Once, a one-to-one student had the “boldness” to ask, during our first class: “So, are you a real teacher or you just do it for fun?” I was obviously very angry, but I kept my chill and politely explained that, yes, I own a degree and a master in teaching, and, yes, this is my everyday job. That anecdote became popular at my school among the teachers, and sometimes, through very hard problems and stressing periods, we say “but we do it for fun, right?”
However, I wonder, why are we teachers? Being a teacher is one of the most complex activities. We are with people in their best and in their worst; we see them as themselves most of the time. What I mean to say is, in the classroom there are no social roles, nor status. Everyone is the same, facing the same problems, overcoming the same fears. And here we are, the teachers, knowing people as they are, understanding their personality without any walls. You have to be mad to survive this job!
So, in the end, we are teachers because we like it! Obviously, there are days in which we question our whole existence, and want to go back in time and choose another profession. But those days are not as important as the days when we feel powerful, when we see our students overcoming all their fears and mistakes. Those days when your students come to you with their best results, being it an exam or a job interview, passing the subject in school or getting the level required to move abroad, those are the days!
So maybe that insensitive student was right. We do it for fun! And it is about time to admit it!
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