"If you really loved kids you wouldn't do it for the money."

I got my first parent to say this to my face yesterday, and I'm still not over it. It's because our tuition prices are being raised by $15. After all, we're paying our teachers a little over $10 an hour now.

Like, I get it. Child care is really expensive, and the amount of parents I've had choose between working a minimum wage job and child care is way too damn high. No one likes paying a hundred dollars a week to send their child to school.

But here's the thing. I never did this for the money.

I knew going into the profession I was never going to make 6 figures (let alone half of that). I was warned not to be a teacher because it doesn't pay well. I still became a teacher? Why? Because it was never about the money.

I went to school to get a degree in education. I have to get 3 different background checks every 2 years (and pay for each one) just to do my job. I could work for a gas station down the road that didn't need a degree, pays $15 an hour, and I'd only have to work 8 hours a day. Yet I'm still here. Why? Because it was never about the money.

As soon as we were allowed, we stayed open during the pandemic. Yeah, your 2-year-old needed masks, and our class sizes were reduced (which meant fewer spots) but we were there for you. We sanitized everything, risked getting covid (which 5 teachers including myself did get), and pushed through days where we worked up to 11-hour shifts just to keep the school going. Just to give yourself and your child a little bit of normalcy in these uncertain times. Why? Because it was never about the money.

I love working with kids. I go to work every day with a smile on my face and usually leave with one too. I get to play, act goofy, sing songs, dance, and create relationships that last a lifetime. I get told "I love you" every day more times than I can count. I've gotten enough hugs to last me a lifetime.

I also have scars where I've been scratched, bruises where I've been kicked, bald spots where my hair has been pulled out, and had to get a new pair of glasses because they were broken. I've had my room torn apart because a kid didn't want to transition from playtime to breakfast. I've had to hold kids because they were hurting themselves on purpose. Yet I still go to work every day knowing that I can get hurt. Why? Because it was never about the money.

I love my job. It was never about the money. But I can't live in this world without making money. I need to make myself food. I need to put gas in my car. I need to pay my electric and water bill. I need to pay taxes to send other kids to school. I need to buy supplies for my classroom to do fun projects so your kid doesn't have to bring them.

I love my job. It was never about the money. But if I have to think about getting a second job to pay my taxes, that takes away from your kids. That's less time I have to plan fun activities, think up cool games, and less time for me to readjust myself so I don't burn out.

I love my job. It was never about the money. But the reason teachers are leaving is because they can't afford to be a teacher.

One day, I'm going to burn out. That fire that keeps me going is going to extinguish. When it's only about the money, that's when it's time to stop being a teacher. They say every teacher gets to that point, and that's when they know it's time to retire. That's why I've had teachers well into their 80s teaching (you know, the ones we all thought were going to die at their desk) because that fire never went out. That's why I've seen teachers leave the profession at 30 because they couldn't handle the work conditions they were handed.

If I didn't have to do my job for the money, I would gladly do it. But that's not the world I live in.

And if you keep insisting teachers only do it for the kids and not for the money, there's going to be a lot fewer teachers in the world.

It's already happening.