I never imagined that I would become a teacher.
My father was a 20-year Naval veteran, and my mother worked in the Jefferson County School system's after-school program. My brother and I would help her with homework and planning outdoor activities. This became my first experience working with children, and I greatly enjoyed it. In high school, I leaned toward becoming an engineer or a pediatrician because I'd always wanted to help children.
But to help pay for college, I joined the Alabama National Guard at 17. When I left for 10 weeks of basic combat training, I was still uncertain about what I wanted to do after completion. Basic training is the first step to becoming a soldier, and it was one of the toughest experiences I have ever gone through. Being so young and, with it being my first time away from home, I had to quickly learn about myself and discover what I really wanted to do with my life.
Once I returned home, I started my college journey at Bevill State Community College. I just wanted to complete my general coursework and hadn't decided what major track I wanted to take. In one of my literature courses, my professor asked me if I had ever thought of becoming a teacher. I told her "No" because I'd never truly seen myself working in a school outside of coaching. She recommended that I keep an open mind and talk to one of the educational leaders at the college. After speaking with a few of the other professors, I decided to major in early childhood education.
I transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham after completing my general coursework, and that is where I can finally say I found my calling. I had a professor who supported me and pushed me to continue my journey of becoming a teacher. She would email me after each student teaching session to see where I felt the strongest and what areas needed improvement. As I continued through college, I gained a better appreciation for the teachers I had throughout my childhood years, and I wanted to help my future students the way they’d helped me.
Once I started my education classes, everything fell into place. During one of my student-teacher experiences, I was placed in a preschool classroom and fell in love with early childhood education. The lead teacher explained to me that teaching was one of the most rewarding things in her life. She told me that not everything was easy and there would be days when I would question my career decision. After 8 years of teaching 3 to 4 year olds, I can say she was right.
My time in the classroom was one of the best decisions I ever made. Some days were filled with laughter, while others were filled with tears and frustration. Each day taught me about patience and looking at the world through the eyes of my children.
Being a veteran helped me in the classroom when it came to creating a plan for my classroom and being able to create a safe environment for every child. It also helped me with classroom management and dealing with difficult daily situations. Vice versa, being a teacher helped me when it came to having patience and being able to adapt to whatever the day brings.
To every Veteran and teacher out there, thank you and remember to take care of yourself.
Marc Waters is an Early Childhood Training Specialist at Alabama Public Television. In 2015, he graduated with his B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to serving his 15th year in the Alabama Air National Guard, he was a 3K and 4K classroom teacher for 8 years.
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