Why Teaching

Why Teaching? by Perry Sunderland

It started when I was in middle school, the dream to be an Architect. It was with me all through High School and into college. The whole time I always said I would either be an Architect or I would teach it. After failing my engineering course for the fifth time, I dropped out of college. Then After about 2 years of searching for something, I joined the Air Force. All the while realizing that I was not happy with what I was doing. After nine years traveling the world and serving my country I decided it was time to find out what I was going to do with my life. I came back to Springfield to find myself a career. I started at Cargill, a union job that really was paying the bills. But again, I was not happy with where the future was taking me. Then the decision to close the plant here in Springfield came down and I had to find something else. All I could find was a bar manager’s position. That was good but, offered no benefits. I realized that with my college credits I could work for the school district as a teaching assistant. I started at the High school level. That is when I realized that I really enjoyed helping the students understand how to do things. At that time I was in an accounting class and a home economics class. And even though the pay was not great it included good benefits, summers off, and the understanding smiles. It really would hit me, how much, I didn’t know at the time, when the light goes on for a student. When they really do understand how something works or why we do things that way. It was amazing. So, I stated taking classes to get my degree. I wasn’t sure how to get where I wanted to go. I asked some friends I was working with and then some folks at the University. And today, I have a BA in LIS with most of those credits coming from the Mathematics Department. Now I am back to get a licensure for teaching math at the secondary level. There are such shortages for this specialty that I should be able to go most anywhere and find the job that I want. I will probably stay here at home for the first couple years. Just to make sure I can actually do it. I also will need to take care of some loans and save up some money so I can go out west and find the place I really want to live. This may require another class, learning Spanish or giving up my summers off, more sacrifices may be needed. I believe that is where I want to live and what I want to do. It’s all about the understanding smiles. I only ask for one a week. If, I can get that, I am pretty sure I will be happy with what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Because everybody knows that there is no money in education, but I would rather be happy to go to work than work at a better paying job that I hate to go to.