Why do you and I want to teach?

This week in EDU 100 we discussed why people decide to teach. Some people teach because they love kids and some people teach because they had a good experience with school themselves. Some people teach because they like the work schedule and some people teach because they assume it is an easy major and career. This week I really took into consideration why I want to teach. As I mentioned before, I have worked with children my whole life and it makes me happy. But is that enough? Sometimes I fear I only want to teach because it is all I know how to do. If I had worked in retail instead of childcare in high school would I still want to teach right now? Loving children is still not enough for me to make that leap to becoming a teacher hence why I am still undeclared. I have considered majoring in business or social work as well. I can always find a way to incorporate children in my life without being a teacher. I also fear if I stray away from education I may end up unhappy and regret it. This weeks modules really caused me to start thinking about whether teaching is the right fit for me or not.

“After thinking about it, I realized everyone is different and you could ask this question for any career: Why cook? Why build? Why sell? Why operate? If you're reasoning is enough for you, then you should be happy with your choice.” 

This is one of my responses to the article “Why Teach?” I also have to remember that there is no right or wrong answer to why you want to teach. It is okay to choose this career for the reasons that satisfy me whether it is because it is my calling or it is just my comfort zone.