The Call to Teach

Since at least my sophomore year of high school, if not before, many close family members and friends would tell me that I would someday end up teaching—just like my Grandpa, just like my Mom, and just like my Dad. I denied it for a couple years, but during my senior year I decided that I wanted to pursue education. So I signed myself for education classes, but began to doubt this choice, being persuaded that there were other things I could do and other careers I could pursue that were bigger and better than being a teacher. However, I've come to realize that at this point in my life there is no greater call on my heart than to teach. And what a journey it’s been thus far, and will continue to be.

This semester I've been required to immerse myself in a classroom to observe and participate; I have been placed in an 11^th grade English class at a local, small Christian high school (and not the one I went to). This requirement has been stressful because it’s an extra 3+ hours a week I’m busy—which while taking 17 credit hours, having extra time commitment for orchestra and labs, and trying to work around 25 hours a week is a bit difficult—but it’s definitely been worth it. Mostly because it has probably been the most influential factor in removing many of my doubts about going into education.

This confirmation came in the form of several small moments of epiphany while in the classroom. The first was on one of my very first days observing; I was talking to the classroom teacher who was telling me about his journey through college and teaching at different schools around the country and even around the world. He began to say something about what techniques and types of lessons work better here, compared to other schools he taught in, and I began to realize that although I already knew it intellectually, practically speaking teachers always have to be on their toes. They have to go through a lot of their higher education learning all about learners, new educational research, school contexts etc. in order that they will be able to plan lessons well, so everyone can learn, and maybe more surprisingly, so that they can respond during class and react effectively if the class period is not going as planned.

My second moment really holds the weight of my call to be a teacher. Nothing really special happened to bring this about, I was just grading papers and listening to the teacher’s conversation with the students as they worked and thought “I could do this for the rest of my life.” And that wasn't a depressing thought, like I've chosen to be stuck doing this, but it was a thought full of great hope—I get to share my love of chemistry or my love of writing (or both!) with all kinds of students. I can teach them all about the interworkings of an atom or the interworkings of a sentence simply for its own sake because I truly believe that it is important to be at least a little bit experienced in most academic fields.

Although I’ll probably never go on to get my PhD in chemistry and do a bunch of experiments and research, that doesn't mean that one of my students can’t. The class that I teach could have that much of an impact on someone, hopefully from a combination of efficient and passionate teaching that overflows from my love for students and my love for chemistry. I know I’ll run into students who don’t understand the purpose in learning chemistry, but I’ll strive to show them how it’s one of the most beautiful studies of God’s creation—displaying the complexity of design and the complete order set up in the world.

The call to teach is much more than learning about pedagogy and lesson planning, more than sharing a love for a subject area. It is a call to be a light in a dark world. It is a call to serve the students and the community in the best way you possibly can by not only sharing valuable academic information but also by taking a personal interest in the lives of these students. If I think back to my time in grade school through high school, and even now in college, there have been so many teachers who have impacted the way I think, the way I act, and my spiritual life more than I ever thought possible simply because they cared for me as a person. They gave of themselves to come alongside me and help me learn, but also to help me grow as a person by investing their time and energy into building relationships and giving advice. That is something I’ll forever be thankful for and something I hope I can do in my future classroom as well.