What profession do you admire most and why?

Daily Prompt 08/12/2025 

The question was asked “What profession do you admire most and why?”

My opening statement is that I respect all positions. Let’s face it – everything we do in life relies on a procedure or product made my somebody. The people who harvest our coffee. The engineers who develop machines to brew our coffee. The manufacturers who make coffee cups to hold the coffee. Even the dental community who develops tooth whiteners to erase the coffee stains from our teeth. Do you see where I’m going here? There are endless jobs and positions out there that affect every single aspect of our lives on a daily basis. 

The position I admire most? It is a tried and true profession of Teaching. I have loved and respected teachers throughout my entire educational career. There was only one teacher I did not care for and to be honest the only reason for not being fond of her was because of her smell. That didn’t make her a bad teacher. It just meant her odor was distracting and I couldn’t completely engage with her during the 38-minute period in middle school. I digress.

I remember each of my teachers and most of the day-to-day lessons vividly. Yes, I have somewhat of a photographic memory but how I responded to each teacher with the desire to learn is what has stayed with me over the years. There are a few teachers who stood out as my favorites because they sparked interests that ignited passions such as writing. Sitting in a sixth-grade classroom every day after lunch and listening to Mr. Dalven read excerpts from novels taught me how to listen to a writer’s voice and tone. That tone taught me story structure and how to reach an audience. Those few minutes each day shaped how I wanted to communicate with people through my own literary style. 

During my first few months of college, I came to know that 95% of my dorm were Special Education teachers Speech and Language majors. I was the lone English Literature and Business Management major. I posed the topic of switching majors to my parents during my first visit home. My Dad quickly put his hand up and said “Karen Anne – you need to consider the job market in the next few years. While it is an amazing profession, the world of Special Education is very specific. You need a much broader base – one where you will always be able to branch out in employment.” While his point at the time was valid, it was not specific enough and since he was paying the bills and I was a total rule follower – I put my head down and showed up to my Management 101 course on Monday morning. Flash forward to 2001 when my son was diagnosed with Autism. My Dad recalled our conversation one weekend and said, “I now know I misspoke”. We smiled and passed the mashed potatoes. 

My love of the teaching profession wove itself into our relationships with the kids’ teachers throughout the years. I dove into our district PTA to support this incredible pool of talent in any way I could. This led to my love of the education administration and landed me where I am today – supporting a school district. 

I truly believe that the love of teaching a child to read – to understand – to navigate – and to be a good human being is a true gift. Not everyone is cut out for it. I know this. The ones that are though shine bright in my mind. Thank you all for your decision to light up minds throughout our world.