Mark Boatman

Journal – Motivations for Teaching

A career in teaching has always been appealing to me. Ever since I was young I’ve been passionate about helping others learn. The great teachers that I had in school really believed in me, and were essential in guiding me to work hard and strive for success. I want to be that kind of teacher, instilling high expectations and a sense of purpose in all of my future students. I want to make a difference, I want to empower someone to learn and think about something in a new light. It sounds cliché, but children are going to be leaders of the future, and what better way to be directly involved in helping to make a better future for everyone than being a successful educator. I believe that with equal opportunity and access to learning, every student has the potential to do great things, and I want to empower every child with the tools they need to be successful.

An appealing aspect of teaching is that I think the students will keep me young. Working with the young, interacting with them, and watching them grow and develop into successful human beings is at the heart of why I want to teach. Also, adolescents can be rather funny. The various personalities of students that teachers encounter can provide for amusing situations. Teachers wear many hats, and students often need them to be more than an instructor, but often times a counselor, a cheerleader, or a role model; and often times the teacher becomes the student. Although I may pursue teaching a particular subject, and my knowledge of that subject may be great, teaching forces you to be a lifelong learner. Students often ask intriguing questions and may present their own insights, which will cause me to have to dig deeper and expand my knowledge.

Another aspect I like about teaching is that every year, every day, every lesson, every student is different from the next. You could teach a lesson with different groups of students or at different times during the day, and the outcomes and involvement in the lesson will be different. I like the concept of being able to control your own class, not in the sense of being in a powerful position, but in the sense of being a facilitator of discussion, content, and learning. That sense of classroom autonomy is an appealing aspect to a career in teaching, which is unlike most professions. Unfortunately I think sometimes teachers get bombarded with pressures and get wrapped up in test scores and grading papers, and lose sight of the original reason of why they entered the teaching profession, and the excitement of making a difference in a young person’s life is lost.

I always knew that one day I would pursue a career in teaching; it was just a matter of when. My parents have had fulfilling careers as educators, both as teachers and administrators, and I wanted a career that made me genuinely happy. Throughout my years at the University of Idaho I first pursued a degree in Geology, then Political Science, and finally Anthropology. With my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Anthropology I worked as an Archaeologist for about 4 years. For a while this was a

satisfying career, where I got to spend a lot of time traveling, hiking outdoors, and experiencing ancient history first-hand. But there was something missing in that career. I wanted to make a positive impact on others, and I had always felt a calling towards teaching. I know that teaching will be a challenging career, with unique frustrations, but the intrinsic rewards and joy of the job are second to none.