So Many Beautiful Responses For Our Teachers Only Giveway

SO MANY BEAUTIFUL RESPONSES FOR OUR TEACHERS ONLY GIVEAWAY

Since teachers are such an integral part of every Joshua Expeditions Tour, we wanted to do something special for this Teacher Appreciation Week.  So, naturally, we thought they might appreciate the chance to win some coffee to get them through the end of the school year.  Originally, we were just going to have entrants give us their name and email in order to contact them if they won, but at the last moment we decided to add a simple question to the entry form…”Why did you become a teacher?”  Their answers have truly overwhelmed us and reminded us how thoughtful and dedicated teachers truly are.

WHY DID YOU BECOME A TEACHER?

We didn’t put any stipulations on that question.  Frankly, unlike our entrants, we aren’t the ones used to providing detailed instructions for tests and quizzes.  So, it was very open-ended.  In the hundreds of responses we got, they ranged from brief and poetic, to long and heartfelt.  There were so many truly moving answers that we wanted to share them.  So, we posted some on Twitter and Facebook.  But, we also want to share some of our favorites here, too.

We found a few recurring themes in the types of responses we got.  One theme was that many teachers were inspired to become a teacher by a teacher that they had while growing up, or by a parent who was a teacher.  These reminded us of how lasting the impact is that a teacher has on a child’s life.  Another theme we found was that many teachers felt a strong divine calling to help students not only matriculate, but also mature in their spiritual growth as well.

And of course, many of the entrants just plain love, love, love kids.

So, without further ado, here they are.  Again, this is just a sampling of the entries that we received.  If only we had more room to publish all of them!  Each and every entry was a beautiful story in itself.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry!  Because of how many incredible answers we received, we have decided to give away 14 $50 Starbucks Gift Cards rather than 7.  The winners, who have all been contacted by email, are….Nancy O., Donna B. (from Tx), Scott T., Laurie B., Amberly R., Karina S., Rachel C., Crystal L., Lea Ann L., Evy C., Jennifer L., Seth R., Warren H., and Susan B.

teacher appreciation

INSPIRED BY A FORMER TEACHER
“I was a very shy first grader who didn’t want to leave mama and was very apprehensive about starting school. My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Ozio, made me feel loved and nurtured, and she also made school fun and exciting. I loved everything about school, from the smell of new pencils to the coats hanging neatly in the cloakroom. I knew from the time I was 6 years old that I wanted to be a teacher like Mrs. Ozio! A really neat sidenote: 25 years later, I had the privilege of working with Mrs. Ozio as a colleague! She was still a great teacher and I continued to learn from her.”

“Although my Dad was not a teacher by profession, he never missed a teachable moment. Even up into his 80’s, he was still teaching me things – like what types of chemo he had researched to fight his bone cancer, and what the side effects could be. He is gone now, but his legacy lives on in me. I love learning, children, and the autonomy that most school environments provide. Most of all, I love the privilege of impacting young lives, and I LOVE my students!!! “I came from a long line of African-American educators. It was my intent to follow tradition, give back to my community, and change the world.”I became a teacher because my third-grade teacher inspired me with her lively classroom and love of learning. She really helped to instill a sense of pride of education in me that I have carried with me to my classroom. ”I became a teacher because of a teacher. My fifth-grade teacher made an impact on me when she inspired me to rise above making average grades. She challenged me to reach deep within myself and work hard. I wanted those better grades to please myself and not anyone else. That teacher planted a seed within my being and it became my desire to encourage children to stretch beyond their comfort zone and bask in the joy of raising the bar.”

“I became a teacher because I had an amazing teacher! Because Mrs. Helton invested time, love, and kindness into my life as a shy insecure high school student, I wanted to do the same for others! Little did I know I would be walking into what has been not a job but a passion and complete joy for 17 years!”

“I became a teacher because I saw in Mr. Bill O’Neal a love for history that was contagious and I knew I wanted to pass that on to others.”

“In the 9th grade, I had a teacher who wrote on a paper that my essay was college material and she made me believe I could go to college and get my degree.  Actually, she made me believe in myself. I knew right then I wanted other children to experience what I had experienced and that I wanted to experience that by being a teacher myself.”
“First, my mother is a teacher. I grew up immersed in the teaching lifestyle. My mother is such an influential person in my life and she taught me how important the love and dedication of a teacher is to the world. Second, I chose to teach because teaching is the profession that creates all others. I get to be a part of preparing children to meet the needs of the world by teaching them ideals such as hard work, dedication, endurance, friendship, loyalty, and most importantly love. “
“I became a teacher because in the 2nd grade a teacher changed my life.I was a struggling reader. She taught me that anyone with willpower and fortitude can put their mind to a task and get it done. She taught me phonics and from then on I was reading! Today I still love to read. It is my favorite subject to teach. And I\’m thankful to God for misses Villegas and reading!”
FELT GOD’S CALLING
“I enjoy God’s creation, animals and the great outdoors, so God lead me to help kids and others enjoy and learn about it through science.  I love leading students to an understanding of God’s majesty through His wonderful works.”
“I wanted to serve the Lord with my life and invest in the lives of young people. I was blessed with many excellent teachers throughout my life, and wanted to give back to others.”
“I want to equip Middle School students to change this world for the Glory of God. Teaching Bible allows me to be a Godly influence and mold their character into the image of God. I will never forget how Godly women and men made a profound difference in my life at that age. They challenged me and patiently guided me to be the leader that God has intended. I would like to do the same with my students. That’s why I became a teacher.”
“I have always said that God called me to teach.  I knew at a young age I wanted to be a teacher.  In seventh grade, God gave me a spectacular teacher who made me feel that I was smart and special.  I now teach seventh grade, as well.  This is ending my thirty-ninth year doing the job that I never feel is a job.”
“The Lord called me into full-time ministry when I was a teenager and I felt His calling with teenagers. At first, I thought that it was as a youth group leader but I soon realized that the ministry I get to have with my students every day has a bigger impact than just being a youth leader alone.”
“God showed me that was where my strengths were while I was in another career.”
“God kept opening and closing different doors in my life until I finally yielded and changed my major to education. God put a burden on my heart for middle school students without a male role model in their lives. 37 years later I am still dealing with students without a father in the house and God is still blessing me. “
FOR THE LOVE OF INSPIRING CHILDREN
“I became a teacher because I adore children. Children are Gods greatest gift, they love unconditionally and are amazingly wise little beings who deserve nothing but the love they give adults. I enjoy watching children grow and learn and develop but what makes them grow is a teacher who believes in them and never gives up. Children have taught me to love others in my life unconditionally and forgive quickly. They can turn my bad days into the best day of my life. “
“I became a teacher to encourage children to do their best. I wanted to see them challenge themselves with new information and succeed, sometimes at a great cost of effort. After years in 4th grade, I moved to 6th grade where I realized that it is not only imparting knowledge, but I teach wisdom and interpersonal skills that are lifelong skills for my students. It is a challenge, but it is what I was made to do.”
“I love working with kids and helping them reach their God-given potential!”
“A teacher is a way that I can reach many children at the same time.  I teach at a Christian School and for me, it is a ministry and I can share my faith and help kids grow in their faith.  Teaching is a job that will have an everlasting impact on our future generations.  I want to make an impact and leave an impression.  “
“Honestly, I became a teacher because ultimately, I want to be a mom.  And I thought that being a teacher would be a career that would be conducive to both, someday…  What I didn’t realize, is that I would fall in love with SO MANY children that aren’t even my own.  Hearing them say hello every day and how much they love school and seeing their smiles bright and early in the morning, or to see them running to their classrooms makes me fall more in love with what I do every day. “
“All I ever wanted to do was be a teacher because I loved children so very much!! I always thought about what a great privilege and responsibility it would be to do something that would impact a child’s life forever – helping them to become the best they could be for their good and for God’s glory!!  I’m so proud to say that God has blessed me with 33 continuous years of teaching and I love it today as I did when I first began. “
“I love seeing that spark in a child’s eyes when they succeed at something. I had a lot of teachers who made a huge difference in my life, and I want to make that same difference to my students. There is no better, more gratifying job.”
“I became a teacher because I saw the need to commit to a child who is not willing to learn because of fear. I believe we were all created by God to be something and we all have a purpose. I want to be able to say to a child who would otherwise not hear it that they are special and you have a purpose in the world. I love children and I am happy I made a career change to teach.”
“I love working with kids and love seeing their faces when they learn something new. The kids are so much fun to be around.”
SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR TEACHERS

If you have enjoyed being reminded of just how blessed we are to have so many thoughtful, inspiring teachers be sure to share this post with friends, family, and colleagues. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from everyone at Joshua Expeditions!