Those of us who are in this world to educate-to care for-young children have have a special calling that has very little to do with the collection of expensive possessions, but has to a lot to do with the worth inside of heads and hearts. In fact, that’s our domain: the heads and hearts of the next generation, the thought and feelings for the future.
~Fred Rogers~
I came very close to missing my calling as an educator. I went to college to become a doctor. I was challenged by the learning and passionate about science, but continued to wonder if it was the work that I was meant to do.
To pay for medical school, I worked at a daycare center, an in-home facility for autistic adolescents, and as a part time intern at the child psychiatric center of the University’s Hospital. All three jobs in some way drew me to children.
Just weeks before my MCAT exams, one of my professors suggested that I not pursue something that I did not have pure passion for. The quote he shared that day is one I still hold with me: Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.
I knew that my lifework was with children. That weekend of my senior year in college, I changed my major to education. My love and passion for teaching and learning still burns strong. As I look back at my two decades in education, I feel so blessed that I had a mentor in my life that encouraged me to answer the call.
I teach because I can. What about you? What’s your story? Is your lifework work you love?
