Every day of the week, Monday-Friday, you go to a place of education. In this place, adults who are experts in their subjects teach you the way of the world, from math to P.E. These are beings who are often overlooked in society but essentially teach children everything they need to know about the world to function properly. It’s often joked about how underpaid these teachers are, but it’s a real issue. And since school is frequently referred to as “the worst” or “a terrible time” why would an adult want to return? What makes a teacher want to become a teacher? Let’s find out.

One teacher started working out of necessity. The tech coordinator and STEAM coach Mr. Seiple’s career path wasn’t exactly linear. Majoring in Religion in College, he at one point had his heart set on the priesthood, (An interestingly spiritual path) and at another time was focusing on filmmaking, even attending a high-prestige film school. Teaching was not a foreign career path for him though, as his mother was a teacher her entire life until retirement. Even his father had dabbled in the art, teaching an adult class after years of pipefitting. Mr. Seiple got into teaching originally as a substitute, working to make money. After some time he started working full-time. Now, even though he started out on a different track than teaching, he still loves his job. Trust me, an inside source (his daughter) that he teaches even outside of school. 

What about another teacher, say, a certain ginger who has an alter ego as musician Fence Badcliffe?  How did this Chicago Native make his way to San Pedro to teach at Dana? That’s right, we’re talking about 8th-grade History teacher Mr. Enright. 

He says that he teaches because he has a passion for teaching and forming young minds, not only in school lessons but in life lessons as well. For him, he doesn’t mind which subject he teaches, so it’s not really about history, though he does enjoy it as a subject. Originally he thought he would be a music teacher, he felt that the kids were being forced to learn instead of wanting to, which made them harder to teach. Eventually, he moved into history.

So, although there are many ways to get there, teaching is a profession that is enjoyable to many. Even those who didn’t start out wanting to be a teacher find joy in the work. In a world where boring desk jobs are so common, it’s nice to know there are still professions where you can be more interactive with the world. One would say Teaching is the most important job there is, because without teachers, where would we be? Maybe it’s time to start appreciating our teachers more, and understanding they’re people just like us.