When people hear that I want to be a teacher, they often cringe or say something like “Why would you want to be a teacher?” or “You're not going to make any money.” But ever since I was three years old, I wanted to be a teacher. I remember setting up my classroom and reading to my stuffed animal students. Now I am actually learning how to run a real classroom and teach real students. I know what my future salary looks like and I excitedly await it. Teaching is not about money. I cannot stress that enough. So when people ask me, “are you sure that’s what you want to do?” my answer is always YES. I am very very sure, and here’s why:

I want to be a teacher because I love the look on a students face when they finally understand something they have struggled to grasp. Seeing that light bulb go off in a child’s eyes when they finally know how to solve for x, or remember what a hyperbole is, is something truly special that I will be able to see every day.

I want to be a teacher because I am passionate about my subject area and I want to share what I love with others. I fell in love with my subject area when I was in high school and I know that someday another future teacher will fall in love the same way I did in my classroom. Whether that love directs them to a career field or to teaching, that love has to be fostered somewhere and I want to supply that place.

I want to be a teacher because of those who influenced me in my education. If it weren’t for the outstanding teachers in my life I would not have such a strong desire to follow in their footsteps. Their passion sparked my passion, which I hope some day will spark someone else’s passion. Everyone remembers their favorite teacher, the one that believed in them when they didn’t believe in themselves, the one that showed them how to love learning instead of hate school and the one that introduced them to the subject they loved the most or influenced their career path.

I want to be a teacher because being able to be a mentor to young minds. Every child that walks into my classroom has unique abilities and will teach me things I never knew. These students will be the future doctors, lawyers, politicians, teacher and service men and women of America.

I want to be a teacher because I love the challenge it brings. Every lesson will have a different outcome, every class will learn differently. It is a challenge to find the best way to reach every student.

I want to be a teacher because every day is different. I will never have the typical nine to five desk job, always having an idea of what is around the corner. Every day will bring new challenges, new accomplishments and new breakthroughs.

Every time I step into a classroom I feel a rush of excitement, a sense of home and comfort. A desire to make a difference in young people’s lives while doing the thing that I love the most, that is not crazy. Wanting to help children find their passions, grow into successful adults and become independent people is not crazy. Knowing that I will be able to spend every single day serving the minds of young people, watching them walk across the graduation stage and become successful adults is more payment that I could ever see in a paycheck. Becoming a teacher is far from crazy. Becoming a teacher is all I have ever wanted to do and two years from now that classroom will be a reality. Wanting to become a teacher is not crazy… it is an adventure, a career and my future.