For some reason, there always seems to be such a negative mindset around the idea of being an elementary education major in college. Even while working in your own classrooms full time, there's still a negative connotation that just doesn't seem to make sense to some people. This particular mindset also leads to many comments and harassment when people ask me why I want to become an elementary school teacher. To be honest, it does not matter to me that I won't be "raking in the dough." I actually genuinely enjoy being around children and I find a great joy in helping children learn and become successful human beings. I mean, don't get me wrong, having the summers and weekends off and most holidays being able to be home with my family sounds amazing, but that's not the only reason I want to work in a classroom.

I genuinely enjoy learning. I always have. I have always been a good student, even into college. I personally enjoy growing each day and becoming a more educated individual. It's in other words, I enjoy school! I like being in the classroom, even at twenty-years-old in a stuffy lecture hall.

I've also always enjoyed helping others, it gives me a great feeling that I enjoy doing! In which case, the only occupational path that I see for me as fit is working in a classroom with young and eager minds and helping them learn new things and grow more and more each day.

My goal is to make students just as eager to learn as my past teachers did for me. I want to help set the path for my students to become successful and feel as though they can do whatever they set their minds to because I know that they can. I want to prove to these young children that they are capable of being successful and I want to set them up with the knowledge to do so. So yes, I might not be setting myself up to live in a mansion in the suburbs, but I am setting myself to live a life of fulfillment knowing I am helping future generations grow and learn.

And to me, that's the greatest thing in the world.