All my life I have been surrounded by teachers—amazing and extraordinary teachers. My mom is a teacher, her friends, my own teachers, and the ones leading powerful examples on the news. In elementary school, I would come home from a full day in a classroom and would set my stuffed animals up so that I could begin teaching them. While some kids played outside and rode their bikes, I pretended to be what I looked up to the most.

I entered my freshman year as a writing major because I knew the power of words was intertwined with my passion. I wanted to see how far my dream could go, but that’s exactly what I wasn’t realizing—just exactly how far my dream could go. Within one week of being at college, I took a leap of faith and declared an English education major and a writing minor—despite my advisor telling me I would have to go to school for an extra year. To save myself from the piling debt I am already drowning under, I added stress by taking on 18 credits a semester. 18 credits of English, education, and writing.

What I didn’t realize is that it is possible to weave everything I am passionate about together. It is possible to combine the things I love and to do more than I ever expected myself to do.

In our society, there are so many people who laugh at education majors, who believe it is the easy way out, and who fight against us. But what people fail to understand is that education majors and teachers have the power to take children’s knowledge in their hands. We cultivate it, inspire it, and treasure the possibilities and perspectives of their minds. We are learning new ways every day how to best influence the future of our society and how to create beautifully educated humans.

Teachers introduce novels and science experiments. Teachers foster the imagination of the students they are given responsibility of. But the best part of being a teacher is having the ability to watch students grow and to allow them to teach us along the way. I am learning everyday as an education major that teaching a student to go in depth about a novel also teaches them about themselves—their identity. I am learning that education goes way beyond the material on my list of topics to cover in a classroom. My future students will be able to learn about what makes them who they are and they will be able to learn about the life they have in front of them.

Those people who think an education degree is the easy way out do not respect the person who has been taught to carry someone else’s knowledge along with them. Those people do not understand the way a teacher becomes a model, and inspiration, and a fighter—a fighter for their students voices to be heard.

Recently in the news, there have been several teachers protesting and others judging them for the choice to withhold education from students in order to do this. Despite those who judge, I stand in support of those teachers, and every other teacher, not being given what they deserve. I stand in support of those training, like me, to walk into a school building alongside those teachers. The job we have chosen is not an easy one and it is not one that allows us to slack off in the workforce.

Teachers are some of the bravest people we have in our communities. They take on the responsibility of creating a future and expanding perspectives of the world. Children may not remember every word that they say, but they do remember the philosophies teachers provide forever. Children and teens may not always enjoy going to school, but they are given a privilege to have someone care enough to support and educate them. To judge one, who uses their voice and their right to protest to gain the respect and dignity that they deserve, is a shame to me. To support your teachers, is to support the ability for the community to thrive.

I am going to be the future teacher that sits in the stands at my students musical or basketball game. I am going to be the future teacher who provides books for my students to take home and read if they are interested. I am going to be the future teacher who listens to my student’s idea about what they would do as a character in a novel. And I am going to be a future teacher who never stops fighting for what I deserve and for what my students deserve.

One day, I will be able to walk into a school and hopefully be as great of a teacher as the ones who have inspired me. I am an education major and I am proud.