I am constantly being asked why I want to become a teacher. I am always being questioned if I am sure if this is what I want to do with my life. I am consistently having to deal with comments such as "Teachers don't make any money," and "You don't get paid enough." People are always wondering if I have thought my decision through. Current students ask me why I would want to go back to high school. Current teachers try and convince me to change my mind. Adults are supportive, but always have at least one negative comment to say about my education path.

I want to make this absolutely clear. I am 100% positive I want to become a high school English Teacher. There is nothing in the world that I am more certain of than this. There is nothing that will change my mind either.

But what about the poor schools? What about the kids that don't want to learn? What about the parents? What about the people who just don't care about education?

All of these questions have been asked to me. I often think about these questions, almost on the daily. I will spend hours sometimes trying to even begin an answer. After ever round of observation of a classroom, or new assignment I complete for one of my education courses, or another lesson from these same courses, these questions come flooding back to me. These and so many more. How will I make a financially secure living? Why do I think English is so important? What if I have bad students? What if I'm no good…

After two plus years of juggling all these questions, persuasions from others, and general negativity of my projected profession, I finally have an answer. Never give up. Those three simple words will fix every problem, answer every question. I will never give up; not on a student, not on a fellow teacher, not on the faculty I work for, and not for the parents.

When I tell people that I can't ever give up, they usually look taken aback, surprised of such a simplistic answer to such complicated questions. I usually give them about five seconds to just stare blankly at me before I explain myself. This is what I tell them:

There is not one student in this world who deserves to be given up on. We can't all teach the upper level classes with the tougher material. We need a solid foundation to build on, and with a growing number of our students not getting the proper foundation work, myself being one of those students, we will never be able to build a secure structure. There will be students who absolutely hate school and learning, it should be the challenge of every educator, present and future, to actively engage each individual. Everyone is different, and we all learn in various ways. One way of teaching will not work for every student in a class. We need to engage with our students, we need to show empathy and compassion and understanding. Communication is absolutely necessary for a successful teacher.

We cannot give up on one student, ever. Even if they are ready to throw in the towel and say hell with it, you can't give up. I can't give up. I won't give up. This is my passion, not only English and literature, but education as a whole. I always say that an educated society is a successful society. We all need to be educated, and we as educators need to always support our students. Sometimes we are the only ones there for them.