In this article, part of the Why I Teach essay series, the author shares how he developed his love for teaching and the failures and successes he experienced as a teacher. He used to hate teachers but everything changed when he entered college. He took general education classes and began to notice the difference between the great teachers and the ones who were indifferent to his abilities as a student. He began to notice his own strengths and attribute them to the teachers who nurtured and augmented them. During his first day of teaching, he struggled with classroom management, lesson planning and relating to the other teachers. He felt defeated and left the profession to pursue a master's degree and career in publishing in New York City. However, after realizing his love for teaching, he returned to the teaching profession and was now able to manage his class. He was teaching with fervor and success that made him forget the trials and tribulations of his first year. He emphasizes that he teaches because he can, and because he wants to, and because he is needed.