The toughest job you’ll ever love

Superintendent’s Update

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps. Fulfilling one of his most publicized campaign promises, the Peace Corps has “employed” over 210,000 volunteers over the past 50 plus years. Those volunteers have gone to at least 139 countries and have devoted a minimum of two or more years of their lives to the cause. The Peace Corps unofficial slogan is “The toughest job you’ll ever love.”

I was reminded of that slogan several years ago when a brand-new teacher to the profession stated, “This job is hard. This is not what I thought it was going to be.” That brand-new teacher was someone that had been in the business world for about 20 years and thought to herself that it was time for a change, time to do something new. She decided to become a teacher. Well, she didn’t make it. In fact, she didn’t even make it through the first year, unfortunately.

Being a teacher is hard work. And while there are great teacher preparation programs out there, nothing prepares you for what it really takes to be a teacher until you become a teacher. Until you step foot in that classroom for the first time and about 20 plus students walk into the room, look up at you as to say; Here we are, what you got?

There were two especially influential teachers to me in high school. They all were, but these two were even more so. One of them was Coach Ted Haley. Coach Haley was not only my head basketball coach, but he was also my US history teacher. Coach Haley has since been inducted into the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame, a night that I was very proud to attend to honor Coach Haley and his teaching career after he retired.

However, I remember telling Coach Haley when I was 16 years old that I wanted to go into teaching and coaching and he said, “No you don’t. You need to find something else to do.” I was shocked by his response, but I continued to insist that I wanted to go into teaching, and he continued to insist that I didn’t. Finally, I asked him why in the world he would try to talk me out of something that he loved to do his entire career. I will never forget his response, “Musick, because I want to make absolutely sure that is what you want to do, because if not, if you are not absolutely sure that you are being called into teaching, then you better not do it. You won’t last. But if you are, if you are sure that you are being called into teaching, then you better do it.”

He was right. This job is not easy, and it is not for someone that just thinks to themselves, I think I’ll give teaching a try. How hard could it be? But for those that are called into teaching and are sure, it will be the toughest job that they will ever love. And they will be great at it.

Thank you for all that you do for our students, our district, our families, and our community of Navasota ISD!

#WeAreNavasota

Dr. Stu Musick is the Superintendent of Schools for Navasota Independent School District.