We Don’t Choose Teaching. We Are the Chosen Ones.

Embracing an accidental career path and discovering what education really means.

In a room full of strangers, I introduced myself: "I am a teacher."

During the session, the speaker pointed at me: "You tell me, who is a teacher?"

I went blank. Then, he asked again, "Okay, tell me, why did you choose to be a teacher?"

My mind whispered, I didn't choose this profession for myself.

I sat down in silence. It was embarrassing.

The Generic Answer vs. My Reality

I wasn't actually blank. I just felt that sharing my true thoughts might not align with a normal, generic answer.

To me, a teacher is a human — a human who was chosen for a profession where she can make a difference only if she wants to. Not every human who is a teacher wants to make a difference. I mean a difference that could transform lives. A difference that changes everything for that human the day she realizes she wants to make a difference in the lives she interacts with, and in her own life too.

I never wanted to be a teacher. I explored many things. Nothing worked in my favor, or perhaps I wasn't passionate enough about any of those paths. After trying everything else, I completed my Bachelor's in Elementary Education.

Even then, I still ran away from it. I spent six months trying to figure out something — anything — other than teaching. I didn't hate the profession; I just didn't want to do it.

When Life Overrules Our Plans

But life had other plans for me. December ended. In January, after six months of running, I joined a private school as a fresher. My whole first year went by just trying to figure out who a teacher really is.

Here is what I discovered:

"A teacher is someone who constantly delivers what she knows and learns what others know."

By "others," I mean her students. They are a beautiful bundle of knowledge and curiosity. Their questions often leave us stranded, searching for answers. They make us speechless more than we can even remember.

Our students become our true guides to learning, but only once we accept the fact that we don't know it all. The truth is, we know so little.

Why does one become a teacher? For some, they don't choose the path. They are simply the chosen ones.

Thank you for reading my very first story on Medium. If you are an educator, or if you found yourself on an accidental career path that changed your life, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.