Education- Is it Aligned with Your Purpose?

Own Your Purpose

You have chosen the career of education. You always have choices. Choose ownership of your purpose as an educator and all that it entails. How would you feel if you knew of a dentist who detested their job and everything that it entailed? Would you beome his patient? What if you discovered later on that a dentist had a passion for his work? As someone who looks after your dental health, which dentists understand is linked to your whole health, this dentist found meaning in his work. Which dentist would you rather?

The Science I Explored

…having a purpose affects “cognitive reserve,” or the biological strength and resilience of the brain cells to injury and degradation. And what happens to us neurologically influences what happens to us physiologically. One landmark study found that a strong sense of purpose resulted in a 72 percent lower risk of a stroke and a 44 percent lower rate of cardiovascular disease. A key mechanism of building biological grit and resilience – whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company, working a normal job, or finishing a degree—is a strong sense of an other-centered purpose.

A Situation

An educator has just begun his role as a teacher. The first two months are overwhelming. Before getting hired, the new educator had no idea exactly how much work was involved. The day does not end when students leave. Lesson planning and grading can be the cause of many missed personal hours. The assessments and rules doled out by administrations, districts, and the state seem to keep coming. Some parents cooperate, some parents do not. More supplies are needed than are being provided. The classroom role goes far beyond teacher and right into mediator, social worker, entertainer, friend, and even parent figure. More seasoned teachers advise the new teacher to pick another career path—one that makes more money. Other seasoned educators advise holding on and sticking together. There are eight months of teaching ahead. The shock and the dread are kicking in.

Owning Your Purpose

We are actually talking about your personal purpose in education. Keep a journal. Create a title page called “My Purpose in this Role as an Educator.” Ask yourself a few questions: • What is my purpose in this role as an educator? • Why have I chosen this purpose for myself? • What can I honestly say I appreciate about this role? • Do I believe I can live fully in my purpose? • Why or why not? Actually, write down your thoughts.

When you ask about your purpose in the role, you go beyond just the idea of becoming a teacher. You are looking at your mission within the role of a teacher. You say, “As an educator, it is my mission to…”

I learned much later on, when I began in 1999, that it was my mission to have a safe, fun, and creative learning environment. That is important to me.

When you ask about why, you reveal things that are important to you as an individual. For me, a safe, fun, and creative learning environment is important to me because as a kid, school was dull with the exception of one high-school English class. I am smart and talented, but the adults did not see me.

When you look to appreciate, you will see the good things about your role. In my classroom I saw actively learning children. We talked about issues. We truly had fun and explored while learning. And that fulfilled my purpose.

Finally, when you ask about your belief in yourself, you are deciding to stay in education or move on to a more suitable career path. Throughout your journal, assess your purpose and mission regularly. Don’t be tempted to blame Johnny and his parents or Principal Green and her rules for blocking your purpose. If you must vent, get a different sheet for that so you can toss it when you’re done. Time to see yourself opening that book and making that pen dance with your ideas! Say it with me: “I’m on my mission and purpose today.”

“The Neuroscience of Purpose: How Contributing Makes Us Better,” Zach Mercurio, Accessed December 20, 2020,

Gifts!