This upcoming school year will be my fourth year as a high school teacher, and I have to admit that career-wise, this is not where I thought I would be at age twenty-seven. I guess I thought I would be doing something more extraordinary by now, but I'm not sure what I thought that grand profession might be. As I begin preparing for the next school year (yes, I am already making plans in July), I find myself trying to think ahead - not just about how I can do The Odyssey differently or how to make my history classes more engaging - but I try to see myself doing anything else other than working with high school students. And I can't. But is my feeling of permanence in secondary education a true passion for the craft of teaching, or is it complacency and fear?
I remember when I first started teaching, lots of people, including my family and mentors from undergrad, would tell me that teaching high school is a reasonable place to start, but I should aim higher. I could be a college professor (if I can ever get into a doctoral program!) at some prestigious university instead of teaching Romeo and Juliet to ninth graders, and part of me still holds on to this notion. At the same time, I actually like working with teenagers. Yes, they are immature and awkward, but most of them are hungry for guidance. After all, wouldn't you want someone who actually cares about your children teaching and advising them?
Maybe I started teaching "by accident," but I am not still teaching by default. There are lots of jobs that I'm qualified to do. And while there are parts of teaching that make jumping off of a cliff seem like an inviting endeavor, I enjoy what I do on most days. So, am I settling? Maybe to some people I am. I mean sometimes I do miss researching and reading theory (and I'm not being sarcastic - I LOVE theory), but I like teaching, and word around campus is that I'm doing a pretty good job. Most importantly, I'm happy.
