What it’s Like to Teach
That’s a great question—with a lot of potential answers. The truth is, everyone’s experience is unique. This is why it is important to talk to as many people as you can, find mentors, and conduct research. Even though you will have your own journey, here are some core aspects of the job that will ring true:
Be Challenged Intellectually
Teaching is a wonderful profession for those who are eternally curious and always looking to innovate. The field of education is active with debate and exploration about how to make education more effective, from concepts like Personalized Learning to Instructional Leadership, to ideas about the difference between public, private and charter schools. Thus, as you progress in your career you’ll have plenty of fodder to keep you stimulated intellectually and challenged professionally. Â
Work Hard & Reap Rewards
As a teacher you’ll work hard, yes, but this is a job where your investment is sure to pay off. For every hour you put in, every exam you administer, every lesson you teach, every pep talk you give, you will reap unparalleled outcomes. Your students will light up when they master the subjects you’ve taught them to love. You’ll establish bonds of trust that allow you to influence their lives. And you’ll get to work with subject matter that interests you. Nobody likes to be bored, but don't worry. You won’t have that problem.Â
Build & Hone Your Skills
Teaching requires a diverse set of skills: leadership, creative problem-solving, and stellar communication, to name a few. The practice of teaching will naturally help you deepen your talents to increase your influence, impact, and professional abilities.Â
Additionally, varied leadership development opportunities—from trainings to conferences to coaching—are available to help you excel as a professional in whatever ways you are driven.
Stoke Your Creativity
If you believe that your students can run a NASA command center, manage a corporate boardroom, thrive in a laboratory, master an art studio, succeed in an operating room—so will they. In the classroom, your influence impacts their dreams and sense of curiosity. Teaching allows you to constantly imagine new and effective ways to reach young minds.Â
Sparking curiosity is at the heart of what teachers do. Watch chemistry teacher Ramsay Musallam’s TED talk about three ways to spark curiosity in young learners.
What Do Teachers Love About Their Jobs?
Being a teacher is like being the people who show up at strangers' doors from Publisher's Clearinghouse to tell them they've won the jackpot. Each day you make kiddos' lives and futures rich by surprising them with new knowledge and learning experiences. The look on their faces when they figure out a tricky word in their favorite story, experiment with chemical reactions, or create their first line of computer code, show you just how grateful they are and that their lives are forever changed.
Kimberly Mineral Point Elementary School
Keep Discovering What Teaching has to Offer
Teaching is a rewarding profession where you can have great influence and make a difference in the world, all while building your professional skill set.
Learn how you can apply your talents to the classroom.