When I was a student, I totally misunderstood the teaching position. From my perspective, teachers simply appeared at 7:40, at the strike of a bell, and disappeared at 3:00, with a strike of the same bell. These automatons materialized purely for pedagogical purposes, then evaporated when their time had run out. Of course, the reality of their situation was always much different. Nearly all teachers work tirelessly for their students, rarely thinking about much other than teaching--especially in their first few years. (I know, because I became a first-time teacher.) When I began teaching, this knowledge spiraled me into a state of profound reflection. For the first time, I took seriously all of the pressures on this position--out of school political fighting, in school political fighting, funding shortages, etc. It was not clear to me at the time, but teachers do one of the most difficult jobs and receive the least amount of respect for it--not to mention a salary that rarely reflects their efforts and impact. For me, tutoring excises some of these political issues, allowing me to focus entirely upon the task at hand--instructing one student on a particular subject. It's liberating and fun and incredibly rewarding.