The Honest, Raw Truth from My Perspective

Teaching is by no means an easy job to make into a career. 50% of teachers leave the profession in their first 5 years of teaching. So what makes individuals stick with the job when the demands grow day by day? I truly believe that teaching is not just a career choice to make, but a calling. Even so, if you feel called to teach and have a passion for reaching young minds, some teachers still chose to leave the profession early because teaching is hard.

Teaching is hard. The average teacher makes 1,500 decisions each day. That is approximately 4 decisions each minute in the standard school day.

Teaching is hard. Colleagues are not always easy to get along with and each have their own way of doing things.

Teaching is hard. Students come from unimaginable home lives where they don't eat, sleep, or even sometimes know their real parents.

Teaching is hard. More and more students are labeled with diagnoses that alter their path in education.

Teaching is hard. Every student learns differently, and at a different pace, meaning the teacher has to constantly adapt instruction.

Teaching is hard. New programs and curriculum are added to a teacher's plate each year.

Teaching is hard. Students' attention spans are limited and decreasing each year. Teaching is becoming a show in the front of the classroom.

Teaching is hard. Teachers are leaving the profession, moving positions, and constantly changing the way they teach to keep up with the times.

So why do I stay?

I stay because no matter how hard the job gets, there will always be a child who needs me.

I stay because I might just touch the life of one kid.

I stay because someone once taught me that others are more important than me.

I stay because some day, we will get it right. Some day we will learn from our mistakes. Some day we will learn the same lessons we teach our students each day.

I stay because just like we teach our students, we need to persevere, show grit, and take on a challenge.

I stay because I feel called. Called to touch a life, called to meet a need, called to encourage and support, and called to change the world.

I stay because my work matters. I don't go home with a large paycheck. I don't always make best friends. I don't always get to leave my work at school. But I make a difference, even if it is only one heart at a time.

This is why I teach. This is why so many stick with the profession after years of pressure and stress. No, teaching isn't always easy, but it will always be worth it.