Lifelong Learners

I had a conversation over the holiday break with a friend about why educators continue to go to school.  It occurred to me that people on the outside of education don’t often get our passion for what we do – to teach others that learning is powerful.  The question came in the conversation…will your degree ever reap you financial benefits?  I honestly never asked myself that question; I simply wanted to achieve that next goal of getting a higher degree.  That is when it dawned on me how many teachers we have in our district that pursues a Master’s degree in order to better their practice.  Is the field of education that different from other professions that we feel an innate desire to learn more?  

School is something that I did not enjoy as a youngster.  It was something that I had to do to stay in good graces with my parents.  I struggled with school so it wasn't exactly what I looked forward to daily.  Looking back I had to think long and hard to pinpoint when my attitude changed about school, what made me want to pursue another degree (or two).  It wasn’t what, but who – it was the educators in my life.  A former principal told me that an education was a powerful tool and to embrace the chance to continue learning.  It was a college professor who made hard content relatively easy by being creative and persistent in her expectations.  It was the AD that gave me my first job and stood in the wings ready to help me if I needed it, who lent me a shoulder and gave sound advice.  It was teaching alongside great teachers who were creative, caring, and took every test score personally.  It was the staff that worked with me at CHS who were so committed to students it was obvious when you walked into the classrooms.

My desire to learn came from the people who made an impact on me in the field of education.  I am not always the greatest at reflection, but I do know that money has never been the motivating factor for continuing my education – it has been the innate desire to influence young people and teachers the way those who taught me had done.  I thank those who have impacted the way I see learning, and I hope I too can spread that love of learning to those I encounter daily.  

To answer the question---Is the field of education that different from other professions that we feel the desire to learn more?  Yes, It is!