I am all teacher. 100 percent. It's what I think about during the daytime and I dream of at night. I'm so engaged and passionately involved in doing what God has called me to do that I can never figure it out apart from the grace of God. I'm here because of the calling of other teachers who poured their lives into my life. They were people who shaped and changed lives through their calling. I learned from my teachers how to really love God, how to read widely, how to interpret the text accurately, how to discipline myself to learn the skill of the classroom. I realized somewhere along the way that it isn't about me. It's about the God who made me and created me for this specific calling.
Friend, whatever your calling is, you do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that teaching is as sacred as any so-called "spiritual" calling like preaching or church planting. Whatever you do, you're doing it as unto the Lord. Teaching goes beyond a profession. It's a vocation. It's driven by passion and a deep desire to shape a future generation. For those who hear the call, there is a profound sense of purpose. It's a deeply personal mission that goes far beyond mere monetary compensation. "I touch the future," said Christa McAuliffe. "I teach."
In all my 50 years of teaching, I don't ever recall not wanting to go to work. When you are a teacher, there is a connection between you and the students. It's almost an unseen bond of trust. But it's real.
Teaching? It's never "just" a job.