunities – There are so many ways to take on informal and formal leadership roles in education. From leading a project or initiative at your school, so something more formal with the union or the district or to pursue management options as a vice-principal or principal – it is a job full of ways to lead.
- Travel Options – It does not have travel options like sales or other business jobs. But if you want to see the world, you can through teaching. I see many former colleagues teaching around the world – the skills of teaching are universal and the needs for English instruction are global. Yes, I would like teachers to stay close to home (we need you here) but it is a job with global options.
- Sense of Purpose – Teaching makes a difference. There is this strong sense of moral purpose to the work. While we try to not take ourselves too seriously, there is serious work, we are making a difference and good teaching really matters.
- Kids are Always Changing – Kids today are different than 5 years ago, and 5 years from now they were be very different from today. Sometimes one thinks of teaching as static, once you figure it out you just repeat over and over. That doesn’t work with teaching as every group of students are different, the dynamics in the class are different and you get to evolve as those you work with change.
- Shape the Future – Lots of people complain about the present and lament the future, but teachers have a chance to help shape it. The kinds of conversations we have now with students, the citizenship skills we hone in young people will have a dramatic impact on the coming decades in our world. Many feel helpless in making change in the world, but teaching really can shape the future.
- Helps You Stay Young – As I was sitting under a table reading with a student this past year, I was reminded not many other 50 year-olds get to do this and call it work. Being around young people all the time and all the energy and curiosities they have keep you young.
- See a Range of Perspectives – Schools are communities and teachers, students and families bring a range of views. And this is so interesting. I have had my thinking broadened so often by people with different life experiences.
- Job Security – In an era when many people talk about the jobs that are disappearing or may be disappearing you don’t hear about teaching on the list. It is a job that can be a lifelong career.
- Celebrating Milestones – I have had the chance to attend more than 50 graduation ceremonies (in my current role I get to go to several a year). And they are all special. Seeing students reach transition points in their life and celebrate with their friends and families is a privilege. And getting to be a part of these milestones is incredibly special.
- Students Come Back to Say Thank You – This is the best. Students you may have taught 20 years ago will reach out to you on social media or in-person and say thank you. That sometimes a little thing you did that you didn’t even realize was a thing made a huge difference in their life.
- All The Stuff Beyond the Classroom – For my dad it was being involved with more than 20 school musicals as a teacher, for my mom it was the music concerts, for me it has been the sports coaching – there are so many connection points with students beyond the classroom that are all volunteering but contribute to the school and community and wildly satisfying while creating life long memories.
- Legacy – A teacher’s impact lasts well beyond their years in the classroom. Let me tell you a quick story about my dad. Some context, he retired in the late 1990’s and died in 2014. This past fall there was a best selling book, East Side Story, by one of his former students from Killarney Secondary in Vancouver. This is a quote from author Nick Marino in the acknowledgements of the book, “As a teacher myself, I want to thank the teacher who inspired and supported me as a writer while I was a student at Killarney Secondary. Mr. Barry Kennedy brought joy to his work and to my life. I hope that some of my students will one day think of me the way I think of him.” Teaching truly lasts far beyond the classroom.
Teaching is a really hard job. But there are few ways to make such an impactful dent in our world that through teaching. As we close the year, thanks to all the teachers present and past who have and continue to impact me.
I would love to hear from others on who you would add to this list.
And thanks to everyone who connects through this blog.
Happy Summer!
