spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful,Thinking of entering the teaching profession? Maybe you’re even thinking of teaching a subject like mathematics. What a crazy thought! Why would you want to do such a thing? I mean, I can come up with at least a hundred other ways of frustrating the heck out of yourself. All joking aside, teaching has to be the most noble profession on earth, but one that should not be entered into on a wing and a prayer, nor after only perfunctory consideration. And if you are selfish, then teaching is definitely not for you.

Why do I say what I do in the above paragraph? Well for one, teaching, if done right, is one of the most demanding—if not most exacting—profession there is. Make no mistake. This job is not for everyone. In fact, this job is ideally suited for only a select group of individuals. It is unfortunate and a crying shame for the profession that most of the individuals who enter this field are not from that select group I mentioned.

Teaching is a tiring (and any teacher who reads this knows the type of enervating fatigue I am referencing) and often times thankless job. And in spite of what people who have never taught think, teaching is a 24/7 job—not a part-time one as many would have you believe. All the days off—summer vacation, winter break, spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful,

noble profession on earth, but one that should not be entered into on a wing and a prayer, nor after only perfunctory consideration. And if you are selfish, then teaching is definitely not for you.

Why do I say what I do in the above paragraph? Well for one, teaching, if done right, is one of the most demanding—if not most exacting—profession there is. Make no mistake. This job is not for everyone. In fact, this job is ideally suited for only a select group of individuals. It is unfortunate and a crying shame for the profession that most of the individuals who enter this field are not from that select group I mentioned.

Teaching is a tiring (and any teacher who reads this knows the type of enervating fatigue I am referencing) and often times thankless job. And in spite of what people who have never taught think, teaching is a 24/7 job—not a part-time one as many would have you believe. All the days off—summer vacation, winter break, spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful,

if not most exacting—profession there is. Make no mistake. This job is not for everyone. In fact, this job is ideally suited for only a select group of individuals. It is unfortunate and a crying shame for the profession that most of the individuals who enter this field are not from that select group I mentioned.

Teaching is a tiring (and any teacher who reads this knows the type of enervating fatigue I am referencing) and often times thankless job. And in spite of what people who have never taught think, teaching is a 24/7 job—not a part-time one as many would have you believe. All the days off—summer vacation, winter break, spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful,

Teaching is a tiring (and any teacher who reads this knows the type of enervating fatigue I am referencing) and often times thankless job. And in spite of what people who have never taught think, teaching is a 24/7 job—not a part-time one as many would have you believe. All the days off—summer vacation, winter break, spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful,

spring break, holidays, snow days, etc.—amount to a hill of beans, when you’re on the front lines five times a day, five times a week for forty, maybe fifty minute periods, with a class full of distracted, hormone-possessed adolescents—and if you’re teaching younger children—spending five, six hours with needy, fretful, and attention demanding boys and girls.

Truly, teaching requires acts of selflessness on a daily basis; thus, the selfish person will quickly find that this profession does not match his or her own agenda all that well. Teaching demands so much of one’s time and energy that very little of these precious resources is often left over for other things. Therefore, think carefully before you enter this profession for the effects of burn-out can come fast and furiously.

The silver lining in all this is that teaching is one of the most gratifying professions there is. No other field can return the type of self-satisfaction as when, for example, the impact of a life-changing effect is made on a student. No other profession can prove the effects of unconditional love as when the great teacher gives and gives and gives, tirelessly day after day, pounding the blackboard, plying the trade, not expecting anything in return; and then totally unexpectedly gets the return visit from a long-forgotten student, who although trouble at one time, comes to say thank you, thank you great teacher. For you truly changed my life for the better. No price or value can be placed on such an experience.

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