Reasons Why I Like Teaching

Yes, I will be the first to admit that teaching is a stressful, sometimes thankless, and draining job. Seriously, I come home thinking that there's no way I can "perform" any longer. I don't know of a lot of actors/actresses who perform four hours straight 2+ times a week. Some days I think I should be on Broadway! I embrace my English nerd-dom, but even I am not genuinely interested, excited, and pumped up about English that much and for such an extended period. Yep, I act a lot.

But enough about that, this post is supposed to be about why I like teaching, in spite of everything else:

1. I love to see a student get interested in something they thought was pointless and boring.
2. Immediate validation. Instantly I can tell if what I am doing is connecting with my students or not.
3. I can wear jeans if I want. Simple pleasures people.
4. I get to "hang out" and joke around with my students.
5. I learn something new. Every. Day. Maybe it's a small piece of knowledge, but I love to learn, and I appreciate the variety of backgrounds and perspectives my students bring to discussions and their papers.
6. Validation...again. I love hearing from a student that "English is my favorite class. There's no way I'm going to miss it." Awww...
7. I love to see the light turn on in their heads as they finally "get" something they haven't really understood since high school, or earlier (i.e. organization, thesis statements, rhetoric, etc.).
8. I get "holidays" off. Now, this doesn't mean I don't work (and heaven knows I'm going to be working my tail off during Thanksgiving Break grading papers), but I genuinely get to appreciate the Christmas holiday -- and other days when school is closed.
9. If I don't want to go to class, I don't have to...but I do anyway. I guess it's just the "freedom" of knowing that I can cancel class if I need to. "Need" being the operative word. 
10. I can have meaningful, thoughtful, insightful, and challenging conversations every day with my colleagues. Ah...adult conversation!

Those are only ten of a number of reasons why I like to teach. They aren't, by any means, the only reasons, but they're the one's that have been swirling around in my head.