Motivational: Teaching is NOT for the Weak
Founder/CEO, The Urban Connection Project
Teachers are major contributors to the progression and development of our great nation. It is the one profession that everyone will have to encounter, regardless of status, religion, color, race or any other factor.
Every great member of society is a product of their community, family, faith and a long list of teachers who believed and encouraged them along the way. Teachers have loved, developed and prepared every doctor, lawyer, non-profit business owner, CEO and community leader, including the president. Only the strong can handle this type of influence and power.
Teaching effectively takes a certain type of selflessness. Once we realize that we are not in existence to take care of ourselves, we become selfless. Once we become selfless, we can discern personal opinions for the sake of the good of others. Picking a career as selfless as teaching is a decision of wisdom. There is definitely something to be said about an individual who cares enough about the most important piece to our nation’s future.
Teachers love, care, nurture, develop, esteem, build, create, discipline, structure, correct, console and celebrate students, sometimes all within one day of teaching. As a teacher you must micromanage, speak publicly, write script and possess many other important skills that allow you to effectively teach.
Many jobs require a lot from a worker, but there is no job on Earth as rewarding as teaching. Speaking life into a discouraged student, then seeing them flourish is a memory and feeling that will last forever.
Teachers have a direct connection to every student they encounter and the relationship is one that cannot be replicated. There’s something about seeing a student smile that warms your heart and makes you happy you chose teaching. Don’t be surprised when one of your most difficult students comes back a few years later telling you how much you meant to them!
The attention a child needs to develop and become a prestigious citizen in our society is great. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a hero to teach them. Stepping up to the plate to accept the challenge is not something anyone can do. You must be mentally strong, intelligent and caring. Saying “I want to be a teacher” is not merely declaring you want to instruct—it is saying, “I care enough about our future to make a difference.”
Be the difference in the world!
Have you been called to the field of education? Learn how you can become an educator and make a difference in students’ lives by visiting Grand Canyon University’s College of Education.
More About Justin:
Justin Campbell was born in Detroit, MI. He attended Western Michigan University, where he earned his B.S. in mathematics and secondary education with a minor in communications. Currently, Justin lives in Phoenix and works in the education field. Justin is a former teacher, director of a summer camp in Detroit and current employee of the largest education company in the world, Pearson. In 2014, he founded The Urban Connection Project. This organization specializes in raising the odds for success in at-risk communities through enhancing the many roads students travel on their path to adulthood. The most recently established branch, Teacher-to-Teacher, introduces urban schools and communities to teachers interested in educating inner city students.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.