Between the assignments to grade, the many students, and the strange hours, being a teacher is a unique profession. With so many things that most people would see as negative parts of the job, why do teachers want to teach? What makes them want to come to school? Or want to avoid it?

Like most jobs, there are both favorable and adverse aspects. Often, teachers complain of politics in the workplace or overprotective parents. “At the end of the day, you don’t just get to go home,” says Beth Watson, GHHS photography teacher, “You probably have assignments to grade or assignments to create. You’re constantly trying to think about what to do in class tomorrow or how to make it interesting.” Creating curriculum or preparing lectures takes a lot more time than most people think, and having teachers work together who don’t necessarily have the same view of education can become challenging. While some teachers think education has taken a turn in the wrong direction, focusing too much on one thing or too little on something else, others may believe the opposite, making it difficult for all math tests to be the same or all the English teachers to give the same essay.

But, there are many satisfying parts of teaching. Teachers love teaching for a reason. Everyday in the classroom is different, and the vacation time is great. “The kids are different each year and everyday,” says Todd Northstrom, who teaches freshman English and World History honors. Most teachers are teaching something they are passionate about. A sense of pride and accomplishment comes to teachers after seeing our growth over time, knowing that their time and effort has had a positive impact on our education. “What I think is really cool is to have you guys [the students], learn all these new concepts, and in the beginning it doesn’t really make sense, but by the end of the semester you can see how much change there’s been,” says Watson.

All teachers agree that the good far outweighs the bad, and coming to school to teach us benefits them in a way that other careers may not have been able to. When asked to describe their favorite teaching moment both Northstrom and Watson said they have those moments everyday, seeing their students excel or seeing their impacts on our education and our lives as we graduate and pick careers for ourselves. Teachers love being teachers.