Oscar Ericsson

Teachers are responsible for not only the students, but their learning environments as well.

One of the most demanding jobs, the teaching profession often comes with stressful days, sleepless nights and stacks of papers to grade. While the downsides of teaching typically shadow the benefits in conversation, the positives of educating generations of students give teachers simple yet special reasons to keep doing so.

Among the hardest parts of teaching is dealing with student behavior. On a daily basis, teachers often have to address students who fail to follow expectations, leading to frustrating disputes between teachers, parents and students. As a result, educators have to take extra time out of their long day to write emails and discuss with parents and executive figures. Students have a big effect on the difficulty of a teacher’s job, so when one person misbehaves, the results can affect many.

For many, the most stressful part of being a student is the grades; however, the pressure that teachers share over important assignments often goes unacknowledged. According to solvedconsulting.com, middle and high school teachers spend up to 58 hours of their week grading assignments on top of the time it takes to teach. This takes time from family, hobbies, sleep and other activities. Evidently, students are not the only ones stressed when tests get handed out.

There appears to be a variety of drawbacks to being an educator, so why do some people go through all the trouble? 

Everyone has something they are passionate about. This is why some people choose to teach: they want to share their knowledge with the youth. Someone passionate about their job lifts others, creating a strong work environment for the staff and a positive learning culture for students.

 Another reason why someone sticks to this difficult career path is the relationships formed along the way. Most people have a colleague at their workplace whom they like to be around and who makes things easier at work. Moreover, a work buddy certainly does not have the same impact as a student. As seen in media of all types, a student-teacher relationship can grow from a mere acquaintance to a lifelong friendship. Many students and teachers alike can think of someone who positively affected them and motivated them in school. This is arguably the most important aspect of teaching and the impetus for someone to stick with it.

Through all of the ups and downs, LHS teachers all have their own reasons for what they do and why they enjoy it. To find out what some of these motivations are, random teachers were asked one simple question: What is your favorite part about teaching?

Heather Coombs: “My favorite part about teaching is working with students; I love building relationships with them. I’m lucky enough that I sometimes get to have kids for four years, and so [I love] building that relationship and letting students learn about different language and culture through different hands-on lessons like making Gallet de Rois. I think it’s fun to see kids try and experience new things.”

Jared Jansen: “[My favorite part about teaching is] forming relationships with students and watching them grow throughout the year.”

Jennifer DuBois: “I love coming to school every day and it’s different, teaching the kids new things, getting them excited about science and all of the different activities going on at a high school. And of course I love my wonderful adroom.”

Matthew Daly: “My favorite parts of teaching [are] probably sharing my love of the content area. I have a love for history; both of my degrees are in history. I think that having a good understanding of history is the foundation of being a good citizen and being a knowledgeable voter. I think my favorite part is sharing my love of history with others.”