Every time I tell people I am a math major, I get a combination of horrified or shocked looks, scoffs, usually followed shortly thereafter by the question “why?" The main reason I am a math major is because after I graduate college, I plan to teach high school math. I have a whole list of reasons as to why I want to teach high school junior and senior level math classes for the rest of my life, but I can pretty much sum everything up into three big points. These are my personal reasons as to why I want to be a high school teacher.

1. I had a few great high school teachers that showed me how influential teachers are in kids’ lives and want to pay it forward.

I was absolutely terrible at English my junior year. I could not write or test well in this section of English because it didn’t make sense to me and it didn’t help that I stopped believing I could make better than a 20 on a quiz. Even though I had a rough time in this class, my teacher never gave up on me. She helped me try to find a way to do better on the quizzes and how to better my writing skills for the AP exam in May. One time, I made an 8 on a quiz and had a mental break down in the middle of class, but she still believed in me and my abilities. Lemon, you’re the real MVP.

I have plenty more stories about my influential teachers, like my art teacher senior year, my Algebra 2 teacher sophomore year, my World Civilizations teacher sophomore year and my volleyball coaches; they all had an impact on me throughout high school. I didn’t know it at the time, but their influence in my life was eventually going to lead me to teach high school. I cannot thank them enough for never giving up on my dumb high school self. They helped me realize I am a lot smarter than I give myself credit for and have given me examples of how a teacher should be for their students.

2. I want to kids to know they are limitless and can do whatever they set their mind to.

Too often kids are pressured into career paths they may not necessarily want to do, but they don’t want to let the people around them down. I want my classes to know they can be whoever and whatever they want to be. Each of them is unique and has so much to offer the world. They are going to impact many lives in whatever career path they chose. I want the kids I teach to know they can achieve anything they set their minds to and that it’s OK to go against the norm. I want the next generation to know that they are important and will change the world in their own way. It doesn’t matter if they decide to become a surgeon, engineer, singer/songwriter, or a cosmetologist, they are important and they are going to impact the society around them. I want my students to leave my class knowing a little bit more math than the day before, but also that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to, no matter how daring it might seem.

3. I want to help prepare the next generation for life after high school.

I feel like this point kind of encompasses the previous two, but I think it’s probably the most driving influence for me to become a teacher. Kids who are graduating high school seem to not be quite ready for the world outside of their school. I want these teenagers to feel prepared to step out into the world once they graduate high school. Whether they are going into college, work force, or trade school, I want them to feel like they came out of high school knowing some basic life skills. I really want to teach some kind of “How to Adult 101” class for kids to learn some basic budgeting, time management, computer skills, public speaking tips and other various life hacks (like changing a tire or tying a bowtie) they will need to know for the future.

I joke a lot about “just wanting to be a teacher,” but in all honesty, I believe that my future job is going to be nothing short of amazing. I am going to be impacting young students’ lives and helping them through their high school careers. We all know how difficult high school can be with all the drama, teen angst, stress and everything in between and I hope to be a positive influence on these teens during what they think is the end of the world. Watch out future students, your math teacher is probably going to be the weirdest person you’ll ever meet, but you’ll learn math and some basic life skills.