I've known I wanted to teach since I was a child. I would waste all of the ink in my printer to print off fake worksheets that I would give to my stuffed animals after I got done "teaching" them. Ever since then, I've known I wanted to teach. I got to spend last semester in a classroom and I've never been so excited.
People love to remind me that I'm not going to make a lot of money being a teacher, a fact that I know. Going into the field of education, you know that you're not going to be rich. If I wanted to make a lot of money, I would have chosen a different major. Every education major knows this, and somehow we all still decide to be teachers. We decide to be teachers because we have a passion for it. We want to change the lives of our students and we just love being around children. Whenever I tell anyone I'm going to school to be a teacher, the main question I get is "why?" So, here's a list of reasons why.
1. I want to make a difference.
Even if I touch just one child's life, that's going to be enough. Nothing motivates me more than wanting to make a difference in the life of a student. Last semester, I was in a classroom two days a week for two hours each day, and I still hoped I would do something that would make an impact on one child. I wanted to explain something in a certain way that they would remember or would help them get it. I wanted to put a smile on their face when they were sad. I wanted to do something that would make them want to teach, as well.
2. I love to be around children.
Children have this energy about them, and it makes you impossible to be tired. They say the funniest things that you can't help but laugh at. I would try my best not to laugh, but sometimes I couldn't help it and most times they weren't even trying to be funny. They make my day a lot better. There were a couple of days where I was having a really bad day, I woke up in a bad mood or something upset me on my way to the school, but as soon as I got there, seeing their smiling faces and how happy there were to see me turned my mood around. The kids made teaching fun.
3. I cannot wait to see the look on my students' faces when it clicks for them.
There is nothing more rewarding than that because in that moment, I'll know I chose the right major. The long nights planning lessons are going to pay off, because I finally got through to a student who didn't get it. In my field experience, I worked one-on-one with a student who was last to class and missed the lesson. I saw the look in his eyes when he got it and in that moment, I never felt more proud. That one moment really made my day a lot better and is one of my favorite memories from that classroom.
4. I want to be a person they can look up to.
I want to be a positive influence in a child's life when they might not have a role model at home. I don't want to only teach them what they need to learn to go to the next grade, but I want to teach them to be a good person. I'm going to do that by inspiring them, by listening to them, by encouraging them to be the best students they can be.
5. I know how rewarding it's going to be.
There are going to be a lot of long nights grading or getting lessons ready for the week. There are going to be nights I'm going to sit in my car and cry from frustration, from stress, or maybe even both. There are going to be times where I want to quit, but I'm going to stick through it and I'm going to make a difference in those kids' lives. I am going to see them grow as a person and a student in my classroom. I am going to watch them grasp a new subject. I am going to see them do well on quizzes in class, and it's going to be worth it.
In reflection, I'm going to teach because I want to, because it's the only thing I can see myself doing. I'm going to love my job and I am going to love my students. No, I'm not going to make a lot of money, but I'm going to be the best teacher I can possibly be. I am going to learn from my students as much and maybe more than they'll learn from me, and at the end of the day, that's worth more than money.
