Do You Want Your Job?

Friends had a hard time understanding why. ‘You could be earning double what you are now!’ ‘You could have more flexible hours.’ Harsher criticism came from other teachers, who would see my mother’s lack of desire to move up the ranks as a lack of success, or understanding of the system. As I went to school, and began to follow the well-worn steps I was supposed to as a well educated, middle class, suburbanite (school, university, job, marriage, kids, retirement), I joined in their confusion at her reluctance to put herself forward for promotion. I was uncomfortable with her being 'content'. Didn't she want to move forward, to a better job?

In fact, it was quite the opposite. My mother loved teaching. She loved being with the children, watching the light come into their eyes as they suddenly grasped a new concept. She shared their simple pride of being able to tie their shoe laces for the first time, or recite the 8 times multiplication table without a mistake. She did the job because she loved teaching; she never climbed the career ladder because she loved teaching. She was well aware that earning more money meant spending less time in the classroom and more time behind a desk. Less marking papers (she always left little smiley faces when a child got full marks) and more paperwork. More flexible hours just meant more meetings, more seminars, more training courses. She loved her job, and no amount of coaxing or criticism could persuade her to trade her calling as a classroom teacher for more money or perceived ‘success.’

My mother is the exception to the rule. I know many other people who have chosen more difficult career paths, which ultimately lead to a destination job that they never chose for themselves.