I carry a whistle in my fanny pack. Along with sunscreen and Gatorade. Sometimes there's candy. Sometimes there's not. I've been burned too many times and I'm sure Cancer or some other disease is just waiting around the corner.
It's not just a job, it's a career. It's a lifestyle.
My mom went to a fortune teller when I was 13 years old. The fortune teller told her that I would pull a drowning boy from water and that I would spend the rest of my life trying to save people. This meant I was supposed to become a paramedic or a lifeguard. I became a teacher.
Fortune tellers don't lie.
No matter what you choose to do with your life, it probably won't go how you plan. That's the way the game works. Lawyers got into it to find the truth, but they're too busy looking for technicalities. Doctors got into it to heal people, but they're too busy checking insurance cards. Police Officers got into it for the chase, but they're too busy filling out paperwork.
Which leaves Lifeguards and Teachers. We work opposite seasons, but we have more in common than you think.
We both got into it for the kids. For the water. For the summers. Parents relied on us and children ignored us. We made less than we should've, but everyone thought we had it easy. Every summer added another five years to our faces.
We both had big plans. We got into it for the right reasons. It was noble. It was inspiring. But we spent more time blowing our whistles, telling kids to stop running than we ever did diving in and saving people.
We'll spend the next offseason wondering if we're doing what we're supposed to. We'll tell ourselves that something else will come up, but it never will.
Then some random Thursday, a girl with short blonde hair will thank us, and we'll decide to do it all over again.
I work with a bunch of lifeguards and I don't know why but they hate me so I guess I'm biased, but it's nice to know they're not all lazy bums.
ReplyDeleteI love this. Just know that, no matter if you're busy saving someone's life or you're saving their English, I'm proud of you♥♥
ReplyDeleteTeachers have so much power, it's unbelievable. My life changed for the better because of a teacher, and I need to tell him thank you. I'm glad this post reminded me of that, and I loved reading it.
ReplyDeleteYou're good at what you do.
ReplyDeleteWriting: saving one kid at a time. Keep it up Nelson!!!!
ReplyDeleteRespect for posting this Nelson. I never visited a fortune teller but as I move further and further towards a teaching career it's like you're showing me the future anyway; I worry about not being able to make the difference I'm going into teaching for. Maybe it'll be a waste of time. Maybe I'll turn into that teacher who just grumbles all day about his students, his wife, his co-workers, and assigns busy work just to bring everyone down to his level.
ReplyDeleteBut then again-- maybe not. Maybe there's a girl with short blonde hair that'll make it all worth it to go another year.
IT'S A LIFESTYLE
ReplyDeletethis entire piece is the truuuuth.
#preach #teacheraspreacher