My student expressed interest in becoming a teacher

Today I had lunch with one of my students who is going into 8th grade. I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up and she said a teacher, with the end goal of being a principal. She asked me multiple questions about the difficulties of being a teacher, what helped me through late nights of grading, what I believed was the most difficult part of being a teacher, and how I handled tricky parents. We talked for about an hour and at the end I wished her the best of luck. She’s a very smart girl and I’m sure she’ll do great.<br><br>Afterwards I had to hold back tears because I realized what a thankless job this can be. This is the first time a kid has said they want to be a teacher and I’m really hoping she sticks with it.<br><br>Edit: Wow, I never get this many responses. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. They mean a lot to me. Love all of you.