People sometimes introduce me as an educator. Or a mentor. Both are true, in a sense — I run FAITHEX Foundation, I tutor students one-on-one, and a good part of my life is spent helping people learn. But if you ask me directly what I do, I probably won't lead with either word.
Not because I'm avoiding them. It's because the title was never really the point.
It's Not About the Title
I think there's a version of this work where the title matters a lot — where "educator" becomes an identity to protect, a status to maintain, something you build a reputation around. That's not where I'm coming from. I don't teach because I need to be seen as a teacher. I teach because I actually enjoy it — the process, the moments, the small shifts that happen in someone's understanding right in front of you.
If the title disappeared tomorrow and I was just "the guy who helps me with my reading" or "the person who explained that thing I couldn't understand," I'd be just as happy. Maybe happier.
What Actually Gives Me Joy
It's rarely the big, obvious wins. It's the smaller moments — a student who finally reads a paragraph without stumbling over it. A concept that didn't make sense last week clicking this week. Someone asking a follow-up question that tells you they're actually thinking, not just listening.
There's something honest about that kind of exchange. No performance, no audience — just one person trying to understand something, and another person trying to help them get there.
That's the part I love. Not the classroom, not the certificate, not the label. The actual work of it.
Why This Matters to Me
I think a lot of good work gets weighed down by the need to be recognized for it. I'd rather stay close to the reason I started — that this brings me joy, that it feels meaningful, that I get to be part of someone else's growth in a small but real way.
So if you ever wonder why I don't lead with "educator" or "mentor" when I introduce myself — that's why. Not because I'm not those things. Just because I'd rather you know me by the work itself, not the word for it.