..........what compels someone to become a public school teacher? - Part Deux

I was soooo frustrated when I wrote the original post - not that there's anything wrong with that! I know that all jobs have their ups and downs, but it happens so very quickly in teaching teenagers. Our jobs are dependent on how our students perform, and that in itself is frustrating. We are dependent on 14-18 year old people to determine our destiny. At any rate, I don't regret anything I stated in the last post. I guess I just needed to vent some and get it out of my system. It's a pretty lonely thing being the only person in your place of work that does what I do. I'm always watching the History guys talking among themselves and doing group problem solving. I don't have anyone to help me out with problem solving and troubleshooting. That's probably a big reason for my frustration. It's hard to make anyone outside of the whole music community, and specifically the band community, to understand what is actually going on. Everyone thinks we (the band in general) are great. That's because they only see the finished product - a product, mind you, that has a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (one of my favorite groups) in it. I have a great listener in my wife. She listens patiently as I go on about how I have so many things to get done by a specific date, etc. I know she gets tired of hearing the same old song and dance all the time; but she still helps me out. I did have a very good phone conversation Sunday afternoon with my best friend, Josh. He always helped me out with his listening, reasoning skills, and suggestions a great deal. And if you're reading Josh; "thanks"! Being a public school teacher is a privilege that I never have taken lightly. It is frustrating and rewarding all in the same breath. No, we don't make a lot of money to do what we do; but it's really not an issue for me. At this point in time, I really don't know exactly how much I make. I know that sounds stupid, but I guess I just assume I'm being paid on the level that the state says is correct. I'm not going to get all "touchy-feely" about the whole thing. I just know that there is a great deal of satisfaction when I see the kids come onto the field, the crowd screams, and they exit the field with a smile of accomplishment on their faces. That's worth a whole lot to me, and that keeps me going when I get frustrated. I'm a "work in progress". I've always said that teaching is like raising children, once you have it all figured out, they're gone and on their own. What a cycle of events.