The big question?

We’ve heard it all too often. 

“What made you become a teacher?”

Even if you’re not a teacher, or studying to be one, you’ve probably heard it! What made you become _________?  We hear this from people we know, family members, TAFE or Uni lecturers, and it can even be a big question in job interviews. DUN DUN DUNNNN. I said it. 

Personally I feel like I have been extremely lucky when it comes to jobs. Literally every job I've gotten was either by meet and greet resume drop in "oh hello nice to meet you, so you've got the job next Monday if you want it" or through a day trial (my first job as a waitress, I will never miss that profession. All the retail workers in the house put yo hands up in the air and share your united hate of the customer, yeeeeaahhhhh). And now I've landed my first teaching job through honest hard work (while on placement/relief teaching) and true dumb luck.

I've only ever had ONE interview in my life and that was for a university grant to complete my studies in the Northern suburbs (which landed me the school that landed me the job, see I told you dumb luck). I walked in absolutely crapping my dacks but my facial expressions, body language and honest answers to their questions told the interview panel the complete the opposite. Hey it must've worked I got the grant. 
My advice: fake it til you make it! 

Well ladies and gentleman I digress. I think I’ve come up with a pretty cool casual way to answer THE question. Lets hear it again.

"What made you become a teacher?"

And no it’s not “because I wanted to choose to be something that was nice and easy and comes with a big fat salary”...HEAVY SARCASM. That was necessary. So here’s a made up transcript from a possible job interview with say...a principal.

“So what made you become a teacher?”

“Well, in all your years in the profession are you still learning?” 

(I like to be annoying and answer a question with a question, pretty slick huh? But don’t worry we don’t stop there! Let’s assume they answer something like this...)

“Yes, everyday”

“That is why I became a teacher, because I am a lifelong learner. If I can teach my students that they are lifelong learners too then I have done my job. Students should know that the be all and end all isn’t at their end of year report cards or the % they got for an exam or standardized test. If I can help them realise that when they learn they learn for life they will have the opportunity to become open minded and enthusiastic learners equipped with the skills they need to be successful.”

BOOM. Did you like it? I thought it sounded pretty good but I’m probably biased because it came from my own brain. Let me know! Give me some feedback. You’re more than welcome to use these ideas at anytime someone asks you why you decided to become a teacher.

I wish I had some cool back story as to why I became a teacher but I don't really. All I know is I love kids, I want to help as many kids as possible and by some miracle give them the opportunity to, maybe not change THE world but to have the strength to change their own world for the better.

This is my last post before I go into school tomorrow to start setting up my classroom and organizing my teaching plans! Wish me luck and look for the next blog post which will be all about my first ever WEEK ZERO.

Kirsten :)