Had a chat with a retired teacher that made me rethink my whole career path

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last Tuesday and this older guy just started talking to me about his 38 years teaching high school. He said he never once chased a promotion or a raise, he just wanted to get better at reaching the kids who checked out. It hit different because I've been stressing about climbing the ladder at my marketing job, but he made me wonder if I'm even good at the actual work. He told me he spent 5 years just figuring out how to get one kid per semester to care about reading. I mean, I've never thought about my job in terms of impact like that. Has anyone else had a random conversation that totally shifted their perspective on what success looks like?

3 comments

3 Comments

troychen20d ago

That teacher measured his whole life by one kid per year, not his salary.

wader7119d agoMost Upvoted

Nah, meant each kid in a lifetime actually.

ericcraig20d ago

Man, exactly right... that kind of impact is rare to find in any job.