I am going into my fifth week of my junior year in college, and my current career path is becoming a high school History/English teacher. I have been looking forward to starting my student teaching job for two weeks already, and I can't wait to actually begin my first day. I feel like I am ready for it, but I also don't really know what to expect from the classroom and teacher that I am placed with.

I've always felt that I wanted to teach because I want to make a difference in other people's lives, especially those who are younger than me. But that wasn't the only thing that made me want to become a teacher.

The one experience that helped me confirm that I was on the right career path was my internship teaching English abroad in Mexico. I'm not going to lie, I originally decided to take this internship just for the sake of being away for the summer, but I ended up getting more out of it than I ever thought I would. Not only did I walk away with new memories, new friends, and a place that I can come back to and call home-- I walked away with a new understanding of why I wanted to become a teacher.

The "ah-ha" moment for me was when my students presented their final projects to me. That was when I realized that their English writing and oral skills had really improved from when I first met them. I wasn't prepared for that "ah-ha" moment. I was so proud of my students, and I knew that all of the hard work and lessons had paid off in some way for them. Even though they weren't experts, and they were still having some difficulty with English, the improvements they had made were a huge difference to me.

As a teacher, this was the moment that I was most proud of my students. It was a way for me to validate myself and say that, "Hey, I can make a difference in other people's lives, no matter how big or small it is."

Now, a few days away from starting my first day out in the actual field, I can't help but think back to my time teaching down in Mexico. The difference between then and now is that I'm quite nervous to actually start my first day here. I guess the reason that I'm so nervous is because it'll be my first time observing what another teacher does and being in a classroom that I'm not familiar with. It's nerve wracking because I honestly don't really know what to expect from my first day. Anything can happen, but I am still looking forward to starting my first day, and I'm sure it will be a great experience.