Why I Do What I Do...

Sometimes my life has been about going through the motions, about simply doing work because it brings in money to pay for stuff. I can honestly say that the past five years have not been about going through that monotony. Now admittedly being a prof actually doesn't bring in a lot of money anyways but I do know of academics who do their jobs simply because it is a living.

Why I do what I do? There are several reasons and some are logical, some our emotional, some are spiritual. I honestly do feel called to do what I do. That is a foreign concept for some people and I'm not sure I totally get it myself. But I feel designed to fulfill the role I play as a teacher. I can't think of too many things that get me as excited as being a part of young adults' learning process. And it really doesn't matter what the subject is but those aha! moments where a student grasps a concept or comes up with a creative question never thought before - literally make me shout out for joy!

Working with young adults is not actually an easy group to work with - most struggle through this time as much as they struggled in junior high. They still are trying to discover who they are and what they are to do in life. They are experimenting with different ways of thinking, of being in relationships with others, of finding their identity. They are searching for what it means to be an adult, what life is all about, and what role they will play in the years to come. They are idealistic and most quite frankly are dreamers! They have a hard time committing to anything as they like to try so many things. They love to stay up late and sleep in hard.

Why do I do what I do? I feel fulfillment in guiding people in their journey to adulthood, to future jobs, to future callings. I feel significance in encouraging people, inspiring them to pursue their dreams, to walk alongside their journey for a year or three. It is also wild to see where they end up, who they are as spouses or parents, and who they in turn mentor or inspire.

I do what I do because I can't escape it. It seems a part of my DNA - I have always been a teacher. I have always loved learning new things (although I haven't always loved how I learned those things or the people that taught me). I get paid to read, to learn, to teach - how cool is that? I could go on...but I really should be marking not reflecting or dreaming or yammering on!

Ahhh - I hate graduation and losing those students that I feel I've impacted in some way. I think I understand how parents feel when their children leave their "nest." But students are meant to fly, meant to move on - so that they can be who they were meant to be!