Ask a Teacher: What Job Would You Have If You Weren't a Teacher?

Q: What job would you have if you weren’t a teacher?

A: A better question for me is what WOULDN’T I be? I have so many passions and interests that sometimes I even wonder myself what I would do if I didn’t teach. One thing is for sure: whatever I would be, I would certainly make more money than I do now!

It’s important to say up front that even adults don’t always know what they want to be when they grow up. Adults change jobs all the time because we change as people. Some keep the same profession for 40 years, while others change jobs every four. Everyone chooses their own path in life. Don’t think of your profession as something engraved in stone that can never be changed or broken. I am only 28 and have been teaching for four years, and while I like to think that I would do this forever, sometimes I wonder if I actually will.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor because I like to help people. I learned fairly quickly though that blood really freaks me out. When I got to high school, I realized that I would really love teaching. I also realized that I would really love to sing in a choir and act for the rest of my life. I chose the smart route and majored in teaching, but I’ve always kept my love for music.

I would love to be paid to sing in a choir! I would also love to be a professional actor. In reality, though, I would probably be a photographer. I love to take pictures to show others how I see the world. The dark room is calming to me, and it’s such a nice feeling to create art. I’ve often thought of leaving the profession, especially on the difficult days when it feels like I can’t get a moment’s peace. I am a very social person, but I also like time by myself. Photography would allow me that space and I could still work with people.

I would also love to be a professional writer. I’ve always loved to read and write, and it seems fantastical to me to be paid to write down my thoughts. If I didn’t major in Education in college, I would have definitely went the way of Business and Writing to work in publishing or journalism. I was wild and crazy growing up, so it is definitely possible that I would be a writer chasing a story, rolling around the jungle or traipsing through Syria right now doing something dangerous in the name of justice!

See all of these options and possibilities? I think about everything I would do if I didn’t teach and sometimes wonder why I don’t just quit my job and do them. But then I stop and think about my students and my coworkers, and as cheesy and stupid as this may sound, I really can’t leave them. My coworkers are like family to me, and my students feel like my own kids (not all of them, mind you). One day I will probably leave New York City and start anew at another school somewhere else in the country. But for now, for better or for worse, this is the profession I chose, and even though it is so extremely difficult,  I can't imagine leaving it.

Miss Dame is the 10th grade English teacher and National Honor Society advisor in the Bronx, NY.

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?

Related post: Ask a Teacher: How Long Does It Take You To Get Good at Your Job?

Got a question for an English, science, math, writing, special ed, sociology, or PE teacher, or a specific question for Miss Dame? Send it to contribute@sparknotes.com!