I am changing teams.

I have homeschooled my girls for the last three years and loved, loved, loved all the amazing time I have gotten with them. But my ten-year-old is like her dad and feeds off the energy of those around her–the more kids, the happier she is–so placing her in the local elementary school was a no-brainer.

But the truth is, I can’t afford to stay home anymore. So I’m returning to one of the things I love–teaching English. To middle schoolers, no less.

Yes, I’m actually volunteering to be in a room all day with 11-14 year olds.

What would prompt such a daredevil attitude in me? What would goad me to place my sanity on the line? What would possess me to endure such a hormonal maelstrom?

This…

Every day my 11^th grade English teacher wore shined shoes, a business shirt, and a pair of slacks pressed so fine you could cut yourself on the creases. Mr. Cook was a drill sergeant, calling each student by last name. I feared and revered him. One day he assigned students to read various parts of Othello, but he himself took the role of Iago. Nothing prepared me for the chill that ran through me as I watched my teacher read those lines of villainy. I had never experienced Shakespeare like this—alive, real, and relevant. It was transformative. From that day, I knew I wanted to impart a similar experience to the students who crossed my path so they too might be awed by the power of words, motivated to grasp and harness this power for themselves, and inspired to use the power of language to change the world.

When I was filling out applications for the local public school districts, I had to explain why I wanted to teach and the above revelation came to me. I realized that it doesn’t matter what I do–fitness, drama, homeschooling, spiritual living, blogging, or teaching English–I love to teach.

But more, I feel obliged to teach. Jesus (a teacher by the way) said, “To whom much is given, much is expected” (Luke 12:48). I asked and God blessed me beyond words with gifts, talents, opportunity, insight, and experiences.

But now that I’m thinking about it, with 100+ young teens under my care, maybe I should have prayed more for patience.

What teacher inspired you to do great things?

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