Going into college, I thought I had my mind made up on how I wanted to spend my future. I put all my eggs in one basket and decided marketing was the major I'd be pursuing, within the college of business at my school.
Fast forward one year, and I couldn't have been more wrong about how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I found the business related classes tremendously difficult for me, which I was not used to. This made going to those classes every day rather unenjoyable. Was this something I truly wanted to continue with?
In the back of my head, I have always wanted to be a teacher. Of course, there's always going to be critics saying teachers will never make enough money to support themselves, let alone a family, or the ones who constantly question how teachers can deal with kids on a regular basis.
For someone like me, who is passionate about the importance of education, I can't help but defend myself against those critics, because I'm sure they have had teachers throughout their lives who made a significant impact in their lives. My question for these critics is, "where would you be in life without that teacher?".
The teacher who dedicated their own time and money into making sure your classroom had enough resources to give you the education you deserved. The teacher who once taught you the basics of reading and writing, which helped drive your passion for writing. The math teacher who doubled as your middle school football coach and helped inspire you to play at a collegiate level later in life. Where would you be without these teachers?
Personally, I'm excited to be a teacher and I'm not looking for empathy, because it's my career choice and something I look forward to doing. However, I am looking for teachers to be recognized and appreciated more in every day life. They are the ones who taught you many valuable lessons, and they're the ones who will teach your children and grandchildren the same lessons.
Next time you have the chance, thank a teacher.