As corny as it sounds, I knew for most of my high school career that pursuing a career in English was what I was meant to do. I explored my options, but nothing quite felt right. Journalism was too boring, communications didn't include enough literature, and publishing just wasn't going to be hands-on enough for me. Finally, in my junior year, it occurred to me that some of the most influential people throughout my life had been my English teachers, specifically those I encountered during high school. Once this idea popped into my head, I just couldn't shake it. Aside from my parents, there were very few people I knew who supported the idea of me becoming a high school English teacher. To this day I constantly get asked, "You want to be a teacher? But you're so smart!" or even, "Don't you want to do something... more? Don't sell yourself so short!" But the thing that no one gets is that I'm not an education major because I think it will be easy or because I'm unsure of what I really want to do. It's quite the opposite, actually.

We interact with teachers for a large majority of our lives, therefore they are extremely influential, no matter how much some people refuse to believe that. As young children, our teachers are a primary source of our ability to read, our basic math skills, and our understanding of how one is expected to behave. From there, our teachers are the ones who introduce us to our favorite novels, the ones who teach us about all of the careers we can pursue, and even how to resolve conflicts with our peers. Despite all that they do for us, educators can still be more than all of that. Teachers can be our best friend or worst enemy, but either always provides us with a new life lesson learned. Some teachers cause their students to hate school but gain strength, while other teachers make school feel like the one safe place a struggling student may have. The latter is what made me want to teach others about a subject I love. So many of my English teachers have been a shoulder to lean on when I was struggling or the only person who was willing to hear out my unconventional ideas and viewpoints. Many of my educators have shown a sincere interest in my well-being in ways that most of my peers have not, and that has changed my life.

So, yes, I know I am smart. Maybe I am never going to make large sums of money like a business major or save lives like a nursing major, and to some that may seem like a waste. But I am not selling myself short. I am proud to be an education major, and I cannot wait to change my students' lives like my teachers have changed mine. And the fact that I will get to do that while sharing my favorite subject with teenagers going through the same struggles we all have faced makes it all the more worth it.