Why I Teach

During one of her many lecture tours, Maya Angelou said that many people have considered her a writer who teaches, but she always thought of herself as a teacher who writes. The power of that simple statement struck me. After all that she has accomplished in her life as a writer, poet, Civil Rights activist, and performer, she placed more value in being a teacher.

Sometimes I’m asked why I chose to be a teacher. Usually, there is a negative tone to the question – as though I’m being asked why I did something foolish. They might as well ask, “What were you thinking?”

For years, I’ve tried to find ways to justify my choice. I’ll say things like, “Teachers have made a positive difference in my life, and I want to make a positive difference in other people’s lives”; “I believe that education is important in our society, and I want to be part of the answer”; or “The rewards of being a teacher are more valuable to me than money or recognition.”

While these are all true, and they are all part of the answer, but they aren’t the main reason I became a teacher. I teach because it is such a fundamental part of my true self that I can’t ignore it. I’ve held different positions and achieved some things that I am very proud of, but when I am not teaching, I feel like something important is missing from my life.

I chose to teach English because I love helping people discover the magic of writing and reading. It is through these two activities more than any others that we learn about ourselves. When we go through the process of writing, we discover thoughts and feelings within us that we never knew were there. We learn more about ourselves, and in doing so, we often find our personal worth. Writing about the darkness within us can bring it out into the light and help us heal. It can empower us.

And when we read, we discover that there are others like us, that we are not alone. We read, and we feel like the authors are talking about us. Even when writers describe people and places that seem strange to us, when they do so effectively, we realize that we truly have many things in common, and we no longer feel like strangers.

I feel fulfilled when I help others make these discoveries, whether it's a student in one of my classes or a friend I'm talking to. It’s taken me more than twenty years to realize that, as much as I love the classroom, there are other ways to teach.

And I’ve realized that the most important thing I can do as a teacher is point others toward their own paths to discovering their authentic selves.

That’s not to say that I have reached the end of my journey. Perhaps there is no end to learning about who we are. I've only just discovered the importance of taking the journey.