Majoring in education comes with its pros and cons, just like any other major. Teaching is something so special that it takes a certain type of person willing to pour energy and time into a child's life. At one point or another, most, if not all education majors have these thoughts that loom in our minds.

1. I can't wait to have my own classroom one day

The thought of having your own students coming into class each day with a smiles on their faces is one of the motivating factors for teachers. That moment when a child makes a connection and the light bulb goes off is what so many teachers strive for.

We, education majors, sit in class wondering what it will be like to have real children in our own classroom and as soon as we think about it, our creative juices start flowing. It’s exciting to imagine our classrooms and what they will look like, but it is also very daunting.

2. Wait, I am so not ready for this

Wait, so you are telling me that I am responsible for teaching students how to read, write, spell, add, subtract, etc? Am I even capable of doing this? Later on, we future teachers realize that yes we can do this and we will be ready to (one day) teach our own class. Student teaching gives a glimpse of what it is like to teach a real class.

3. Wait, how do you count by base ten

I am currently in a math class that is basically structured to teach students how to teach math in their classrooms. Each and every class, I always find myself asking questions like how do you count in base ten, how do you add fractions, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes, I even wonder if I need to go back to elementary school and relearn the whole entire concept of mathematics.

4. What in the world are phonics and phonemes

Well, after taking a language and literacy class, phonics and phonemes are how students are taught to read and recognize letters in words. A phoneme is a sound that each letter makes, and phonics is the type of instruction we use to teach a language. Teachers will see words like this everywhere, and it is always good to know what they mean.

5. If I don't even remember how I learned to read, how am I supposed to teach how to read

Reading, for us, is considered second nature. Our minds are so used to seeing letters and forming words that have meaning. It is hard for me to trace back how I first learned to read, but going through all these education classes, I am slowly but surely learning, how to teach reading.

It all starts with the alphabet and sound recognition, once students can combine letters together and make out the sounds, they will begin to create words. And, before you know it, words will begin to make sentences, paragraphs, and stories.

6. What if I am a horrible teacher

I have thought this numerous times when planning lesson plans. What if the students do not understand the concept I am trying to teach them? Does this make me a bad teacher if my students do not understand the difference between living and non living things?The answer is, believe it or not, is not. Students may take a while to grasp a concept but that does not make you a bad teacher.

The worst thing that teachers do to themselves is overthink things and doubt their ability. I have to remind myself that I was accepted into The College of Charleston Teacher Education Program. If the College of Charleston thought I would be a horrible teacher, they never would have accepted me in the program.

Yes, not all days go by perfectly where all the students understand a concept and need no help, but that is how life is. When life throws curve balls at you, we can either choose to give up and strike out or swing the bat and see where it takes us.

7. I need more coffee

If you are anything like me, you know that I cannot function, or even survive without coffee. Having a wake-up call at 530 in the morning is quite rough for non-morning people like me, but the way to get through the day, in my opinion, is by drinking at least 2 cups of coffee.

By the time 7 o'clock rolls around, my coffee begins to wear off and it is time to get some more! I along with many future teachers can agree that sometimes the only way we get through the day is with a little help from caffeine.

8. Why did I choose this major

So many times I have heard the statement that teachers make no money, so why major in education? For many (future) teachers, what gets us through is not the amount of money we make at the end of the year.

It is the impact that we have made in a child’s life. It is watching a child go from a shy reader to the reader who cannot stop talking about the book he read last week. It is about the relationships with the students you form. Teaching is simply not about the amount of money on a paycheck, but the amount of time you spend in a child’s life.

9. So if I make no money, how can I support myself

Yes I know, a degree in education does not yield all the money in the world to solve all your problems. I call my mom probably a few times a week freaking out about my future and wondering how in the world I will support myself.

My mom tells me that times when money is tight, you learn to value what truly is important in your life. You learn to appreciate the little things in life like enjoying a cup of coffee made at home instead of at Starbucks or making pancakes for dinner because you cannot afford a steak dinner. You will be able to support yourself, it will all come with time, so stop worrying!

10. Will the hard work ever pay off

I hate to admit this, but often times I find myself in my education classes thinking to myself if choosing this major is really worth it. Is it worth having to hand write pages on top of pages of notes, planning math, science, and art lesson plans, and writing ten-page papers?

From what I hear, the hard work sure does pay off. I think teachers can agree that the countless amount of hours they spend planning lesson plans and grading papers is all worth it if just one student out of twenty has that light bulb go off.

As a student aspiring to be a teacher, sometimes it is so hard for me to realize that all this will one day pay off. Teaching is so much more than a lesson plan and grading papers. Teaching is a way in which to open up a world of opportunities for students.

I love the following quote by Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." That's right, teachers, we are changing world!