5 Weird Signs You Might Be Serious About Becoming a Teacher

There’s considering teaching, and then there’s considering teaching and here are some slightly weird signs that the idea is starting to get to you.

1. You see rowdy teenagers at the mall and walk toward them

Most adults see a group of teenagers being loud and obnoxious at the mall and think: Where are their parents?

You see them and wonder if you could get them to settle down.

Maybe you joke with them, ask what they’re up to or somehow convince them to move along without making it a whole thing.

2. You start redirecting other people’s kids

You’re at the airport and there’s a little boy running around, getting farther and farther away from his parents. You could mind your business. Instead, you start talking to his parent and somehow end up trying to convince this kid that the magazine with the cars is far more interesting than running through the airport.

Why?

You don’t know this child. 😂

But something in you saw a kid who needed redirecting and immediately started thinking about what might capture his attention.

That’s a very teacher thing to do.

3. You voluntarily spend your vacation with a bunch of kids

Your church needs adults for the youth-group trip and you have time off work.

You could spend it somewhere peaceful. Somewhere with room service.

Instead, you volunteer.

And now you’re spending your week off surrounded by kids, helping keep track of everybody, listening to endless conversations and wondering why you agreed to this.

But you did agree to it. Voluntarily. Interesting.

4. You’re curious about what kids are doing

You see a group of teenagers making a TikTok and instead of rolling your eyes and walking away, you want to know what they’re making.

So you ask.

What is this trend? Why does everybody know this dance?

There’s something about young people and their constantly changing little universe that fascinates you.

That’s worth paying attention to.

Because as a teacher you’re spending your days with people whose culture, language, jokes, interests and problems may be completely different from yours.

It helps if you actually find them interesting.

5. You can’t stop reading about teachers

This might be the biggest giveaway.

You’re not a teacher yet somehow you’re reading articles about what teachers are dealing with.

You’re following conversations about phones in classrooms, AI, student behavior, literacy, testing, teacher burnout.

Nobody assigned you this reading. You’re just… interested.

None of these things mean you’ll be a good teacher.

They don’t mean you’ll enjoy the paperwork, classroom management, parent emails or the hundred other things that come with the job.

But if you’re voluntarily approaching rowdy teenagers, redirecting somebody else’s child at the airport, spending your vacation with a youth group, asking kids about their TikToks and reading teacher news for fun…

I have some news for you.

You might be more than casually considering teaching.