There’re two impossible jobs in this world: both are the same, yet both are very different. One I have experienced first-hand, the other I was only a naive bystander.
No matter where you go or what country you visit, there are dedicated people working endless hours trying to do what can’t possibly be done. Still somehow, they wake up each morning and go to work trying their best to do the two impossible jobs. Most of them don’t even get paid for what they do … but their compensation is priceless.
When I was a firefighter for over twenty-eight years and was told many times, “It’s a calling,” I never understood what that meant. To be honest, the pay wasn’t that great, the hours were horrendous, and the time that shift work took me away from my own family was difficult to navigate.
But none of that mattered. On any given emergency, there were people having one of the worst days of their lives, and I wanted to help. A calling? Don’t know about that. I just wanted to be of service and possibly make a difference in the life of one person at a time.
But there is a job where you can make a difference in twenty-five lives all at the same time. It will never receive the coverage that a firefighter gets saving someone from a burning building or completing a daring rescue in horrific weather conditions. And those in this profession do not do it for the modest salary, uncompensated hours, or time it takes away from their own family. This profession is truly a calling.
Teaching – a calling of the heart
For the last eight months, I’ve been honored to be a substitute teacher at our local elementary school, and on the very first day, was welcomed into a loving family I never knew existed. To say that teachers care about each and every child in their classroom, wanting them to succeed to the fullest of their capabilities as if they were their own children, would be an understatement.
Managing time
Regardless of the grade level, time, and classroom management equals success for the students. I’ve watched in awe how teachers can effortlessly run the entire day down to the minute. They’re not one minute early for a class change, nor one minute late. This time management education will continue through middle and high school. Being on time will become second nature and endlessly valuable to students upon entering college or any profession they choose.
Listen to my words
If you’re not listening, you’re not learning. Running a classroom is like a well-oiled machine. One part out of place can disrupt the entire operation and bring it to a screeching halt. In the gym, the coach blows his whistle to get the students’ attention, but in the classroom setting you can’t do that. (Trust me, I know. Did it once — didn’t go over well.)
Teachers can simply raise their hand, and all the students suddenly stop talking. Being able to command silence in a classroom in order to teach by raising one hand is truly a marvel to behold. Can you stop your kids or grandkids from arguing by holding up a hand? I haven’t been able to.
Teachers are the masters of what they do
With my short tenure in elementary school, I now have the answer to the question, Are you smarter than a fifth grader? For me, that answer is a loud, “No.” For all the other teachers, that answer is a resounding, “Yes.”
A rare talent
Just imagine being able to teach all subjects from kindergarten to fifth grade. I can follow lesson plans and click on hyper-links on the Smart Board display at the front of the room. But to actually know the content, answer any question, be able to teach all that subject matter, and effortlessly move from one grade to the next? That’s not just a calling; that’s a rare talent, and one I see every day when I’m at work.
More than a paycheck
As a firefighter, I worked one day on and had two days off. On my off days I earned extra money doing another job in order to support my family.
For the most part, teachers have but one job. That job is teaching.
When we first got married, The Wife taught elementary school for five years. Each night, papers were sprawled out in front of her as she reviewed and graded each one of them while sitting on the floor. When asked if she was getting paid to do classwork on her own time, she responded, “No.”
Then I questioned, “Then why are you doing it?”
Her answer I’ve never forgotten, “Because it has to be done.” This scenario is silently being repeated every evening in the homes of teachers across this country.
The one
Often, there’s that one student who disrupts the class daily, hampering the rest of the students from learning. How to manage that student is as difficult nowadays as it was back when I was in Old Ms. Crabtree’s third grade classroom. I’m a retired firefighter and would’ve given up on such a student after the first week or so, but not teachers. I’ve never seen a teacher “give up” on such a student. Somehow, they are able to find and educate the child behind the behavior. This is a true talent – one I must admit I’m still trying to learn.
Seeing the light
There’re many wonderful things I’ve witnessed since starting this year as an elementary school substitute. When you’re teaching one-on-one the student who is struggling and they finally understand, you can actually see their eyes brighten as they straighten up in their chair and then announce to the world, “I’ve got it! This is easy!” It’s priceless, and I believe it’s the reason teachers teach.
But the most amazing thing I’ve seen every day is the dedication. Without exception, teachers want the best for each and every student in their classroom and school. (Yes, even that one.) And if that means taking work home or using their own money to buy supplies for their classrooms, they don’t hesitate. They give everything to their students, leave exhausted at the end of the day, and yet still able to give to their loved ones at home. It’s an amazing person who can do such a thing.
Teaching, the impossible job
I’ve always thought teaching should be the highest paid profession in America, and now that I’ve had a front row seat, I believe it even more. Don’t agree? Imagine spending eight hours a day in a room with your kids, trying to keep order, keeping them quiet, keeping a schedule down to the very minute just so you can teach them math, science, or history.
Now add another twenty-three or so kids.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all those overworked and underpaid teachers out there. I know, your true reward doesn’t come from a paycheck – but rather when you too see that light come on in your students’ eyes. It’s my hope you keep teaching for years to come. The kids, the world, needs you to keep answering the calling.
So, if teaching is just one of the impossible jobs, what is the other? Well, for that answer, Dear Reader, you’ll have to return to this column next week.
Consider that your homework assignment.
[Rick Ryckeley has been writing stories weekly in The Citizen since 2001.]
So true. Although nearly every teacher influenced me in someway, there were two who stood out. Jean Massengill, my junior English teacher in high school, and Cecil Puckett, a football coach, had an indelible and positive impact on my life that continued through the years. Teachers have more influence, for good or ill, than they might possibly imagine.
David Epps