6 Emotional benefits of being a teacher

No doubt being a teacher is hard and it can take a toll on a person emotionally, but there are emotional rewards as well. Listing six emotional benefits of teaching only breaks the surface of the multitudes of ways that being a teacher can benefit us emotionally, but it’s a good starting point.

1. You are surrounded with the love and support of your students.

This isn’t true everywhere or with everyone, but most teachers who have good relationships with their students are loved by them.

I once didn’t show up to school one morning (I passed out, low blood pressure, long story), but my inner city, “rough students” were ready to call the police because they knew I lived in a bad neighborhood and they thought I’d been hurt. Why? Because they loved me. They also cussed me out occasionally, but they loved me.

2. You get to help kids find their paths in life.

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing you helped a kid discover passions which not only enriched their life at the time they were in your class, but also potentially led to their future career.

I had a student about seven years ago who I saw great potential in, so I recruited her for the school newspaper staff. By the time she was a senior, she was editor in chief. She went on to become editor in chief at Ole Miss and now is an award winning journalist. Check her out: @TheLanaBanana

3. The mindset

As a teacher “you get to work with the most interesting and exciting people in society – the people of the future. Their minds know no boundaries, anything is possible and fear is unknown. As a teacher you get to spend each day living in this mindset, questioning and developing your own courage, skills and motivations – teaching allows you to give so much to society and its young minds but it also rewards you in a way no other career can” (impact teachers).

4. So many laughs

Most of the time you’ll laugh together and for the right reasons. Sometimes they’ll laugh at you because you said something silly or tried to be funny and failed. Sometimes you’ll laugh to yourself (or out loud) because you can’t believe how ridiculous they are (in a sweet way).

Today a group of my students were doing the “throw cheese at a baby challenge” with each other before class started. I laughed so hard seeing seventeen and eighteen-year-olds voluntarily having slices of cheese thrown onto their faces. It took a few minutes to get focused back on academics, but it was worth the laugh to let them do it for a minute.

5. Appreciation

If you do a good job you will be appreciated. The students will appreciate you (sometimes more in hindsight). Parents, administrators, other teachers, and your community will appreciate you.

6. The comfort of knowing you have job stability

As long as you do your job well, you will likely never have to worry about getting laid off. School systems around the country are hurting for teachers as student enrollment goes up and the teacher applicant pool shrinks.

What are some more emotional benefits of teaching that I didn’t mention? Leave a comment!

Have you checked out my posts on 5 Steps towards making yourself a better candidate for a teaching job? Step 1 is a Social Media Audit.

If you think teaching might be the career for you, scroll down and subscribe to this blog. You will get an email twice a week with information that will help you on your journey. I will never sell your information or spam you and it’s totally free. You can also follow me on Twitter @TeachersGuide)

If you found this post helpful or inspirational please share on Facebook or Twitter by clicking on the icons below!