A teacher is a glorified underpaid salesperson. He sells philosophies and ideologies and persuades his clients (the students) to become interested in a particular concept or principle – so much so that the student would want to find out more about this unique product for himself/herself. The only difference is teachers don’t get commissions. The return is hardly if ever felt. Sometimes one needs to wait for a lifetime before he sees the the fruits of his investments. Sometimes, sadly, the investments don’t even bear any fruit at all.

This is why I sometimes wonder if selling Dansko shoes or computers like a regular salesperson would be better. Work and effort is immediately rewarded by commissions or other incentives. At least this is what I would probably think if I hadn’t been teaching for more than 5 years already.

Because you know what. Teaching, even though it may be as tedious and as fierce as selling (if not more), is not rewarded by commissions or rice subsidies etc. The actual reward in teaching is the experience a teacher gains everyday as he/she relentlessly tries to convince his/her students to buy what he/she sells. It is the acknowledgement of the teacher’s efforts when a child passes an exam or raises his/her hand in class. It is all these small triumphs that say you’ve caused a change in a child’s life that brings joy to the teacher’s heart.  All the rest are additional benefits.

So to all the teachers out there, yeah!