News
Paul Savering 1760: Why I Teach
Posted July 11, 2012
This question of why I teach reminds me of a novel by Maya Angelou, "Why the Caged Bird Sings." If you ask a singer why he sings, he will most likely respond, "…because I must." As a teacher I, too, respond by saying, "I teach because I must." Teaching is my calling. It is my life's work. It has become an essential and defining expression of who I am. It brings meaning to my life; it provides a sense of purpose. It is my contribution to the world.
I teach because I value education. I teach because I like to work with children. I teach because I feel a sense of obligation to affirm and empower children, to pass on important traditions of our society, to link one generation to another, to understand and appreciate history, to create understanding and harmony, to create community, to make the world a literate and compassionate place.
I teach because it is fun. I teach because it is important. I teach because society depends on educated minds. I teach to promote decency and understanding. I want people to think before they act, to consider a full roster of options. I teach to create empathy, to see the world through another's eyes.
I teach because life is discovery, and teaching is discovery. In life we discover how the world works and how we fit into it. We discover who we are. We explore the meaning of life. I want to help students find their gifts and their voices so that they, too, can impart and express the whole of who they are.
-Paul Savering 1760
