Growing up, I always had this vision to become a teacher. However, in high school, I would often tell myself that I was dumb for thinking I would be able to handle a classroom full of children so I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to be a photographer and major in Fine Arts once I went to college. Once college approached, I found myself in a position where I could not decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Though photography was a passion of mine, I knew that I wanted to make a difference in people's lives with my career, and photography would not have done that for me. As an undeclared Freshman in college, I knew I had to make a decision sooner or later. The more I thought about it, the more I kept going back to the idea of being a teacher. I kept thinking to myself that one of the most helpful professions was teaching and that if I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, it would be with young children. I finally decided that I wanted to become a teacher, and not only that but I wanted to teach English. I always had a passion for writing, but I never had the right teachers when I was younger so I told myself that I would be a better teacher than any other English teacher that I ever had.
I was more inspired when I learned about the struggles my brother faced in school. About 7 years ago, he received an I.E.P. (Individualized Education Plan). My brother faces many challenges in school every day that may seem easy to other students. I was inspired by him because I want to help students just like him because I have seen first hand how hard it is for students who have learning disabilities. My goal is to help as many kids as I can and to alleviate the stresses that they may encounter. Therefore, in the Fall of 2017, I plan on getting my Masters in Students with Disabilities.
It is sad to say that many people that I have told I want to become a teacher, have scorned me for what I want to be. I cannot even count on one hand how many times people have said to me "why would you want to become a teacher?" or, "that is such a stressful job, why don't you become a nurse or something?". This isn't a "choice" but more so, a passion. I do not want to be a teacher for the benefits of having summers off or being home on the weekends. I want to become a teacher so I can help and inspire students. I aspire to give my students a better education than I have ever had. I am extremely excited for my future and to be honest, I do not even see this as a job. Working at a daycare now, I have developed so much love for teaching children. When you're doing something you love, you kind of forget that it is even a job.
To all my fellow future teachers, hopefully, we can make a difference in each of our student's lives and put down the rumors of how bad our job may seem because being a teacher is one of the most rewarding careers of all.
