I like to say I am a teacher, but I am certain my students teach me more than I teach them. Perhaps I am an effective teacher because I am a student of adolescent behavior and development.Perhaps I am effective because teenagers do not scare me. Perhaps I am effective because I love what I do. I’ve told my own children that since the day I started teaching I’ve been on my own playground all day long. I tell them I’ve never worked a day in my life since I began teaching.

Being a high school teacher is a never-ending adventure. I have the best of everything: colleagues who help bring laughter to the day; students who struggle with and ultimately grow through difficult assignments, administrators who make me laugh, students I will never forget; students who will soon forget me, and a passion for my subject matter. I have everything I need…well, accept time.

Like all employees, I have days that I wonder why I teach. I believe that’s the life of most teachers and most employees. On my worst day of teaching; however, I’d rather be in the classroom than in any other profession. While teaching is not a profession that garners a lot of respect in America, I know that teachers open the door for students who don’t often know there’s a door to be opened.