Teaching Against Odds

When I was young, my grandma would always ask me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Every time she asked, I would have a different response - astronaut, firefighter, detective, actress, artist. Yet, when I was eleven, she asked me like she always did and I replied "Teacher!" This time, however, she looked at me disapprovingly and said "You are old enough to start thinking about what you actually want to do, like a real job. Have you thought about being a doctor like your Mama?" It was the first time I had been told that my dream wasn't good enough - little did I know that I would be faced with the same dismissal in my life.

I am told - you "must" become a doctor, engineer, or researcher lest you let down everyone around you. Teaching is a job for the "stupid people who couldn't get into any other field." And teaching in an urban underserved district? How stupid can you be? You can get yourself killed! And your family - have you thought about them? Or are you just selfish and wrapped up in this American culture? 

And yet, they are not always wrong or unjustified in their thinking. My extended family, especially those who have escaped the war-stricken and poverty-ridden countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, argue that they have worked too hard and left their homes for me to return to a "paycheck-to-paycheck" life. Others watch my academic success and tell me I could save lives. For example, my martial arts instructor, who almost died of cancer hoped that I become a doctor to help other cancer patients. 

For me, I have always seen teachers as the root of our society. There would be no doctors, engineers, or lawyers without them. Unfortunately, in our present world, challenging social norms is the only way to ensure a brighter future.