Why I Teach...

Wendy Thompson

“Teaching is about compassion. It’s about dedication. It’s about being that one and only smile your students may see that day. That is why I teach. Teaching is about reaching those who are hard to reach. It’s about being that support system to your students past, present and future. Once your class has moved on, you aren’t done teaching. You’ll continuously be the role model they may come to in their adult years. Teaching is about being a part of a community — a leader, a follower and a person who is willing to make sacrifices. I teach to make a difference. Will I make a difference with all of my students? I like to believe so. I believe that teaching children, teaching the future of our country, being that positive influence in those lives and making a difference is so worth it. That is why I teach.”

— Wendy Thompson, ’97, elementary education, ’06 master of education in special education, thirdgrade teacher at McDonald Elementary in Moscow.

Susan Mahoney

I teach because I make a difference in the life of every child who walks through my classroom door. I did many different things before becoming a teacher in my mid-40s. Teaching is by far the most challenging job I’ve ever had, and yet it is the most rewarding. As a Title I Reading Teacher, I teach at-risk students how to become better readers. I help each student recognize and unlock the potential inside to become a lifelong reader and learner. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a child who hated reading at the start of the school year be unable to put a book down later in the year because it captures his or her interest and imagination. I teach because watching my students’ confidence grow makes my life meaningful. I teach because helping a student open the doors of possibility is the most important job in the world. I teach because I make a difference in the life of every child who walks through my classroom door both now, and indefinitely into my students’ futures. My students are the future of the world and I’m so grateful I’ve been a part of their path to success.

— Susan Mahoney (’89, music performance; ’12 master of curriculum and instruction) is a Title I Reading teacher with the Moscow School District.