Have you ever wondered why teachers chose their careers?

Well, you are about to learn why.

Students see their teachers five days a week.

They learn from them and often develop good relationships with them. Many of the students remain friends with teachers even after taking their class or graduating.

Through the late nights of grading, the uncooperative students, and professional development meetings that last too long, why do teachers decide to teach?

Teachers do a lot. From teaching, lecturing, staying after school for tutoring, coaching a sport, grading work at home, and everything in between, teachers put in many more hours than just an average school day.

I have interviewed three teachers here at the high school to figure out why teachers decided to become teachers.

All of their explanations revolve around their love for working with young people.

Mr. Brian Clark, a Kearsley alumnus, became a teacher because he wanted to prepare students for their future.

“I chose to teach because I like to work with young people and wanted to coach,” Clark said.

Clark teaches a wide range of classes, including Business Management Administration, U.S History, and Desktop Publishing. He enjoys teaching different classes so he can be with diverse students that are in different grades.

He also enjoys the vacation time he gets as a teacher.

“I like that I get summers and Christmas off to spend time with my family,” Clark said.

Mrs. Leah Thomas, biology teacher, agrees with Clark. She also loves to work with young people.

“Growing up, I had many jobs working with kids and always enjoyed it,” Thomas said. “In high school and college, I discovered that I really liked biology — animals and how the body works. So I thought about how I could put my love of biology and the outdoors and working with kids into a career and came up with teaching biology.”

But teachers do not always choose to become a teacher first. Due to some circumstances, some have had to go back to school to earn their teaching degrees.

Mr. Robert Markwardt, history teacher, chose to become a teacher after working as a police officer.

“When I went to get my BA, history was my minor and I always loved the subject,” Markwardt said.  “After arthritis prevented me from staying on the road as a police officer, I returned to school to pursue a teaching certificate in history.”

Markwardt does incorporate his old career into his teaching career. Besides history, he teaches criminology, which focuses on the study of crime and criminal behavior.

Teachers seem to have a common reason why they decided to go to go into their profession.

The students motivate them. Teachers enjoy developing relationships with students and helping them learn about different subjects.

Teachers are the ones who prepare students for life after high school, no matter if students are going straight into their careers or attending college.

As students see daily, teachers are involved in their lives.

Teachers care if students are doing well, how well they play at sports and other extracurriculars, and are concerned if students are going through a rough patch.

Teachers often push students to go to college to better themselves. They push students to be the best they can be.

Many students even go into education because of the teachers they had.

Senior Taylor Stockton currently wants to go into education.

“Many teachers have inspired me to be a teacher,” Stockton said. “Teaching allows me to help the future of our nation learn the things they need to be successful.”

Teachers want to make a difference in students lives, academically and personally.

Whether they do that by sharing their knowledge with them or giving them advice, teachers enjoy helping future generations.

Teachers become teachers not only for themselves, but for the students too.