I had the usual gamut of occupations in mind as a kid: firefighter, police officer, veterinarian and the like. It wasn’t until I had my first male teacher in grade 5 that I thought that maybe this would be something I would like to do. I don’t think that I ever considered any other career very seriously after that. I didn’t do particularly well in school at first so I’m not sure why I thought teaching would be an appropriate option. In fact, one teacher spoke with my parents about holding me back so I could experience the joys of grade 3 once again. It didn’t happen and I moved on minus the extra joy. “Recommended” was the word used which basically was a wait and see until Christmas. Something must have clicked because Christmas came and went without the hook pulling me back a grade. I wasn’t setting the world on fire, but at least the movement was forward.