Why I now want to be a math teacher

A couple years ago, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career as a high school math teacher. As a senior getting ready to head off to college, I’ve found myself talking to a lot of people about my plans for the future, which has made me realize just how undervalued teachers are. 

Growing up as an ambitious kid, I originally wanted to become a lawyer. Whenever I would mention this to people in my life, their reactions were always incredibly positive. When my career aspirations shifted, I noticed that the reactions shifted as well.

Whenever I told my mother that I wanted to be a lawyer, I never noticed even the slightest doubts from her. However, when I first told her I wanted to be a teacher, it felt like she was almost trying to talk me out of it. She would suggest other careers I had shown interest in in the past, and ask why I’d rather be a teacher. She would often question my motives, something that she never did when I wanted to be a lawyer.

Unfortunately, these doubts are shared by many other people close to me. I have been constantly asked why I would want to teach high school math, instead of at least being a college professor. When I tell people that I will be majoring in mathematics, people seem to be pretty impressed, yet their reactions clearly switch up when I say I want to use that degree to be a high school teacher.

One of the biggest issues that people have with being a teacher is the lack of compensation. While it is common knowledge that teachers often don’t have a very high salary, I’ve noticed that everyone seems to remind me. This is upsetting because this is a fact that most people know, so clearly I am already aware of it. Of course, I do think that teachers should be paid more because they have arguably one of the most important jobs, but I’m hopeful that this issue will improve as time goes on.

The main reason I want to be a teacher is to push for change in the education system. So many people are deterred from math because the way it’s taught isn’t always the best way. I personally enjoy math, and I think that if it were taught better, more people would be interested in it. While so many people have looked down on my career choices, I have not been discouraged, and I am excited for what my future holds