About why I teach...

I’m planning a teaching tips session for an upcoming faculty meeting. I thought I’d speak to the middle/high school faculty about why I became a teacher and deliver a few tips on service-learning programs.

Why do I teach?

I have an inane story that lead to my thoughts of pursuing education as a profession [not a job]. Keep your attention on the moral(sp?) of the story, and not the frivolous subject matter: dryer lint.

I, like many other students, did my washing and drying of clothes on the campus laundry mats at college. These rooms usually were a mess of washing machines, dryers, random clothing articles, and strewn trash. I commonly took the time to pick-up the discarded lint piles on the floor while waiting for the machines to run. One day, I leaned down but came up empty-handed. There was plenty of trash to go around, but I realized that as long as I only picked up lint – the fruit of my labors would always be limited to my own ability.

How could I have an exponential effect on this issue and others? Teach others to take responsible actions, or at least make intelligent decisions, and encourage them to spread the word. No, I didn’t become a lint disposal activist.

I instead encourage understanding and service. For over five years, high school teaching is my outlet for this activity.

...to be continued in "Essential components of service-learning"