Why teaching is fun

This week is one of the toughest weeks so far. It’s incredibly busy at work, hence no post yesterday. Yet, after 5 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of office related tasks it feels so good to be teaching again. I totally realized why I started doing this in the first place. Despite all the running around and stress related issues that come with being a teacher, there are also tons of good things about the job. Here’s why being a teacher is fun.

Interaction with people.

Sure enough, as long as you work together with people, you will interact with them, but when you’re a teacher this is of a completely different level. Your main job is to interact with people. Not only are you interacting with your colleagues, but you also interact with your students. Depending on your school and personal taste you can be more lax or more strict, but usually class interactions are what make the job fun. You get to laugh about jokes, can get some great ideas from students and you get to see other people’s takes on the stuff you’re trying to teach them.

Never a dull moment.

No kidding. Since you are working with so many different people which are put into groups haphazardly, the greatest things can happen. The best part is when your students are discovering things they never thought they would. Secondly, if you’re just sitting behind a computer all day, you won’t get around much. As a teacher you are not only interacting with different groups of people, but you also are also running around between classes. That can sometimes be a pain, as you have to get your things and move yet again, but it makes for great hall way conversations with colleagues and students alike.

Versatility.

Teaching is much more than knowing your subject. Granted you have to know your subject in order to teach it, but there is so much more to it. There is this quote I love which goes: teaching is 25% knowledge and 75% theater. In a way this is very true: you have to be a bit of an actor to make your classes interesting and fun. You have to improvise and come up with on the fly solutions. You’re a mentor, a psychologist, social worker, shoulder to cry on, and depending on the age of your students: an example. It makes the job versatile and interesting.

You get to help people.

I have to confess, most teachers I know, myself included are somewhat idealistic in our views of people. One thing we all seem to believe, well at least I do, is that by teaching them something you teach them not only the subjects they have to know in school, but you also teach them about themselves, other people and life in general. In the process of learning, people not only learn about your subject, but also about many other things that don’t even seem related in the first place.

It’s rewarding.

At least, that is my opinion. It’s not rewarding in a financial sense and no one will ever blatantly tell you you’re doing a good job, but you have to look for the rewards in the feedback you get from people. If a school is a company, then the students are your clients and when they are satisfied, you can be satisfied. So, seeing that smile on a student’s face after putting in some extra hours together, or being told that students rather take your class than someone else’s, or hearing that students are disappointed they aren’t having you as a teacher this year. That’s what makes it worth while.

Q: Would you ever want to be a teacher?