Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher. Even in kindergarten when we were asked the silly questions like “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Or in 5th grade when we had to write in the yearbook where we saw ourselves in 20 years, I would always say ‘teacher’. The answer was simple and it was easy for me. I don’t know why I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, I just know I always have.
In middle school and the start of high school, I kind of swayed away from the profession. Life started to become somewhat real at the tender age of 11 years old and I was no longer one hundred percent sure in what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. So ‘teacher’ stopped being my answer and the question suddenly stopped being asked so frequently.
By the beginning of my junior year of high school when the college search arrived in full force, I still wasn’t completely sure of what career path I wanted to pursue. Of course, it didn’t really matter all too much at that point because no one expects you to make that decision at 16 years old. People enter college undecided all the time and changing your major isn’t uncommon. It’s one of the biggest decisions of your entire life and no one expects it to be made lightly. As I began visiting schools, however, I was slowly being reintroduced to the idea of teaching. I went to the education information sessions and started to remember my interest in the topic.
Junior year, I also had a very inspiring teacher, probably one of the best I’ve ever had. It was my AP US History teacher, Mr. Mopsick, that really made me recognize that what he does is what I want to do for the rest of my life. History was always my favorite subject, but I never thought I could turn it into my job until that class. I’d never had a teacher before and I haven’t had a teacher since Mr. Mopsick that inspired me to choose History Education as much as he did. The way he taught was just different than I ever experienced. You could completely tell he was so passionate about everything he spoke about and in turn, you just wanted to learn more about everything. History quickly went from something I liked and was good at, to something I truly loved and knew I could work with forever. His passion made me want to do and be exactly what he was, and to be able to inspire and encourage students just like he did to me. I want to be the teacher that so obviously loves the material she's teaching, but also the teacher that isn’t afraid to say today we’re not going to do history because something more important is happening, or today we’re just going to talk about life because it can be an immense struggle sometimes for everyone. I especially want to be the teacher that makes learning about something often perceived as boring into something really interesting and exciting, and to be able to teach it to my class in a fun and different way, just like Mr. Mopsick did in my class.
I know most future teachers have some sort of story like mine, about a teacher that inspired them to choose education, but the thing that hurts the most is that I know a lot of us have also had teachers that have vehemently discouraged us from picking this profession. It really upsets me when I tell former teachers my major and they actually yell at me or tell me ‘it’s a stupid decision and I’m wasting my time’. They tell us that "you know, it’s great and all, but the pay really sucks and it’s even worse when all of your friends are making ten times the amount of money you are". Yes, thank you. I am fully aware of the salary that teachers get paid at each level. I want to teach high school, so fortunately the pay is a little bit higher, but it shouldn’t matter in any sense. I am studying education and becoming a teacher because it’s something that I love doing. I don’t expect to get rich off of that money because I’m not doing it for the money at all. I’m sick and tired of people, especially current teachers themselves, trying to convince me to change my major or do something else with my life. I’m studying education because it’s what I’m passionate about and I’m going to use my degree to teach your children, and your nieces, and your nephews, and the future of America. In reality, teaching should be the most highly regarded profession because without teachers, we wouldn’t have doctors, nurses, lawyers or businesspeople.
Teachers are the very foundation of our society and should be treated likewise. Perhaps that’s the reason why some people regret teaching. It’s an extremely difficult job with very little recognition in return. So the next time someone judges you for choosing to teach, or anyone discourages you from studying education, just remember that they obviously don’t have a passion for what they do and clearly do not understand yours. Just keep doing what you’re doing because I promise you the reward of teaching is much higher than any of the losses you’re taking.
