6

Coaching, summer vacation,
my love of working with kids

12

I decided to go into
teaching for several reasons. I love children, I feel I have a natural gift
to teach children, and it’s a great job for moms with children at home
because of the schedule.

15

My husband died when I was
35 years old. I was content with staying at home and raising our son. I
realized I needed to do something with my life. Going to school allowed me to
be at home when my son was there. Also, I saw how he was judged by coming
from

20

Helping kids, teaching
science.

36

Love kids, always babysat

40

The fervor that my high
school band director had for teaching motivated me most.

46

I enjoyed teaching swim
lessons while in high school to preschoolers. I ended up teaching middle
school when I discovered I didn’t have the talent to teach the same students
all day.

49

Actually the very good and
the very bad teachers I had were factors that led me into teaching. Another
major factor was that I truly enjoyed high school.

50

I enjoy the learning
process. I also like working with kids and wasn’t ready for the business
world.

51

My lover of music and the
desire to show others the joy music can bring. I also enjoyed working with
children.

54

The need for employment. My
original bachelor’s is chemistry. With no job prospects available in the
field, teaching seemed a good place to be (funny how destiny works).

57

A teacher I had in school,
the subject area, and I come from a long line of teachers.

64

I participated as a peer
tutor in high school with students with disabilities and enjoyed it. The
teacher for the class was a positive role model. I have always liked working
with children so it made sense.

69

My desire to help and guide
children, along with my love for children led me into teaching.

71

Being able to explain
mathematical concepts to others easily.

73

I like working with people,
especially kids. I like having an impact on the future of our world. I am
well rounded; I knew teaching involves many facets of other careers.

74

Love of reading, summer
off, father is a high school administrator, enjoy being around kids.

77

Love of kids and content
area, enjoy social dynamics of the classroom setting

80

A need/want to help others, love of learning
and for children, helping create that lightbulb over someone’s head when they
finally get it.

81

I love the working with
children. I love the language (ASL).

83

Ability to impact lives,
make a difference, improve lives, also fondness of subject.

85

Most of the teachers I had
in school went out of their way to help me do good in school.

88

I wasn’t happy interviewing for and planning
to be in various kinds of sales. It didn’t offer any intrinsic values. I hung
out in

Bloomington trying to
figure out what I wanted to do with my BA in journalism and my business
minor. I started training the s

100

Desire to work with kids,
amount of business classes taken prior to choosing education, school calendar
– time with own children, same schedule.

105

Summers off important when
raising family, dealing with children

108

I love to instruct.
Weekends, holidays with my family. I was a nurse for 10 years before I became
a teacher.

110

High school teacher

112

The ability to work with
other people was one of my strengths as a person.

121

Family background, desire
to help kids, coaching

123

My parents – they were both
teachers, love of children, I thought teaching looked like it would be a fun
and enjoyable career.

124

Learning new things is my
passion.

125

Hours – Summer off –
vacations with my children are the same. Also, love working with children.

126

The students. Making an
impact in young peoples’ lives.

128

Making a difference in
children’s lives. The ability to be with my children as they grow. My love
for children.

129

Wanted to make a
difference. My mom was an excellent master teacher and example.

131

I enjoyed teaching kids and
helping them learn new things. I always enjoyed my subject area, and saw that
my teacher enjoyed it.

134

One of my teachers told me
I’d make a good teacher.

136

The opportunity to
administer to children in a positive manner. Juvenile justice always had me
dealing with bad children, and I wanted to see if the world had well-behaved
kids.

137

The teachers in my life. My
parents also encouraged me.

138

Wanting to help kids.

139

I felt it would be a
service to people. I wanted my work hours to coincide fairly closely with my
children’s school hours.

145

Being able to help
children, watching them learn, watching them grow, the hours, the yearly
schedule.

151

I wanted to be able to help
other children learn including my own.

152

I wanted to make a positive
impact on kids.

155

Some teachers who pushed me
to be more than what I thought was capable.

157

I loved working with
children and everyone always told me I would be a good teacher so I decided
to try it.

162

The thought that I could
help children better their lives.

164

Ability to influence and make a difference to
children, time off.

171

I wanted to have a job
where I would feel like I was impacting others.

176

My aunt was an inspiration
to me. She taught 50 years. I admired one of my English teachers in high
school who had a gift with students. In the early 1970s there was a need for
teachers. I enjoyed working with children and my reading college professor sai

178

Love of children and their
excitement when learning. Wanting to share my love of reading with others.

180

Chance to work with kids.
Opportunity to work in field of math and science and teach kids.

182

Desire to inspire children.

189

Babysitting, youth group,
young children, calendar

190

Job burn out in retail
management. Dissatisfaction with long hours, little vacation time.

191

The satisfaction of seeing
children being excited about learning new ideas/concepts.

193

I had some wonderful,
talented teachers as well as some apathetic, terrible teachers. I knew I
could be better than some I had, and I wanted to make people feel good and
confident like the talented teachers I had.

195

I love being with children.
I have always enjoyed helping others.

200

Educators in my family.
Excellent teachers.

204

I am good at making
complicated topics simple to understand.

206

My love for math and
problem solving. My interest in making a change in children’s lives.
Convenience of work while my children were in school. Work schedule with my
own children. Desire to help students make a positive attitude change about
math.

209

My love for “special
needs” sutdents and the rewards that are far and few between but are so
great when they happen. All these things I felt as a [para?] and as an older
adult I knew then that I had to get my degree.

217

My mother owned a home day
care for many years. I saw the impact she made on the lives of the children
in her care. I also know that one day I wanted to have children of my own and
teaching was a profession where I could make an impact and spend quality t

222

My teachers that I had going through school
led me into teaching. I had several good teachers throughout my schooling
experiences.

227

My experiences and
relationships with my teachers encouraged me a great deal.

230

The environment of being
around kids – entertaining them. The time off. The lack of a “business
world” atmosphere.

231

Previous jobs (aide at a
junior high school)

233

I think there is something
very special about being able to watch a child grow in knowledge. I am amazed
at young minds. I’ve always had a positive attitude towards school and I
wanted to be a part of the process.

236

No written comments

239

Knowing that I wanted a
family and not wanting to be away from my own children. Helping make a
difference in the lives of less fortunate kids.

240

The poor quality of
education that my children received. I just knew I could do better. A love of
teaching. A love of children.

250

The opportunity to make a
difference. The life style it affords.

252

I am the oldest of five
children. I love working with kids and watching them learn (I always have).
Also, my mom began teaching when I was in middle school.

253

I enjoy working with young
people and my mother and father were both teachers.

254

No written comments

256

Musical talent, love for
kids.

257

Influence of teachers at
all educational levels.

258

Father was an educator.
Always loved school and learning. Constant change in activities. Love people.
High energy level.

262

I enjoy working with
students.

259

A college mentor

266

Family history of teachers.
Level of imcompetence of a former college professor.

269

Well respected career.
Coaching.

270

Love of sports. Like kids.
Time off in summer.

273

I love kids. I love
learning new things.

275

No written comments

276

My past elementary
teachers.

281

I enjoyed working with
young kids. I felt I was a good leader and teacher. I am not concerned about
money.

282

I love children. Always found myself
“teaching others.” Idolized my teachers. Liked the idea of time off
during holidays and summers.

285

My love for children and
English (writing and literature).

287

Working with kids. Enjoyed
biology.

288

Being able to make a
positive impact on students’ lives.

291

The teacher I was working
with in 1986.

297

Desire to have a positive
impact on middle school students.

299

Acid rain, coaching
football.

303

I love working with kids. I
like to help others, and I like to be creative.

305

Support of family, friends.
Prayer.

318

Variety. Working with kids.
Creativity. Flexibility.

319

The desire to be a
principal and the connection with students and staff.

323

The major factor that led
me into teaching was the ability to make a difference in the lives of
children.

325

The need for young,
creative, and enthusiastic teachers.

326

Family support of my
decision. I felt comfortable in education classes and in the classrooms I
participated in.

327

No written comments

330

I enjoy being around
people, I like to have a positive effect on peoples lives.

332

Love of children

336

Working with children,
helping those with troubles or learning difficulties.

341

The opportunity to work
with students. The time off during the year that I could use to spend with my
future children.

343

Enjoyment of
teaching/working with kids. Good teachers.

345

Ability to help others. My
passion for learning.

346

High school math teacher,
head football coach, head baseball coaches: role models

348

I have an aptitude for
working with kids.

349

I though I could make a
difference.

352

I enjoy being around kids
and making a difference for them.

353

Love for children, role
models, positive student teaching experience.

356

Disillusionment with
educational consultants, desire to “give back” to community.

358

The calendar schedule.
Ability to work when my children are at school and be home with them too.

364

As I said, as a child I
decided I wanted to be a teacher, but I wanted to be a good mother first.
Teaching is the best fit with motherhood.

368

The idea that I could take
my learned skills and apply them to successful teaching strategies.

372

I wanted to make a
difference in children’s lives. I had some very good teachers while I was
going through school, but I also had some very poor teachers. I felt the need
to become a teacher so that I could make a difference not only in the
classroom but

378

Coaching, summer off,
vacations, opportunity to work with kids.

397

I had good teachers in
school. They had the biggest influence. I always wanted to work with
students. Having major holidays did not hurt either.

399

Opportunity, interest,
working with young people.