Heart to Heart

You've probably seen the latest in linky parties with...




The cool thing about this linky series is that there are several different topics and opportunities to network with other bloggers. Very cool, indeed! My last post was about walking a day in my shoes, and this post is dedicated to...

What does being a teacher mean to me? At first, I really didn't want to be a teacher. I wanted to be a Spanish interpreter, and then I wanted to become a youth minister. I felt God was calling me to work with teens, so I attended a local Baptist university and started all the necessary classes. I was excited at first, then after a few outings with the teens from my church, I decided youth ministry wasn't my calling. Don't get me wrong - I had a blast hanging out with the teens from our church and we developed really strong friendships, but that's as far as it went. I wasn't prepared to help teens deal with teen issues, and I realized my calling was to work with younger children, only not in the church setting. I noticed there was a bigger mission field available to me, and that was the public school system. 
After student teaching and graduation, there was a hiring freeze in many of the school districts in my area (lovely budget issues!), so I tried several different jobs thinking I was misguided in my thinking and calling. I worked for America Online for 4 years and was going to make that my career until I was a part of a huge lay off. I worked in a travel agency's call center, I worked for a credit card company, and while the money was great, I was miserable because I hated those jobs. I made one big circle in this journey of life, and I ended up right back where I started... the public school! I may not be rich, but I've found the most rewarding job ever -- teaching!


While my faith plays a big role in my decision to become a teacher, I realize I cannot share my faith directly with my students, but my faith is shared through being a positive, male role model to those that may not have one. I lost my father when I was in fourth grade and unfortunately, didn't have a good male role model in my life. I want my students to have what I didn't have - a guy who will challenge, push them because he cares about them and their future. 
Thanks for reading and make sure you head over to TBA and Journey of a Substitute Teacher to link up!!