We were so inspired by our audience's responses to a quote on Edutopia's Facebook page, we collected twenty of our favorites as a reminder for why teaching is such an amazing and worthwhile profession.

1. #LiveLoveTeach
We asked our community about why they teach.
The response was amazing. Here are some of our favorites...

2. To spend each day helping children
unravel their uniqueness is the best job
in the world. All I know how to do is teach
and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
– Melanie Perez

3. To see a child fall in love with something,
to watch them go head over heels for
a concept or idea, to be completely
enthralled in a moment of joy – curiosity
spills over, their excitement becomes
contagious, and a life-long seeker is born.
– Bob Knipe

4. After 25 years, I still get butterflies
every fall for my new kids!
– Robyn Gunther

5. I hated school! I did not always want
to be a teacher! However, I did have
a handful of teachers who inspired me.
Not because they necessarily knew their
content, but because they attempted to
know me! I will never forget them and
how they made me feel.
– Cynthia Anne Osborne

6. I teach because it is what I am meant
to do. I've always wanted to teach. I can't
imagine doing anything else. I love seeing
the light bulbs come on for the kids.
– Elizabeth Byrnes Egesdahl

7. I believe education is life changing.
As a beneficiary of stellar public
education, I teach to return the gift
that was bestowed upon me.
– Mallory Flavell

8. I teach because every day is different,
every second counts, and I learn
something new every day!
– Ashley Cavazos

9. I grew up in poverty but was taught
by my family and many great teachers
alike that knowledge is power. I teach
because I want to hand the gift of
knowledge to others.
– Amy Rowan Smith

10. It's the ah-ha moments, laughter, sincerity, the
unexpected that keeps me on my toes, being
able to adjust in a moments notice, accepting
and giving hugs, showing forgiveness, giving
second chances, being a role model – being
that go to person when there's no place to go,
validating their unique individual struggles
... a long fulfilling journey for sure!
– Sue DeCoite

11. Students are each their own world,
and when all those worlds collide,
magic happens.
– Rosanna Ovalles

12. Because education is a civil right.
– Matt Caprio

13. I am addicted to the challenge of how to
get students even more engaged in loving
and learning. Thirty years have passed
by, and I still come back for more. I love
every minute with them.
– Teresa Martinho Marques

14. What other job could I have where I discuss
Beowulf, Le Morte d'Arthur, Slaughterhouse
Five, and other absolutely awesome pieces of
literature year after year and get paid for it?!
– Patty Plowman Wallesverd

15. Being a teacher is a profoundly challenging
and rewarding job. I wake up everyday
smiling, knowing I can grow, influence a life,
love a child, and love what I do.
– Colette Byrne

16. There is nothing better than watching
an ah-ha moment, participating in a student
discovering their own gifts, empowering
young people to take control of their own
learning, and witnessing the evolution of
their behavior, attitudes and thinking from
youth to young adult.
– Rosie Venezia Singalewitch

17. I love teaching high school students.
They are amazing, and they just need
someone other than their parents who
has faith in them to be successful. Every
day is a chance to make a difference.
– Petrie Franke

18. My students hold me to a high standard, have
expectations for me, and make me laugh and
tear up all in the same class period. They make
me feel that what I do makes a difference,
especially when I talk to them years or when I
see their posts on Facebook or their
engagements, graduations, and such in the
newspaper.
– Pam Click

19. I love learning. I want to help students love
it too. :) I also want my students to discover
their own talents and feel good about
themselves.
– Linda Buckland Lanier

20. To change the world… one child at a time!
– Vickie Purcell Harris

21. I have learned way more from my students
then I have taught them. I love our inside
jokes. I love their view of life. I love that for 7.5
hours a day, they are truly loved and cared for
and are safe. I love the amazing men and
women who teach beside me and share my
joys and my sorrows. I love that we never give
up on kids.
– Ann Sveen

22. THANK YOU!
To join our community, please visit Edutopia.org