Teach With Purpose: What is Your Why?

At University City Children’s Center, we believe that knowing your why is a small step for an educator, but a huge step toward teaching with purpose. 

Knowing your why, or what drives you to teach, is a big part of being an educator who teaches with purpose. Understanding what intrinsically drives you as an educator is exactly what we mean by knowing your why.

When asked why they teach, many educators will say something along the lines of, “I love kids!” While truthful, the answer is never that simple. To understand your why as an educator, you must reflect on your past experiences and consider the impact other people have had on your life—who loved you or who may not have loved you.

Why You Teach Matters

Teachers who understand why they teach are better equipped to understand the whys of their children and that all behavior has meaning. An educator who knows their own why can recognize challenging behaviors and lean empathetically into what that child needs. 

“When educators understand who they are as well as who they are in the lives of children, they are able to give themselves permission to show up with purpose, on purpose,” said Peaches Lott, a LUME early childhood specialist. “The first step is asking yourself, ‘What is my why?’ It’s okay if you don’t know yet. ‘I don’t know,’ is a legitimate answer.”

Reflecting on Your Why

While the process of identifying your why is different for everybody, it requires an honest and introspective look at personal values, experiences and family. Educators should also recall their childhood teachers and how they made them feel. Did you feel heard, valued and safe in the classroom, or were you ignored and overlooked?

“Give yourself permission to lean into the discomfort,” said Peaches. “This discomfort can unfold into understanding.”

Knowing your why is a process that takes time to develop and may continue to evolve over time as you reflect on yourself and your experiences.  Teachers at University City Children’s Center are encouraged to be reflective and to continue to ask themselves ‘why,’ so they can show up as a purposeful educator everyday.

Teaching with purpose is fulfilling. Are you ready to be a more intentional and reflective teacher? Come teach with purpose at UCCC. Visit our careers page to discover early childhood education jobs in St. Louis. 

UCCC is hiring! Join our teaching staff and to teach with purpose by encouraging children to grow in their earliest years of learning.