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How do I know if I truly want to be a teacher?

My whole life I've been sure I would become a teacher when the time comes. Up until recently I've began to doubt myself. Any way to know if this is how I want to spend

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Alexandra M. S.’s Answer

Great question! I learned through trial and error exactly what the right job was for me. I always wanted to be a teacher too, but right after college I volunteered with AmeriCorps to tutor K-3 students in reading, and fell in love with working with kids individually (not in a classroom or school setting). Then I tried being a nanny, but wanted to help more than one family at a time. Now, I work at a college, and get to run a club that they created for high school students to explore college! I get to decide where to take the students on field trips, create workshops and training sessions for our summer classes, and am the manager for two advisers who meet individually with our club members to mentor or answer college questions. And guess what? Even though my whole career has been in education, my major in college was just...English! Even during college I changed my mind a few times!! And then I also tried a few jobs before I felt I found the right one. I just want you to know that you don't need to be 100% sure that you're on the right path; you just have to keep walking every day, and trust your gut...eventually you'll be able to see you've made it, even if you took a path you didn't expect!

Alexandra M. S. recommends the following next steps:

Be willing to try it out
Trust your gut - does this feel right?
Keep taking steps, what direction does your gut say?
Look up once in a while to see how far you've come and how close you're getting
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TJ’s Answer

A few questions can make your mind clear. Are you passionate to be a teacher? Do you have the ability to explain things well in a simple way? Would you be happy to do a job which almost repeats every year, compared to other jobs which have new challenges and new deadlines almost constantly?If your answers to the three questions are all "Yes", you will be a good teacher.
Thank you comment icon I appreciate TJ's responses. I would like to add, however, that teaching is a creative, as much as it is "scientific" - that is research based, profession. See my larger response to your question for more details. Michelle Tenam-Zemach, EdD
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Michelle’s Answer

You are asking an important question that can be applied to any career or professional decision making process. As humans, we are not static. That means we change and grow as we develop and experience the world around us. When making choices about what we want to do with our lives professionally there are many approaches we can take. There are many questionnaires and surveys you can complete that will help you decide if you are a strong fit for the job or career you want to do.

I encourage people to look at their capacities, passions, presence, and relevance (CP2R) to determine if there is a good fit. There is a free tool you can use to self-assess if teaching is a strong career fit for you. https://www.droptheknowledge.com/resources/tools. You can then view your responses and reflect on them. But like all decision-making processes, you need to spend time thinking, asking questions, and reflecting on your choices. No one can tell you whether teaching, or any other career, is right for you. Only you can determine that based on what your capacities are, what you are passionate about, what you pay attention to and focus on, and what you think is relevant to yourself, your community, your friends and family.
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