"So, what do you want to do with that? Be a teacher?"
As I try my best to be respectful towards all the lovely teachers I know and not roll my eyes, I take a deep breath and sigh.
"No, I don't want to be a teacher."
This is the typical conversation that goes down when people find out that I am an English major. But, my degree is so much more than that. Not only am I planning to finish out college with a Bachelor of Arts in English, but I am also on track to graduate with a minor in Biology and Professional Communications. I do my best to not be offended when this question is asked of me, dripping with condescension, because, really, teaching is a lovely thing!
Albeit, when I picture my future, I don't see myself standing in front of a classroom, staring into the glazed eyes of AP Literature students who would rather text their friends about the newest "challenge" or "trend" than listen to me dissect the works of Faulkner. So, the short answer to "do you want to be a teacher?" is no, because I don't want to be the sort of teacher that is being stereotyped into the category that most frequently accompanies the degree I'm pursuing.
But the real answer to that question?
Yes, I do want to be a teacher. With my background in understanding communication and my passion for biology and the natural world, I want to teach literally everyone I can.
During high school, I worked at the Tennessee Aquarium (and if you have ever met me, I'm sure you know this--because I tell everyone!). This is not just an excuse for me to brag about such an awesome opportunity, but it's most likely because I only want to tell you an obscure fact about turtles, but I want to give justification of why I have this knowledge. While I was a teen volunteer at the Aquarium, I loved getting up in the morning, wondering about who I was going to meet, what I could teach them about Creation, and how it might spark an idea in their minds.
This love of teaching and talking with others was fostered later on in my high school career when I signed up as a sports writer for my high school newspaper. My school had a lot going on in the field of athletics and I was thrilled to be able to communicate these things with everyone in the school! I interviewed coaches, players, trainers, and fans to get the best information for my articles, and I was enthralled with every aspect of the writing process.
Skipping forward a few years, I made the choice to declare my major as English, though since I was ten-years-old, I had dreamed of being a marine-biologist. I made a drastic change in my academic focus, but my love for nature didn't go away. After a couple semesters of weighing my options, I settled on my current academic tracks--and I could not be happier!
My plan now is to utilize my skills in writing to produce quality presentations about environmental issues to teach everyone I can about what this world has to offer.
Hearing the phrase "ignorance is bliss" is one of my biggest pet-peeves. Having knowledge is powerful, because when you know better, you do better.
Chances are, I'm not the only one who feels this way. All college students can use their specific major and fields of interest to teach others and impact them in a positive way--you don't have to have a teaching degree to pass on information that is indispensable in today's world.
