I WANT to be a teacher. No matter what you say or do, or tell me. Teaching is my passion. It's a true work of heart and it's bigger than you and me. You have told me a million reasons why not to, but today I'm telling you why I have to.
1. It's my whole heart.
I'll never get tired of people constantly saying "You'll never make good money" or "why would you WANT to teach kids in a public school?" and I'll also never get tired of telling them "I absolutely love it! There isn't anything else on this earth I would want to do. My heart has never truly lusted for something like it has with education. One day I was a double major in Photography and Graphic Design and the next day my world got flipped upside down and I became an Education major. The most truthful words I've ever heard were said by a fellow educator - Rita Pierson said "Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, ,who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possible be" - those words changed me and lit that fire inside my heart to continue be an educator where you can see my passion in my children's works.
2. The Kids
I get it, kids can be loud and mean and crazy hard-to-handle but I]m completely prepared to welcome that challenge with my arms open. Your kids are the future of this world, they will grow up and go on to be our next doctors, scientists, auto techs, business owners, and will go down so many amazing paths in their lives that I am ready to help them with. As a teacher, I have the ability to walk into my classroom and completely change the way a child sees itself. The kids make everything worth it, the long hours, the thousands of dollars of debt, the consistent and tiring planning, every bit of that is worth it if I am afforded the opportunity to change a child's life.
3. Classroom Decoration
Although this one isn't as heartwarming as the others it still must be here. The day I changed my major I had already begun my Pinterest board that is filled with classroom decor, set-ups, and links to tons of free things I might need down the road. Anyone that knows me, knows I am obsessed with organization and the visual design of a room. If I have learned anything while studying to be a teacher it is that environment is just as important as curriculum. Placing a child in a dark, bland room and giving them multiplication tables to complete is almost as boring as reading the same book four times over. However, placing a child in a bright, exciting, homey classroom sparks their excitement and paves the way to a successful day.
4. No two days are ever the same
Although many people think teachers do the same activities and the same projects every day, they would be wrong. No two days as an educator will EVER be the same. One day you will be counting the number of windows in your building and the next you will be outside drawing leaves for your lesson on plant parts. Every day has the opportunity of something exciting and different. I know if I worked the same job every single day, I would be way too bored for my own good.
5. My kids aren't the only ones learning
As a new teacher, you can't expect to know everything - at least not yet anyways - and everyday is a new adventure for not only my kids but also myself. I might walk into my classroom that morning and know just what to do, and when I start teaching it my kids just don't absorb it. If my kids aren't understanding what I am saying, I am failing them as an educator and will have to turn things around quickly. That part is probably the most nerve-wracking and exciting part. As my children learn, I learn right along with them. I might not be learning the core curriculum with them, but I am learning about them and how to better serve their educational needs. Knowing what a child needs is the first step to successfully teaching a child.
