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Callings-Teachers, April 10, 2014

a group of men sitting in chairs

Josh Miracle was one of four high school teachers who returned to campus in April to speak to students about his vocation as a teacher. 'A calling is making a difference in someone’s life,' Miracle said. 'A calling is different than a career. It’s a deeper purpose.'

a woman sitting at a table with people sitting around

Professor of Education Studies Michele Pittard takes in her former students' presentations. 'Our greatest reward as teachers is the success of our students, so I felt an incredible sense of pride as I watched Jacob, Jonathan, Josh, and DJ.'

a man in a tie standing at a podium

'I’m a warrior for public education,' said Jonathan Hoke, principal at Attica Jr.-Sr. High School. 'The last couple years were pretty tough on public education in Indiana, and helping to keep the morale up for that group of people is important. I'm pretty good at that.'

a man standing in front of a group of people

'When you’ve really found your calling, it’s no longer about you. It’s about everyone else, and that’s kind of a relief. In our culture today, people are more narcissistic than ever. But when you serve others and you see that impact—oh, it really means something.'

a group of men sitting in a row

Miracle, Pactor, and Hoke take questions from the students.

a man standing in front of a chalkboard

Josh Miracle

a group of men in a room

'I don’t know if there was really a moment I felt called to be a teacher,' said Pactor, 'but I do know there was never a moment I felt called to do anything else.'

a group of men sitting in a row

'I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was a junior in high school and looked around the room and thought, I need to do a better job than these people, which is probably about the same time I knew I’d be a good fit at Wabash.'

a man holding another man's shoulder

Professor Jon Baer introduced DJ Singfield to the Baxter Hall audience.

a man standing in front of a group of people

'True success comes when those you’ve had an impact on become successful themselves,' said Singfield, who teaches social studies and coaches football and baseball at Kingsbury Middle School in inner-city Memphis, TN.

a man standing in front of a group of people

'A lot of these kids have to raise themselves,' Singfield said, recalling a group of boys at the school he taught how to tie a necktie. He remembered one student saying, 'My dad’s not here. Thanks for being here for me.'

a man in a striped shirt

DJ Singfield began his talk, 'What Is Success?' with a tribute to Wabash Professor Tracey Salisbury, who he called 'the first professor I didn’t just learn from, but was inspired by.'

a man pointing at something

'When you’re coming home from work and you know you’ve been doing exactly what you’re supposed to do, that’s success.'

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