I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of times I've told someone my career path and the first thing they have to say is, "Wow, why would you do that? You're not going to make any money," or "you better marry rich because you will not be."

I want to become a teacher because I want to make a difference in the education of future generations. I also want every single child that I interact with to understand that someone cares about them and someone supports them in their educational journey.

For me, becoming an educator is a very rewarding profession. I may not become economically rich, but I will become rich with opportunity and pride. Being able to help support and shape children into who they will become is such a rewarding experience. Seeing the children smile and enjoy your class and actually wanting to learn is even more rewarding. In our society today there are many children who just do not want to go to school. They dislike their teachers, they're bullied, their school is dull and that is a problem.

In America, we have free K-12 education and we are very lucky to be able to have that, but we are faced with teachers who are struggling to teach their curriculum, teachers who are not engaged with the lives of the students, and a society where our education system is taken advantage of. Upcoming teachers and current teachers need to work together to rebuild the proud education system in our country and I want to be a part of that.

Being a teacher is so much more than just being an educator. Of course you need to be educated and be able to teach math and reading and so on, but we are also teaching manners, proper social interactions, trust, relationship building, and responsibility. Being a teacher is being a role model. Nobody ever forgets their favorite teacher, and when asked why they will often say because the teacher cared about me. I think that being a good teacher comes with more rewards than any other profession.

I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to become a teacher and to have the chance to be the impact on a child. Growing up I loved going to school and that's because I had amazing teachers who cared about every single student and who dedicated their time to being a teacher and made learning fun. I hope that one day I can become a great teacher and that I will leave an impact on my students like my teachers left on me.

If you are someone who thinks that teachers do not gain much from teaching, I hope that this article has started to change your mind.