Should money take precedence over passion?

April 1, 2010

I added this post to my “list of ideas of topics to post on my blog” a couple of days ago. Lately I’ve been coming up with different thoughts or ideas on what I could add to my  blog and for most of them, I haven’t really felt like I had much to say. Today Alec’s brother George Couros spoke to our ECMP class about many different things that, if used effectively, will not only help us to land a teaching position, but will also help us to become better teachers. One of the words that really stood out for me from this presentation was Passion. George talked about how important it is to show your passion: “If you’re a dancer, dance with the kids!” I fell in love with this sentence! Passion… that  is a crucial component of any career. (I instantly felt I was ready to complete this blog post)

When I started this blog post, it was because of a recurring conversation I seemed to  be having with my boyfriend, Travis, about money and careers. I knew that when I chose teaching as my career, my passion, I wasn’t doing it for the money. I had an idea of what the income of a teacher was, but I honestly didn’t look into exact numbers until about a year ago. Teaching was my passion, and nothing was going to stop me from doing it.  Travis has never brought up money when it comes to me being a teacher, I know that he has the utmost respect for this job and values my passion. However! Where we began to argue was when it came to other jobs. He made a point the other day about how people could go into a job (ie. banking) that only start at 35 a year when you start a job (ie. construction) that could potentially make close to 75 a year. But, his main argument comes from the thought of people being paid so little to do a job that required years of schooling where any “joeblow” could come right out of high school and make twice as much as someone with a university degree. He has so much respect for people who dedicate years to university and yet so often they come out not making very much money. (ie. A friend of ours who is going to school for 8+ years only to start at 60,000 a year) My response to this point was one word – passion. I believe that if you have a passion for something, you will do whatever it takes to obtain that job, or skill. Right now it may seem exciting to get out into the working world and make a lot of money, but what about in 10, 15, 20 years from now? Will you still have the “passion” you once had for that job? Or will you realize that the job never really made you happy, and it was just the money that made it worth it in the end. For me, I can’t imagine one day in my life without teaching! I know that this is something I want to do for the rest of my life, because teaching is my passion, kids are my passion. Really, what’s not to love?? You walk into school every day and you’re a celebrity! I believe that when you have a passion for something, you will do whatever it takes to make that something extraordinary. This is what I plan to do with my teaching. I know that some days I will lack the energy and enthusiasm it takes to stand up in front of a grade 5 class, but because of the passion I possess towards teaching, students, and being a lifelong learner, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be able to push through, from now and for the next 30+ years.