Be mindful, your choices or decisions embody the reasons why you engaged in any intentional act, such as the intentional act of “becoming a teacher” or even “trying to discover your inner great teacher.” Intentional acts imply that there was effort made towards the goal of obtaining a teaching position23; however, we want you to focus your attention on the reasons behind these acts since these reasons influence the meaning of your intentional acts. For example, potential verbalizations are, “I chose to become a great teacher because I want to share knowledge and help students learn,” or “I decided to go into education because I am bored with my current positon,” or “I thought teaching would not be a difficult second income.” Any of these utterances are embedded with the motivational reasons that indicate why a potential person selected to become a teacher. How do you speak about why you sought to become a teacher? It matters. To clarify, we will explore the differences between each motivational mindset that constructs the roadmap of your journey. We begin with an analysis of what it means to choose.

Choice

Choice implies want, drive, passion, preference, and purpose. The start of a successful teaching career usually begins with choice. Choice implies an acceptance of the moral responsibility flowing from intentional actions. Choices reflect an inner passion or calling, possibly leading to internal happiness. If a person chooses to go into education to help students learn or to share in their students’ success, then this person is more likely to engage in growth, development, and enrichment as a continuous learner24. When a teacher chooses to proceed on the journey to discover their inner great teacher, an alignment transpires between that teacher’s thought and action. The role of being a teacher occurs naturally to this person. Choosing to engage in professional enrichment and continual improvement are part of what great teachers do. These teachers feel and know they are duty bound to develop, share in the learning process, and grow both personally and professionally. Teachers who chose to become a teacher will likely:
• Act with passion, preference, want, desire, and empowerment
• Committed to continually grow, share, and spread the love of learning
• Be positive and engage in activities promoting freedom and liberation
• Do the right thing 

Decision

If you must go out and could only go to one place, where would you go? You could decide between the mall or the beach, but which one? You have to give something up in order to select the other option. The act of decision-making focuses on the act’s consequences. This is a negative view because one gives something up in order to make the decision. Consider a teacher who decided to go into education because they believe that it seems like anyone can teach. They are entering education without fully understanding what it entails to be a great and successful teacher. These teachers tend to feel they are “giving up” their professional lives to go into education rather than seeing teaching as a totally new career choice. Teachers who state they decided to go into teaching may eventually become frustrated, disappointed, and are more likely to be unwilling to grow and develop. They usually operate from a problematic underlying assumption about education: teaching is not that difficult and anyone can do it. This type of teacher is less likely to think as a successful teacher because they remain a professional expert first. This teacher is more likely to view faculty development as a chore and will be less inclined to make the effort to promote interactive learning experiences for their students. These teachers typically view themselves as “gatekeepers of the profession” first and foremost; indirectly supporting the view that teaching is a job to perform. Teachers who decided to become a teacher will likely:
• Act from a sense of “have to” or “must do,” viewing their role as a “job”
• Function from a consequence-based ethos
• View growth and development as extra work or as a chore
• Do things right