The Alberta Teachers’ Association

I knew that I loved teaching when I was young; it has been a constant in my life. Although my attraction to this profession has always existed, the reasons have shifted and evolved over time. For someone with a short attention span, I am grateful for the fact that teaching has revealed new aspects of itself and increased my interest as my career has progressed. Looking back, the aspect of teaching that I love the most is that what we do matters.

When I started teaching, I was mesmerized by the moment when a student realized that they could do something new and that I could be a part of the discovery. I was also interested in how the relationships I established with students could further learning. These were major motivators for me going through my undergraduate program and in my student teaching.

Looking back, I am amazed at the tough first years and how many hours I (and every other new teacher) put into trying to create the conditions for these discovery moments. The lessons did not always go as I had planned, but that was part of the excitement too. The students often arrived at learning despite the twists and turns that I had not anticipated. I was creating lessons and relationships that had an impact on the students, helping them know more, do more and understand more—it was like magic!

Through experience and learning, I was eventually able to increase the number of these discovery moments. I thought I had arrived. This was the reason I had become a teacher. I thought that I had achieved the pinnacle of the teaching career. It turns out, I was delusional. Teaching had much more in store for me, and it was about to reveal itself. I was about to find out that teaching mattered more than I thought.

After a decade in the classroom, I decided to venture into the world of school administration. I was still amazed by our students and teachers’ capacity to impact learning, but also by the moments when teachers made the same realization that they were capable of something new. I became invigorated by the discovery moments in teacher learning and a whole new world of impact was opened to me.

The professionals that I worked with were able to learn new strategies, create new habits and grow professionally to meet the needs of their students. Again, I was interested in how I might be able to contribute to the conditions for adults to make these new discoveries. To this day, I am passionate about professional learning for staff in schools. This is something that I had not anticipated; the teaching profession surprised me.

I have been fortunate to get involved with professional learning in many ways. I believe that a core value of being a teacher is continual learning and adaptation. I have learned and grown in new ways—incredible conferences, programs like Learning Sprints and the ATA Agile Network, divisional and school initiatives, and finally through the professionals who are as passionate about teaching and learning as I am. I almost always walk away from these experiences with a renewed passion to get back into my school and help to make learning happen, with both students and staff. These sessions help me remember how what we do matters.

As teachers we are continually improving. With education, there is always something new to try and new to learn. Our understanding of the brain and the constant evolution of society is both exciting and daunting. I have spoken with some teachers who feel overwhelmed by this eternally shifting landscape, but to me it is essential. I have come to believe that constant evolution and improvement is part of the reason for being a teacher and for being. Always getting better is what motivates me to come back when I have experienced a defeat and has led me to experiencing the highest moments of teaching. We don’t always need to get things right, but we do need to try to be better for our students and for our staff. This leads me down a road of questioning, “Who do we impact when we teach?”

Now, as a parent, I have taken a larger perspective on the profession I love. I have come to appreciate the fact that when students and teachers are learning and improving, we improve as a society. The impact that we have on the world in which we live is amazing. That we have the ability to make lasting changes in society is a huge responsibility, but one that excites me every time I walk into a school. It has clarified the weight and importance of teaching. Again, this was not a perspective I had when starting out.

In the end, what do I love about teaching? Teaching matters. It matters to the students we serve. It matters to the staff we work with. It matters to the communities we live in. It matters to the world. Teaching matters, and I love it.

Corey Haley is assistant principal at Graminia School in Parkland School Division. He hosts Intersection Education, a podcast dedicated to improving teaching and learning.