I went away to school in September ready to prepare for my long educational haul through undergrad then med school in preparation to become a dermatologist. I quickly learned that while I had the capacity to be a doctor, I did not have the passion. What I do have the passion for is education. Now that I'm home for break and word has broken that I've chosen a depressing, failing profession that makes about seven times less than my original career choice, I'm bombarded by people asking "why?" Well let me tell you.

Yes, I know it sucks. I know the general public will see me as an overpaid babysitter wasting taxpayers' money. I know the crooked politicians are trying to take away my pension and I won't get to retire. I know the children are belligerent and disobedient. I know the parents will trash me to their friends for giving little Jimmy a B in math. I know I'll make very little money. I know I'll work more undocumented and therefore unpaid hours than would ever been seen as acceptable in most other job fields. But I'm not in it for the money. I'm not in it to kick back and relax and get paid the big bucks doing minimal work. I'm not in it for the praise. I'm in it for the kids.

Have you ever seen the face of a child who just grasped a skill they had been struggling with? Earlier this week I worked in a small group of fourth graders teaching them how to convert between centimeters and millimeters. A student was struggling with the concept for a while but finally he understood that because there are 10 millimeters in one centimeter, you multiply the number of centimeters by 10 to find how many millimeters the line segment is. While a lightbulb didn't appear above his head, his face did light up and he quickly scrambled to write the correct answer on his worksheet. Seeing his excitement to learn and to understand brought me immense satisfaction, not because I had succeeded, but because he had. I want to continue to feel proud of my students for working to overcome obstacles. I want to help them realize that they are bigger than their struggles, to build confidence in them, to help them reach their greatest potential.

The American education system is failing. It's a sad fact, but it's a fact. We need bright, educated, supportive, passionate, talented teachers in our schools. While I might not be able to completely overhaul the public school system, I can make a change by offering my skills to be a teacher. I want to help children develop their skills to be successful, productive members of society and to do that, I must be a teacher.

I know all of the people who are unhappy with my decision just have my best interests in mind but quite frankly, I would much rather have a job that I love, that I am passionate about but am not appreciated by society than a job that gets praise and big paycheck that I hate. So next time you go to question my decision, know that I thought it through, and I won't regret it, so neither should you.