In my youth, I never considered the possibility of having a career as a professional educator. Throughout my high school and early college years, there were a number of career areas that I explored other than the field of education. It wasn’t until my junior year in college, (I was double majoring in History and English), that my father advised me to consider the field of teaching. My father, who had always been very observant of my academic capabilities, said that he saw something in me that he felt would lead to my success in the field of education. As we ended our conversation, he stated, “If you graduate with a degree in teaching, you can always fall back on it, no matter what other field you may select.” Well, my father was correct, and he understood his son better than I understood myself. I took my father’s advice and found that I loved the field of teaching which led to me “falling back” on it for over forty years.
I was fortunate to have a father who took a deep interest in my future and in my educational achievements. While my father was not one to celebrate my grades or my academic success, he was a parent who constantly pointed out the value of a good education and the impact that it would have on my future life. My father was a depression era individual, and while he studied in the field of engineering, his family’s economic situation resulted in his having to leave college in his junior year. His lack of a degree did not hold him back, he worked forty years as a mechanical engineer for several very large corporations, earning numerous accolades. Despite his success, he knew things would be different for his son, and my attainment of a college degree was critical, and he was committed to seeing that I attained that goal.
I had a wonderful career in teaching, with experiences as an instructor, counselor and high school administrator. I sit hear knowing that I touched numerous lives in a very positive way, and while I earned a good living in the process, it was the intrinsic reward of knowing that I was impacting a young person’s life in a positive way that has provided me with the greatest sense of career fulfillment. I often wonder what my life would have been if my dad had not taken such a deep interest in my future success. I do know that he was a wonderful role model for me, and without his support and encouragement, my life might have taken me on a different path. The lessons I learned by simply watching him will stay with me for the rest of my life. I guess Robert Fulghum states it so beautifully when he says, “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” In other words, just like my dad, you don’t have to be a cheerleader for them, just a good role model.