Andrea: Please tell me about a situation when you didn’t dare to live your dreams.
Danny: I am a big dreamer and I think good things happen to those that dream big. I have recently written a book, entitled, “How to Survive and Perhaps Thrive on a Teacher’s Salary.” I wrote it a few years ago and my original goal was to gear it towards teachers, but with the current economic situation and what is going on in the world, it definitely can benefit most people.
I am a big dreamer and I think good things happen to those that dream big.
I just want to change the world and change lives. Money is great to have and of course it would be nice to become a millionaire author, but that definitely is not my motivation. As a teacher, sometimes a parent says, “Gosh, Danny, thank you so much for doing what you have done for my kid. It has helped him so much.” That right there is worth a million dollars. That is what I hope for my book too; to change as many lives as I can and help people live a better life.
I just want to change the world and change lives.
Times are tough right now for a lot of people. I hope to inspire them and show them that you can have a job that you absolutely love, which I do as a schoolteacher. I think most people agree that schoolteachers are not paid what they are worth. It is not horrible pay, but it is not great, either. You can have a job that may not pay much money, but deep down inside you know that you are doing what you love and you are doing what you are meant to do on this earth and that is it for me. I feel I was put on this earth to teach. My life is a wonderful, wonderful life.
You can have a job that may not pay much money, but deep down inside you know that you are doing what you love and you are doing what you are meant to do on this earth and that is it for me.
Andrea: Was there a situation in your life when you didn’t dare to live your dreams?
Danny: I think right now that every day is a dream for me. I have always wanted to be a teacher – that was my dream. But a few years ago I was actually out of the teaching profession. I took a job with a chance to double or triple my salary and I did that for a few months, but I wasn’t contented, and even though I was making more money, it didn’t fulfill my dream. So I got back into teaching and now I am living my dream again.
Andrea: Was it difficult for you to go back to your life as a teacher?
Danny: Financially speaking, it was a little hard. Although I wasn’t making double the teaching salary yet, I was making more than I did as a teacher. But at the end of the day, I didn’t feel complete as a person. Having a nice paycheck, yes, it means something, and it is nice to have a roof over your head and clothes on your back and the necessities, but if you go to a job that you don’t love and you don’t feel passionate about, money can only go so far. I sat down with my wife to discuss it and she saw that the fire was not there. She knew how passionate I was about teaching and how much I loved it and she agreed wholeheartedly. She said, “You need to be a teacher. That was what you were put on this earth to do.” It was difficult for a while to get used to a teacher’s salary again, but like I said before, you can’t wait to go to a job that you love. That is priceless.
Having a nice paycheck, yes, it means something, and it is nice to have a roof over your head and clothes on your back and the necessities, but if you go to a job that you don’t love and you don’t feel passionate about, money can only go so far.
Andrea: I agree with you.
Danny: It is important to have money, I realize, but there are so many people nowadays that are trapped in a job that they don’t like. They feel stuck. I didn’t want to be one of those people. Life is short. We only have a certain amount of time on earth and to me you have to do the best you can to fulfill your purpose and that is what I hope I am doing.
We only have a certain amount of time on earth and to me you have to do the best you can to fulfill your purpose and that is what I hope I am doing.
Andrea: Does your wife stay at home with the kids?
Danny: Yes. She was a schoolteacher when we got married. A lot of people don’t plan ahead, but we did. We talked about one day, hopefully, we would have kids and we prepared for that day. So for the first 4 years of our marriage she kept teaching, but we tried to live on my salary and put hers away, and pay off any debt that we had. Now I make a moderate income but yet she is able to stay at home and raise our two daughters. Our oldest Ava is 4 and Ella is 1, and my wife Tracey has been home full time for the last 3 years. I hope she will be able to continue to stay home, as she loves that.
At first, she was pretty much a career driven woman. She loved being a teacher and probably hoped to become an administrator one day, but after staying home that first year, she realized how much she enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom. We worked hard and now we are enjoying it. I get to go to a job that I love and I get to have my wife stay at home and raise our two little girls. That to me is just wonderful; it is a great thing.
Andrea: It is also great that your wife really enjoys staying at home.
Danny: Yes, she absolutely loves it. She would not trade it for the world. She was a Teacher of the Year a few times and was nationally certified here in the states as a wonderful, wonderful teacher. But she has found her joy at home, spending time with our girls. We will never get this time back and that was important to us, to help them grow. Who else would I want to teach my children? She gets such joy out of it. I don’t know if you would call it her dream, but I don’t think she would trade it for anything else in the world right now.
Andrea: I have seen your book on your blog. Is it about financial education?
Danny: It is about financial education, absolutely. It shows how my family has done well despite earning a moderate income. Tracey and I lived in Europe for two years and we taught at an American International School in Poland. We traveled to 10 countries and we honeymooned in Venice. When we came home, we still traveled around in the States, and to me, we live a very, very wealthy life on a $40,000/year income. That is what I want to show others and inspire them to do. Yes, it is important to make money, but there does come a point where happiness isn’t necessarily equated with a huge paycheck. That is what I hope to show.
According to a study done by the National Education Association, 50% of teachers quit within 5 years and that was partially due to the low salaries. However, according to another study, teaching ranks among the top 10 most gratifying jobs. I know how much my job means to me, and I wanted to show others that there is a way that you can have the job that you love. My book was geared towards teachers, but now in this bad economic situation, a lot of people are getting laid off of jobs. I want to show them that you don’t have to chase a huge paycheck, because in a year or less, you might get laid off or fired. So if there is any silver lining to the financial mess that we are in, it’s that people are starting to realize that in the long run a large paycheck does not bring true happiness to you.
So if there is any silver lining to the financial mess that we are in, it’s that people are starting to realize that in the long run a large paycheck does not bring true happiness to you.
If I went to the store right now and bought a brand new shirt, of course, when I put it on it feels good. You can say, “Oh, I got a new shirt and this is nice.” But after you wear the shirt a few times, it is not new anymore. If you are trapped in a cycle of needing materialistic things to make you happy, you are trapped in a vicious cycle. I think too many of us get caught up in it and we are paying the price now, but it is a great learning opportunity, too. I hope people take the time right now to analyze life and realize what is important.
Andrea: Your calling is to be a teacher?
Danny: I think so. I am an elementary school teacher, teaching special needs children right now. I love it, but after writing the book, I have had the opportunity to go out and teach adults about financial literacy. It is another way of teaching, and teaching is definitely my calling. I love teaching both children and adults. I have gotten a few e-mails and letters from people that have thanked me, saying I made their lives easier and helped them understand finances better, and this means everything to me. It is just so wonderful to know that you can have an impact on someone. We are all on this earth for a short period of time. While it is nice to have things, when you are lying on your deathbed, it doesn’t matter if you have the biggest house or the biggest car. But if you can say, “I made this world a better place and helped someone to make their lives better,” that is leaving a legacy and that is what I am going for.
While it is nice to have things, when you are lying on your deathbed, it doesn’t matter if you have the biggest house or the biggest car. But if you can say, “I made this world a better place and helped someone to make their lives better,” that is leaving a legacy and that is what I am going for.
Andrea: Except being a teacher, do you encourage other people to create their best possible lives?
Danny: Absolutely. No matter what you want to do, financial literacy helps people have their best life. I want to show others that on a moderate income, if you are smart, you plan ahead and you live below your means, you can still do well financially and live the life of your dreams. Having a job that you enjoy getting up for every day is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
I feel so bad for people who cannot follow their dreams. I think if you love your job and you feel passionate about it then you are living out your dreams. Part of it is that you have to be financially literate or you are not going to do well on a moderate income. In almost any job, you have to have control of your finances or you are going to find yourself in trouble.
In almost any job, you have to have control of your finances or you are going to find yourself in trouble.
Andrea: Has your family always supported you to live your dream?
Danny: Yes. I was lucky enough to grow up in a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house with a younger brother. In America, the home crisis has gotten so ridiculously huge that a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house is not a common thing among families. Over in Europe I know it is more common. We lived I would say a very wealthy life, even though we didn’t have many material things. My mother stayed home until I was 13 and my brother was 11. We had one car for awhile, but despite not having a lot of material things, we were a very, very happy family and they encouraged both my brother and me to go into professions and follow dreams that we love. My mom was a nurse and I am a teacher and my brother Kyle is a firefighter. All three of those jobs are not highly paid. The money is OK, but you have to have your heart in the right place too. Those kinds of jobs you have to have a calling for. It is interesting that both my brother and I, we have service-oriented jobs and I definitely think it is because of my parents’ influence and examples that they set.
Andrea: What do you love the most about being a teacher?
Danny: I teach what is called a severe profound class, so my children all have IQs that are below 30. I have children in wheelchairs and some are tube-fed and need a change of diapers. They don’t really communicate and are pretty low functioning, but I just love them. The look in their eyes and the smile on their face when they see me and I do simple things with them, and can tell they “get it” is wonderful. They look at me with those big eyes and they smile. Some of the goals for my children are very low. For one child it might be, if I say your name, you are going to smile at me. When I get that smile or a hug, it is just a wonderful thing. These are the great things about being a teacher.
I used to teach first grade and kindergarten before, and I loved that too. It is just a wonderful feeling to know that you are helping children and helping them to become valuable members of society. But with my special needs children, there are times I look in their eyes and their souls are so sweet and you just know that there is something in there that is ready to burst out. God made them the way they are. Maybe one day they will start talking, and maybe not. Sometimes I envision when we all pass on maybe I will see them in the next life and they will be perfectly fine and they will say, “Hey, Mr. Kofke, thanks so much for helping me.” It is just a neat feeling.
I have the patience to teach special needs children, and I love it. They are such joyful children. You can learn so much from them. I once had a student whose happiest moment of the day was eating marshmallows. I thought, “Wow! How great that he is just so content eating marshmallows and we are constantly in search of the next big thing, such as a bigger house or a bigger car. This child is just content eating marshmallows.” I learn from them that sometimes it is the little things in life that count the most and not these big things.
I learn from the children that sometimes it is the little things in life that count the most and not these big things.
Andrea: It sounds very rewarding.
Danny: It is very rewarding. Some days are harder than others like in any job, and sometimes it can be frustrating, but overall I wouldn’t trade my position in life with anyone in the world. I do love it.
Andrea: If you wouldn’t trade it, then it is the right job for you.
You wrote me that you get tired of people who say that they cannot do things?
Danny: I know that everyone’s situation is different. I know that sometimes the chips may be stacked against you and there are times that it is tough to do things, but as a teacher, I never liked the words, “I can’t.” I think people give up too easily. If you want to change your life and do something, you are the only one who can start the process. There are so many people who say, “I can’t do this; I couldn’t do that…” and then 20 years down the road they look back and say, “I wish I would have done this…I wish I would have done that…” and it just bugs me. As I said before, life is short and you have to grab it by the horns and go for it. Just give it your all and leave no stone unturned. That is the way I try live my life. I never want to look back and say, “I missed this opportunity. I didn’t do that…”
I think people give up too easily. If you want to change your life and do something, you are the only one who can start the process.
I look at our recent election where an African American was elected as President. Think of how he grew up in poverty and didn’t even know his dad, and yet he is the President of the United States. Also for women out there, I think it was great that we had Hillary Clinton almost as our President. And then there is Sarah Palin who could have been the Vice President. I just think it is great that it doesn’t matter what skin color you have, and it doesn’t matter what type of family you were born into, you can be anything you want to be. Yes, you have to have some breaks, and President Obama had some breaks in his life. But I think a lot of us do get those breaks, and you have to take advantage of them.
I just think it is great that it doesn’t matter what skin color you have, and it doesn’t matter what type of family you were born into, you can be anything you want to be.
Sometimes people say it is luck. I think that luck happens when opportunity meets preparation. If you want to do something, don’t make any excuses. Go out and try it. If it doesn’t happen, then it is all right and you should move on. But at least you know that you tried and gave it your all. That is what I recommend to people when they say that they want to do this or that. I just say, “Go for it. Don’t let anyone hold you back and don’t let anyone tell you differently.” I didn’t know I would ever write a book. I thought about it when I was a little boy, and now I have written a book. I am going to promote it and try to help change lives. I have been on a few talk shows and radio shows, and there have been people that have rejected me and said, “We are not interested in talking to you.” I just move on and I keep trying. That is what I hope to show others – you can be anything you want to be.
That is what I recommend to people when they say that they want to do this or that. I just say, “Go for it. Don’t let anyone hold you back and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
Andrea: Do you recommend people to never give up no matter how huge the obstacles are?
Danny: Obviously there are some big obstacles that people have to overcome. I would take baby steps towards a goal. Don’t try to tackle it all at once. Let’s think about losing weight as an example. Let’s say that you have 50 pounds overweight. You won’t lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks. That would be crazy. You would fail, and you would quit your diet and then you would gain even more weight. But you break it down into smaller steps. “This week I am going to lose 3 pounds, and the next week I am going to lose 2 pounds…” and you just keep going on and on. You build up momentum, and then eventually you lose 50 pounds.
Maybe when Barack Obama was a little boy he wanted to be President, but there were a lot of steps he had to take along the way. He had to get involved with politics, he had to become a Senator, and he had to move up. He took small steps to get to that big goal. Break any goal down into smaller and more attainable steps.
Break any goal down into smaller and more attainable steps.
When Tracey and I first married we wanted for her to be able to stay home when we had children. We didn’t have much money at first and couldn’t say, “Right now we want to have $20,000 so you can stay home.” It doesn’t happen like that. We set a goal: OK, this month we are going to save this amount of money and the next month we are going to save that amount of money. We just kept going and going, and by the end of 4 years we had an adequate amount of money for her to be able to stay home. Even though you break it down into small steps, you keep the big picture in mind.
Andrea: I understand that very well.
Is being a teacher your only dream or do you have any other dreams?
Danny: I am living some of my dreams being a teacher, but there have been some bigger goals out there. I would really love one day to become a financial advisor and speaker and go around the country or the world to inspire other people. Show them how they can do well in their finances and be able to live a life that they want to live. Right now I am still content with my teaching job. With two young daughters it would be hard to travel. But eventually over time and especially if my book evolves and I get more opportunities, maybe 10-15 years down the road I would like to be a motivational speaker.
If even 50% of the people on earth followed their dreams and got the most from it, just think of how awesome this world would be. If people could control their finances in order to follow their dreams, I think there would endlessly great things happen in this world.
If even 50% of the people on earth followed their dreams and got the most from it, just think of how awesome this world would be.
Andrea: So you believe that controlling your finances is the first step towards realizing your dreams?
Danny: Partially, yes. Let’s say you wanted to be an artist. During those first few years, you might not generate a lot of money, and you might have to live a very, very strict lifestyle. If you can control your finances at first and live within your means, then you will be able to build up your dream life.
Let’s say you wanted to be a teacher but you know that teachers start off at $35,000/year, while another job you don’t want offers you $60,000/year. If you don’t know how to live on less, you are going to take that higher paying job even if you don’t like it.
When you are making $60,000/year, and if you are like most people, you are going to spend every single cent. You could never become a teacher, even though that is your dream, because you don’t know how to live on a lesser salary. I think getting control of your finances is definitely the first step to live out your dreams.
I think getting control of your finances is definitely the first step to live out your dreams.
Andrea: I believe that sometimes people don’t dare to live their dreams because they are scared of getting rejected. What do you do when the fear of being rejected shows up?
Danny: You are always going to be rejected by someone in life. It is just a fact of life. Don’t take it personally, since they just might not have a need for what you are offering. It never hurts to ask. If you don’t ask, you are going to be in the same situation as if you get rejected.
If you don’t ask, you are going to be in the same situation as if you get rejected.
Let’s say I was going to be on a radio show and I emailed the producers what I am going to talk about. They might say, “No. Your topic doesn’t fit.” That is fine. But if I am afraid even to ask these people, what am I going to get? I am going to get nothing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This is the way I handle fear and rejection.
Andrea: What about people who try to restrain you from creating your best life? What advice would you give someone who has such people around?
Danny: I wouldn’t hang around them. I try not to hang around negative people, because negative people only bring you down. There are some people who in their lives have not followed their hopes and dreams and then they become jealous of someone who has a chance to do this. They try to drag them down. Misery loves company. I always try to surround myself with people that I aspire to be like and learn from. Those are the types of people that I would hang out with. I wouldn’t hang out with people that are negative and try to bring me down.
There are some people who in their lives have not followed their hopes and dreams and then they become jealous of someone who has a chance to do this. They try to drag them down.
Andrea: I believe that this is difficult if a close relative is negative. What should you do in this case?
Danny: You would have to look at their lives. Let’s say your mother is constantly being negative towards you. Sit down and analyze your mom’s life and ask yourself, “Why is she so negative?” You need to see that there are probably some hopes and dreams that she had when she was young, but she was not able to pursue them for whatever reason. I know I want my children to become as successful as possible, but there are some mothers who become jealous of their children because they are living a better life. But if you really look at it, then you can recognize it for what it is and not get into this trap. You’ll always love your mom and dad, but you don’t have to agree with everything that they say. If you know that your mother or father is going to be negative towards you, I would just prepare yourself when you go to their house. It is kind of sad that they are that way, but don’t let them drag you down.
Andrea: If you won a million dollars in the lottery, would that change your life?
Danny: We just had this conversation at work. One of my co-workers said, “Oh, if I won it would make me so much happier.” I questioned that and said, “I don’t think it would make me happier.” She said, “I would be able to do this and that…” and I said, “But it is not going to make you happier.”
Would it change my life? Of course a million dollars would absolutely change my life, but I don’t think it would change me as a person. I think it would ensure that Tracey would get to stay home indefinitely for as long as she wants. It would probably ensure that I could take some more days off of my teaching job and go teach others about financial education and I wouldn’t have to get a paycheck.
I think a lot of money makes you more of the person you already are. If you are a giver and get joy in that, then I think if you had a lot of money, you would be able to give more. If you are miserable, stingy and greedy with your money, the more money you have the stingier and greedier you are going to be. You are probably going to complain more about how the government is taking money from you. A million dollars would probably change most people’s lives, but I don’t think it would make me any happier. I am so happy with what I already have. For many people, the lottery becomes a curse, since relatives and other people start asking them for money.
I think a lot of money makes you more of the person you already are.
Andrea: Winning a huge amount of money in the lottery would give you more opportunities to teach to a specific kind of audience.
Danny: Yes. I wouldn’t need my paycheck for teaching. I like the thought of giving people that are really hurting some help. In the St. Louis area there is a wealthy businessman who dresses up as Santa Claus, and he just hands out hundred dollar bills to people. I think, “How cool would it be to be able to say to a mother in the store who is probably struggling with her three kids, “Here is $100 and I want you to have a nice Christmas with your kids.” In that aspect I guess it would make me happier to be able to do this. You know when you give, not necessarily money, but you just give of yourself as a teacher, a nurse or a firefighter, it has such intrinsic value that it just makes you feel so good inside. That is worth a million dollars.
You know when you give, not necessarily money, but you just give of yourself as a teacher, a nurse or a firefighter, it has such intrinsic value that it just makes you feel so good inside.
Andrea: Do you like traveling?
Danny: We love traveling. When we were over in Europe we traveled as much as we could and in the states, we traveled around as much as possible. Now we have a 1- and a 4-year old, so we would not get the joy out of Paris or Venice or Florence as before. Now with the young ones, our vacations are centered around beaches and swimming pools and things that kids like, such as Disney World. But as my daughters get older, I definitely envision us as a family taking trips to more historical places when they will have a better appreciation of them. It is neat to see how other people live and you can learn so much from other cultures. It also improves the way we live our lives at home.
Andrea: Have you figured out a cheap way of traveling?
Danny: We don’t travel as much as we did before we had kids. We drive most of the time. It is not like in Europe where you have to get passports and go through different countries; it is a little easier. In Europe we looked at airline and hotel deals and Travelocity.com. We did it the cheapest way possible. We liked to go off the beaten path and not go to all of the tourist traps. We found some of the best restaurants we ate at that were little hole-in-the-wall places that no one had ever heard of, but they had great food. This can cut down the cost of traveling, too. So many people go to the most famous restaurants and sites. If you are willing to be a little adventurous, you can find some wonderful things, wonderful food and cool sites, and stay at some neat hotels that cost less than the elaborate and more recognizable ones.
Andrea: So based on what you have learned and experienced, what advice would you give to people who want to create their best possible lives?
Danny: Dream big and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. That to me is the #1 thing. Don’t let others hold you down. If you feel passionate about something and it is inside you and that is what you want to do, go for it! If you don’t achieve that goal, to me, that is not a failure. A failure is someone who doesn’t even try to attain goals. If you give all you’ve got and use every single ounce of your body to achieve it; that to me is a success. You will learn something about yourself through that process that is going to make you even more successful.
If you give all you’ve got and use every single ounce of your body to achieve it; that to me is a success. You will learn something about yourself through that process that is going to make you even more successful.
Andrea: And perhaps some other opportunities might come along the way?
Danny: Yes, you learn more from the journey than from the destination. There are many things that you learn on the way to achieving your goal. Maybe you venture off into something else and you say, “Wow! This is something I really, really love,” and it might be something that you never even thought about and that could turn into your dream instead.
Andrea: I agree with you. Do you have any regrets?
Danny: I honestly can’t say that I have any regrets in my life. I wouldn’t change anything and I wouldn’t do any decisions over. There are some stupid little things that I did growing up as a high school kid. Everyone makes mistakes and we all have done foolish things in our past, but if we didn’t do those, who knows what type of person we would be today? I look at everything I have done, even those things that turn out to be not so good, and they are learning opportunities. The past is the past and there is nothing you can do about it, but you can learn from it. It goes along with these people whose homes have been foreclosed, and they have found themselves in trouble. It is done and there is nothing you can do about it now, but if you learn from it and move forward then you will never let it happen again and you become stronger.
The past is the past and there is nothing you can do about it, but you can learn from it.
I am a schoolteacher and I wrote a book and that was one of my dreams. Through that I have been able to get some pretty good media coverage and been on a few shows and featured in some newspapers. It is just because I had this dream that I want to change lives and make the world a better place. Even a little old school teacher from a small town in Georgia can do it. This may help others to go out and give it their all and leave no stone unturned.
Even a little old school teacher from a small town in Georgia can do it. This may help others to go out and give it their all and leave no stone unturned.
Andrea: I believe that nowadays it is even easier to get media attention because we have those great opportunities in the internet. 10 years ago people did not have these opportunities.
Danny: Yes, the internet has made it even easier. There is no excuse not to try and do what you love. There are ample opportunities and all you have to do is look it up online and you are on your way. There is one less roadblock out there now because of the internet.
There is one less roadblock out there now because of the internet.
Andrea: How do we know what is possible in our lives?
Danny: Look at people who have come from modest backgrounds, and might have had some tragedy in their lives, but they have still become pretty important people and they have helped others. To me they are just very positive examples of following your dreams and living your life to the fullest. Even if you have had some setbacks, learn from your mistakes and move on. One day you, too, can become the President.
Andrea: Danny, I thank you so much for this great and interesting interview!
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