They say that teaching is a calling. There are certain types of people that seemingly are born to be a teacher. However, it is not a career for everybody. Some may like the idea but the reality of the job can end up not being fulfilling.
Being a teacher means a lot of sacrifice to be able to effectively teach others. It requires a lot of dedication and often unpaid work hours. It can be very draining emotionally and physically to be a teacher. Yet, there are so many people who are willing to see it through.
If you wonder if you are one of those people then you have to look for some signs that mean that the profession is right for you. In this article, we will go over several of these signs to help you decide.
1 – Your personality type
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There is a test called the Meyers-Briggs test that allows people to find out what their personality type is by assigning them an identifier. Some personality types are suited for certain types of jobs. Whether it is as an electrician or a teacher, your personality type will determine which is best.
The test is a series of questions that reveal the things that are important to you. This allows you to get an idea of what types of jobs you are most likely to thrive in. For example, the personality type ENFJ traits show that they are usually people who thrive on helping others. They are generally community minded and natural leaders that seek to help their team use their talents to overcome obstacles. This makes that type of person an ideal candidate to be a teacher.
There are other personality types that can fit under the umbrella of people for whom a teaching career is a good fit. Go take the test and see what your personality type is. You may be surprised at some of the jobs that would be a good fit for you.
2 – You’re highly organized
There are a lot of moving parts involved when you are a teacher. You have to juggle the lesson plans, grading homework and tests and at the same time you need to deal with the school administrators and even parents. This can overwhelm a person that is not highly organized.
It takes somebody that not only has a system to stay organized but also has the right mentality for it as well. You’ll often need to keep a lot of things floating around in your mind in addition to having it on paper or in folders for reference.
3 – You love a challenge
If you love challenges and seeing what your limits are then being a teacher is going to be a good fit. Just about every day is a challenge as you will be faced with a lot of problems that need to be solved. You’ll have disruptive students that can’t be allowed to slow down the learning for the other students. Then you will have to bring slow students up to speed to not slow the class down as well.
These challenges are just a couple of the ones you’ll face on a daily basis. However, at the end of the school year you will see the results of how you overcame these challenges. When your students do well on their exams or are thriving as young people thanks to your perseverance then this is the best reward you can get.
4 – You can give of yourself
Unfortunately, for all the things that teachers are asked to do they are not paid nearly enough for them. The low pay is offset by the fact that you get a long summer holiday, but that time doesn’t help pay the bills.
Not only will you be underpaid for the amount of work you put in, but often materials you need to be able to do your lessons won’t be provided. In many cases, teachers are asked to cover the cost of their materials for class out of their own pocket.
There are also times when your role as a teacher evolves and you are asked to be something of a surrogate parent for some children. It is not unusual for teachers to help kids who aren’t getting enough at home. They might be not eating enough or are in an abusive situation and the teacher takes on the role of a caregiver for some of these children.
If you are able to give a part of yourself for your profession then these sacrifices will be doable.
