Embracing the Teaching Lifestyle

In my last post, The Pension Path, I outlined the basic details of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and how it works. I started writing a follow-up post unpacking some examples, but I realized there was another conversation I needed to have first—about my perspective on teaching as a lifestyle. At the same time, I attended the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (https://amte.net/) Conference and heard a powerful opening session by Dr. Beth Herbel-Eisenmann, Dr. Nicol Howard, Dr. Lateefah Id-Deen, Dr. Carlos Lopez Leiva, and Dr. Farshid Safi titled “Moving Beyond Transactional Relationships in Educational Spaces.” As often seems to happen, the ideas I was thinking through in a personal finance context were deeply connected to conversations within in mathematics education. I'm grateful to these colleagues for eloquently discussing and unpacking the critical need for centering supportive, constructive, and humanizing relationships in our classrooms, communities, and beyond.

So, remembering my own advice to Focus Less on Numbers, I want to take a step back from case studies and instead consider my perspective on teaching as a lifestyle. I do this because focusing solely on maximizing pension variables can quickly overshadow the reasons many (most?) of us chose this profession in the first place. Education offers a lifestyle and way of being that can be largely or entirely absent from other careers. It is this lifestyle that we should be discussing, sharing, and celebrating.

Unpacking The Teaching Lifestyle

I've often heard folks say something akin to, "Teaching is more than just a profession; it’s a calling." While I generally agree with the sentiment, I think we can be more concrete about what this calling affords. We need to establish and promote positive, supportive narratives around education that embrace the teaching lifestyle and the many paths it offers. Cultivating this narrative allows us to communicate the benefits of our work, push back against views that diminish and devalue education, and create space for growth, change, and evolution.

As I see it, this lifestyle centers around three key ideas: relationships, personal growth, and community. These ideas embody a non-transactional view of the profession. There are certainly other ideas one could add to this list, but these three stand out to me. In my work with prospective teachers, they consistently emerge when I ask, "Why do you want to be a teacher?" Likewise, they surface in conversations with current educators as they reflect on why they love the profession. Twenty years into my own journey, relationships, personal growth, and community have sustained, inspired, and supported me. They are part of the reason I’m writing this blog. I believe each idea can be a continued source of joy, strength, and inspiration for those in the profession. Let’s unpack them a bit more.

Relationships. Valuing relationships is a central part of teaching. Teachers care about people in their spaces. They cultivate trust and honesty. They make meaningful connections. The teaching lifestyle is awash in relationships—with students, parents, colleagues, and community partners. Being a teacher means connecting with people from all walks of life whom you might never meet otherwise. You develop small, classroom-specific relationships as well as expansive ones that can last a lifetime. You create classroom traditions and inside jokes. You spend time with individuals who will become the leaders of the community.

Yes, some relationships are challenging. Some pull at your heart and leave you wishing things had turned out differently. But the joyful relationships are a reminder that you can be a source of inspiration. The benefits of centering relationships far outweigh the drawbacks. As a teacher, you have the opportunity to let people know that you value them, their ideas, and their effort.

Growth. Teachers focus on personal growth. We help students develop knowledge, skills, and practices that can make a difference in their lives. I learned early in my career that my goal is to meaningfully engage students in ideas that will help them learn and grow. Sometimes this makes them happy; other times, it does not. But fostering growth and development is central to our work—in classrooms, on sports teams, in clubs, and in all the spaces where we engage with students.

As students grow and change, so do teachers. I am a vastly different educator now than I was in 2005. Who fostered my growth and development? My students, my colleagues, and my experiences in the world. The teaching lifestyle embraces personal growth and development, recognizing the duality of being both learner and teacher. It should not hold you back but instead push you forward. We are all growing and becoming.

Community. Educators are at the heart of community. Schools are vibrant community spaces, and teachers are their caretakers. We want our students to build community and find belonging in our classrooms, hallways, and buildings. Community is at the center of the teaching lifestyle.

Early in one’s career, it is natural to maintain a separation between professional and personal communities. In the classroom, we may share only a few details about ourselves while holding onto others. I describe this to my students as the "teacher’s coat"—a layer we wear to establish our identity, set boundaries, and maintain professionalism. Initially, this coat may be thick and multilayered, but over time, it begins to wear. And, in my opinion, this is a beautiful thing. As the coat thins, the complex layers underneath shine through. Students begin to see us as full people, with joys, passions, concerns, and challenges.

Charting New Paths in the Teaching Lifestyle

The teaching lifestyle is not defined by years in the classroom, hours worked per week, salary, or highest degrees earned. These may be considered measures of "success" in some sense, but how do we really measure success in education?

I’ve known educators who have poured their hearts and souls into teaching for 30 years—staying late, offering extra time, and practically living in their classrooms. I’ve known others who, after several years, learned to compartmentalize their work, leaving school at school. Some educators have started small side hustles on weekends and in the summer, while others have built those side projects into full-time businesses. I’ve known people who came to teaching after working in other industries, and I’ve known educators who left the classroom to pursue new careers.

In my view, none of these paths are "wrong." None of these educators are more or less legitimate than the others. They are all finding their own way within the profession.

Focusing on the tenets of the teaching lifestyle—relationships, growth, and community—creates space for people to chart their own paths and define success on their own terms. We can embrace the value of what we do and how we do it without getting caught up in external measures that may not align with our core purpose. When we do focus on numbers, we should do so with an awareness of what truly matters, fostering honest conversations that reflect the deeper purpose of our work.

First published March 14, 2025. - Happy Pi Day!