“A good teacher must always be driven by conviction—that the world is and that it has meaning, and that it is so much bigger than any one person can ever apprehend. Teaching—true teaching, not the mere imparting of techniques or earning potential—is perhaps the most delightful calling and privilege in the world.”

What I did not understand as a clueless student and kid was how awesome teachers were. That is a generalization, but I believe it to be broadly true. Not all are gifted, and clearly some get frustrated and lose their zeal, but in general they get into it for the good of the world and for the good of their students. Honorable! Maybe, just maybe, if I were to do my professional career over again, I would teach. Except for the chaos. I don’t really like chaos. I have the great pleasure of spending my life with a teacher. Whenever I see Allison in the classroom, I am continually impressed by how good a teacher and how animated she is with her students. We had our friend Jordan bring a bunch of high schoolers to spend a few days with us in third world Curahuasi. He is the classic hippy, foreign language teacher. Well maybe not, but he drives a VW bus, plays instruments, and travels the world with his pupils, slumming it in small towns like Curahuasi. He kept those kids going even as I got knocked out with some major stomach bug! He let them see some of the best of Peru, while also allowing them to see some of Peru’s struggles. That is a good education. So here is to teachers! Stay motivated, because it makes a huge difference in the world and for your students. Read on at Teaching as Joyful Rebellion.