What I hope to make

I recently had a disappointing encounter with someone I love. She asked me what my plans are after I graduate, and I told her that I planned to try to find a teaching job, work for a year, and then go on for my PhD.

"What exactly will you do with a PhD?"

"I'll teach," I told her.

She responded, "Why would you spend all this time and money to simply teach? You could make better money in another career."

I thought about this, not sure how to respond. I was unsure because it was a stupid question. I do what I do because I love it no matter what others may think of it. I love literature and writing, and, as idyllic and perhaps naive as it may sound, I believe these things make a difference. Through reading and writing, I hope to challenge students to become free-thinkers, critical thinkers, and confident writers. Whether the students I teach go on to study and teach ltierature themselves is beside the point. Whatever they may do in the future, I know they will be required to write in one format or another. And I hope that they take something more away from the class than how strict Mrs. Sellers was. With the class I'm teaching now, I want students to have learned that writing is social, a way to gain access to another community, a way to gain power to communicate effectively. But if all they take away is how to read an article, or an understanding that Hitler was born human like anyone else, that's cool. Because really, if I don't think I can make a difference, then what the hell am I doing?