The Ceremony That Started It All
It started two years ago during my son's end-of-year ceremony in Children's House. As the kids came up to get a small memento and hug their teachers for the last time, little bits of information about them were shared with the class. They were the traditional questions: What is your favorite color? What is your favorite food?
Slightly more unique was: What do you want to be when you grow up? The career question had the most interesting answers because they were truly all over the place. Kids said firefighters, police officers, doctors, stay-at-home moms, and more. I already knew the answer Marshall was going to say: a professional soccer player.
An Unexpected Answer
When it was Marshall's turn, I whipped out my phone to record him and the answers to the inevitable classroom questions. When they got to the career question, to my complete shock, they said Marshall wanted to be a gym teacher. My chin hit the floor, and in the video, you can hear an audible "what?" come out of me. It caught me completely off guard—as did my feelings surrounding his answer.
My first reaction in my head was, "You don’t want to be a PE teacher." Yet, I am a PE teacher. Why am I telling my son not to be a PE teacher when that has become my chosen profession? I sincerely love what I do, yet I was advocating for him not to do it. Why the disconnect?
Unfortunately, I think the harsh reality is money. Being a PE teacher is not the most lucrative profession, whereas being a professional athlete can earn a substantial amount of money. So what I was really wishing for my son is that he chooses something financially more rewarding—not that I’m against him being a PE teacher.
A New Career Aspiration
Fast forward to the end-of-the-year ceremony this year, and this time, he says he wants to "invent new sports." I'm pretty sure this is a nod to the fact that I create numerous PE games that integrate with classroom content.
While I felt proud of the acknowledgement from a kindergartener who gave me a shout-out during his graduation, I couldn't help but think again about the financial component. There is a part of me that wishes he had said he wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, etc.—something that is respected and pays well.
It's Just Kindergarten… But Is It?
Now, if you’re thinking, "The boy is in kindergarten, it doesn’t matter what he says now," well, you're not wrong. I know it's silly. However, having been a classroom teacher for a decade, I also see the effects of when a child says they can or can't do something.
Trying to un-brainwash a self-imposed identity like "I'm bad at math" is difficult. Trying to get the kid who "isn’t good at sports" to play is literally one of the driving forces behind how I create games. I keep those kids at the forefront of my mind because I don’t want them to miss out on a lifetime of physical activity.
My Own Journey With Math
When I was a kid, I wasn’t the best at math, but I was good enough to do the bare minimum and still get A’s and B’s. When I got to high school, it was a rude awakening. Math classes kicked my ass, and this quickly changed my outlook on what I thought about myself in math—so much so that when thinking about the future, I would purposely leave out anything math-intensive.
I continued this trend in college, pursuing a biology degree and detesting the physics of exercise physiology due to the extensive applied math.
It wasn’t until many years later, when I was doing my Montessori certification work at St. Catherine University—specifically the upper elementary component—that I had a mathematical renaissance. Not only was I learning how to deliver the lessons effectively, but I was also learning how math actually worked by moving and seeing things, rather than relying on memorization and mental calculation.
Perhaps not surprisingly, math and geometry became two of my favorite subjects to teach in the classroom, and I had numerous kids (and parents) appreciate my enthusiasm for the subject.
This begs the question: if I had had that quality of math instruction, would I still be doing the same thing I’m doing today? If I had loved math when I was younger—especially in middle school and high school—what opportunities would have been open to me that I had prematurely shut down because of my disdain for math?
I don’t know, obviously. But I do wonder what would be different if I had not self-imposed a “no-math” career path.
The Hope I Have for My Son
Luckily, my son is good at math so far. What’s just as important is that he believes he is good at math and is not afraid of hard work. He’s actually pretty confident about everything that he does, which is excellent—and I hope it stays that way for as long as possible. I want the knowledge tree to be as big as possible so that he has the most choices and opportunities available.
This is a big reason why we have kept him in Montessori and will continue to do so. The revelations I had as an adult learner are just the standard of education he is getting as a young learner. What a foundation that will make.
The Best Father's Day Gift
So, when I look back at what my son has said for the past several years, what I should realize is that he was giving me amazing Father’s Day gifts early. A son wanting to be like his dad may be one of the most beautiful compliments a father can receive.
While I have my own self-worth, knowing that my son admires what I do is more than gratifying. It’s life-changing.
On days when I feel low or frustrated, knowing that a little pair of eyes is watching me and thinking what I do is cool—that easily gets me out of that funk.
Final Thoughts
It’s not that I don’t want my son to follow in my footsteps. What I want is for him to have every option available so he can find what he loves and what he’s good at.
And it wouldn’t hurt if it paid a lot, too. 😊