When I’m asked why I want to become an educator my response is never hesitant. My first reply is I want to help others. What better way to help than guiding young children first starting to find their place in the world? I think elementary education is particularly important because it is the foundation for the years to come of school. In life you never stop learning and I think it is important to teach kids how valuable knowledge is and why you should never stop seeking it. In my personal opinion, I think knowledge is the strongest tool you could give a person. It triumphs over fame or money because it gives you power. There has yet to be a story where a young man or woman was just too smart for his or her own good. Overall, I want to make a positive impact in the lives of children, which will affect generations to come.
I have been so lucky to have teachers in my 12 years of schooling so far that have been such great role models in my life. I feel teachers are some of the most influential people you’ll have in your life and they are especially important in your first years of schooling where children are gaining independence and learning how to contribute positively to society. My intended major in college is integrated education, which consists of elementary education grades K-6 and special education grades K-12 combined. I am more than excited to be attending a school where I can study two areas of education at once and learn as much as I can about the variety of students I will in turn be teaching and how to best suit all of their needs. I hope to grow as an educator and learn through experience what the best ways of communicating to students are. I hope to be looked at as a role model and as someone children can look to for support and confidence. I think special needs children are especially fundamental to society as they teach us how to accept one another’s differences and that anything can be accomplished which leaves me extremely excited to work with them. I feel as if they can teach me just as much, if not more, than I could teach them about the importance of equality in that everyone is capable of attaining the same level of education necessary to later in life help the world.
The impact I think I will make in education is so much more than being a role model and support system as previously mentioned. My main goal as a teacher is to inspire kids natural thirst for knowledge. I hope to make education enjoyable and intriguing for students as my teachers have done for me. I think throughout the school systems I will bring fresh ideas and new perspectives on ways to help students achieve more. In my career I want to do research as to what methods truly help students succeed and ways to make school fun. I hope to break the stereotype that school is boring or a waste of time. America is one of the greatest countries in the world particularly because we provide free education for many years. I hear so many of my peers saying that school is a waste of time and we won’t use anything were learning now in years to come. I understand where they are coming from however; I look at education as something you can never get enough of. It never hurts to learn something new and I want to ensure passion in my future students for new knowledge. I want to teach so much more than curriculum given to me from the school board. Your years of schooling teach you so much more than just the assigned subjects. For example, you learn how to balance extracurricular activities with schoolwork and also how to work with others, even those you don’t particularly like. You are learning new ways to solve problems and how to find your individuality in this melting pot of a country. In education, I hope to make a lasting impact on student’s lives. I want to give out fresh perspectives and rewards for critical thinking or going above and beyond the requirements to just pass a grade. My main focus is to install the same amount of passion I have for knowledge into future generations. I hope to bring nothing but good change in the way education is taught and a voice for students who feel they can’t speak up. I look forward to learning for myself techniques that work for students and which ones do not and then sharing my knowledge with peers or bringing new ideas to various boards of education. I want to overall change the face of education and keep up to date with new technology and all things that will give the students more to benefit from. I find it important to stay up to date with changing times and that the school systems do the same.
Lastly, I also want to acknowledge how students all learn in unique ways and that there is no particular way to solve problems. I want to find how to accommodate to different needs of students whether they are visual learners or hands-on learners and infuse all types of techniques into my teaching to make sure everyone is reaching their full potential. I seek to bring new perspectives and passion to the education world.
Overall, I’ve known since 1st grade that I wanted to be a teacher and 11 years later I feel no change. I truly believe this is my calling in life and I am fortunate to be attending a college that will only take me one step closer to fulfilling my dreams.
