When you ask a teacher why they teach, it’s not uncommon to hear some variation of it’s my calling.

This much is true for Jesse Schettle, a biology teacher at Neenah High School.

From early on, Schettle explores the medical field. In college, he begins job shadowing as a pharmacist, but his mind guided him elsewhere. This leads him to pursue his education degree. Upon earning his degree, Schettle spends several years teaching.

His first years as a teacher aren’t clean cut, however. While he enjoys teaching, he is often told by people, some of whom were teachers themselves,  that settling into a teaching career for a lifetime may be unwise, and that he needs to look for a plan B.

Schettle  loves the idea of working in the medical field. Taking a sabbatical from teaching, Schettle returns to college to acquire his nursing degree. He then begins a career in the ER, all the while continuing to teach part time. After two years, he faces with two career paths that he truly has a passion for, Schettle chooses to teach full time.

Schettle confesses that he didn’t expect to be teaching long. He shares that the source of his passion is simple — students.

He says it is his students that make teaching so important to him. His passion for his subject and for his students drives Schettle to continue teaching longer than he expects.

Schettle experiences several career paths and potential callings in life. From his experiences in the medical field, to an interest in financial math, Schettle finds a calling above all others.

“I don’t regret going into teaching, I feel like this is where I should be and what I should be doing.”