Throughout my 12 years of school, I came in contact with roughly 60 different teachers and faculty members all within two small buildings. I sat in class for about 12,960 hours and I lost thousands of pens and pencils. Since I was being forced into a small building full of angsty teenagers, I wasn’t surprised that the idea of teaching wasn't an immediate career choice for me. I thought about practically everything under the sun, from becoming a translator, to a child psychologist or perhaps even a lawyer. (The cost of law school turned me away from that one.) Whenever I asked one of my teachers why they chose their professions, it was because they had had a memorable teacher that inspired them. That was also my case, but not in the way you would expect.
My sophomore year of high school, I was placed in a class that was not my particular strong point. I had heard many other people complain about the class, but I decided to keep an open mind. For the first few weeks of school, I had no issues. But there was one incident in particular that changed my career course in a split second.
One day during lunch I had heard a few students say that this teacher was going to have everyone re-do a particular assignment. While I was in class, I asked if we were re-doing the assignment as well and I was met by public humiliation.
“Did I say we were going to re-do the assignment?” my teacher yelled in front of the entire class. I had not asked at an improper time and I did not say it rudely. I had barely gotten out a feeble “no” out before my teacher spat back.
“Judging by the tone of my voice, what do you think the answer will be?"
I remember the looks my classmates gave me and I remember my eyes welling up as I sat back down and tried to stare at my paper without bursting into tears. This isn’t how a teacher should act. They should be passionate about their subject and passionate about having their students succeed.
I remember after this event thinking to myself that I would never treat a student that way or make them feel this bad. And that was it. Each snarky tone or disapproving look I got only added fuel to my fire of determination. What better way to get back at someone by becoming a successful teacher myself?
Fast forward to the present. While I do have a few special teachers to thank for always supporting me, I know deep down that this teacher keeps me motivated. I have roughly a month left before I start college, a month before I take on a massive amount of debt and a month before I can start impacting the lives of other children. I know that teachers can have bad days and that students can be pains in the classroom. I know there may come a time when I might want to lash out and scream. That will be something I never do. I never want a student to feel the way I did during that class my sophomore year. Instead, I want to focus on impacting the lives of students to love the Spanish language like my high school Spanish department did for me those four years of school. I’ll be lucky If I end up becoming half the teacher that they were.
And if this specific teacher happens to be reading this article, I want to thank you. Thank you for opening me up to a career path I might not have otherwise looked into. Thank you for teaching me how to properly treat students. Thank you for allowing me to channel my passion into a career choice that will make me truly happy in life. Thank you inspiring me. For me, teaching isn’t just a profession, it’s a life choice.
I would also like to thank the teachers who worked tirelessly to help me any way they could, both inside and outside of the classroom. I hope I make you proud.
