Teaching Feels Like FBI Training
I read online today that the FBI likes to hire teachers—and I’m starting to see why. I’ve officially survived my third week as a middle school teacher at a Title I school, and let me tell you, it’s a lot. Every day my list of duties seems to grow a little longer. The kids demand plenty of energy, but so do administrators, fellow teachers, district trainers—the list goes on.
More than once, my gut reaction has been to push back against these mounting pressures. If I’m teaching the kids, I’m doing my job, right? If they’re safe, learning, and making progress, isn’t that enough?
And yet, by the end of the day, I usually find myself at a strange sort of peace. Do I want to complete an extra assignment the district handed out a week ago without warning? Not particularly. But I love my job, so I try to look for the reasons behind the work. Sometimes it’s tedious and unexpected, but I get it done anyway. So far, I’ve always managed to find value in every task, no matter how small.
That’s one of the first lessons I’ve learned as a teacher: I don’t always know what I’m doing, and that’s okay.
Teaching is a lot. There’s a reason the FBI recruits teachers. Good teachers adapt quickly. They read a room. They juggle heaps of information, memorize hundreds of names, and come up with creative strategies to help students learn.
Does it wear me out sometimes? Absolutely. Does it make me want to quit? Not at all. Think about it—I’d have to be crazy to walk away from a job that gives me some of the best mental training in the world. Training so effective the FBI might come knocking one day.
Honestly, that thought helps when the workload piles up. I’m not just a teacher—I’m a special agent in training.
(Disclaimer: I’m an author at heart, and I have no intention of joining the FBI.)
