One of the hardest questions in life is "what do you want to do when you grow up?" For the last year of my life I have known that I want to be a high school English teacher. I have observed many classes and seen glimpses of what teaching a high school class would be like. A few days ago I had an incredible opportunity to go out into the Dubuque education community and volunteer at Washington Middle school’s STEM field day.
Spending one day with these middle schoolers opened my eyes to a whole new world. A wild, loud, difficult, and rewarding world. I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with a sixth grade class as they traveled from station to station. I saw students challenge themselves to figure out how to achieve a goal, and I saw students challenge others to achieve their goals. I saw the excitement a sixth grader can bring to running in a circle, and the drama they can bring to standing still. The crazy part is I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it, that this age group isn’t my cup of tea, but after spending time with this class I began to question that feeling.
Later on in the day I was awarded the opportunity to run my own stations for the seventh and eighth graders. I feel bad for the first couple of groups I had to teach the games to. I hadn’t quite gotten a handle of being in charge of 30 kids and having to teach a game and get them to actually do it in under ten minutes. However, after a few groups moved through I started to really enjoy it. I found ways to deal with the students that commanded respect but earned their interest at the same time. I made connections with the teachers and was given small gifts of expertise and experience that are truly priceless to me.
That day gave me a perspective that all I know I want to do with my life is teach and the reason I am in college getting a teaching degree is so I can figure out where I need to teach and how to be successful for my students.
Not knowing what you want to do with your life is a blessing. Your life is one giant opportunity to experience the wild, crazy, things that you may think you hate but end up loving. Not knowing is a temporary gift, but knowing what you want to do, even if it’s only a small part of what you hope for your future, is an inner power that is incomparable and very much so worth the wait.
