Ever since my senior year in high school, I was asked, “What is your major?” and I always replied with “Elementary Education.” A few times I got crazy looks and some even said they hoped I wasn’t doing it for the money and of course I’m not. So, yes, I want to be a teacher. For those of you that hoped it wasn’t for the money, here is why I want to be a teacher.

I want to be a teacher because I LOVE children. I love their zest for life and their drive to succeed. This past summer I had the opportunity to go to Nashville with my youth group and minister to children at a day school and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Teaching children that didn’t have it as good as me and children who just needed love was something I knew I wanted to do. Leaving them at the end of the week was the absolute worst and honestly, that’s when I just knew teaching is where God wanted me.

I want to be a teacher not only for my love for children but because I want to see my students succeed. I want to see them grow up and become whoever they want to be regardless of what the world says they should be. I want to see students get excited when they finally get something that they are learning. I want to have a lasting impact on them just like countless teachers have had on me. I want to not only be their teacher but their friend as well.

Teachers often don’t get enough credit for what they do. I hear so many people say they are going to major in Education because it’s “easy.” I am the type of person that can’t keep their mouth shut and often I want to say “What’s easy about it?” Please tell me what’s easy about teaching young kids every day that may not get it the first time or that student that needs extra help? What’s easy about grading papers late at night or staying after school until way late? Now granted, I am not a teacher now and I don’t know half of what teachers go through but trust me, I get some of it and it’s not easy. No profession is easy.

I want to be the teacher that gets to introduce her students to peanuts in Coke because they didn’t know what it was or the teacher that talks about her students on Instagram. That is fun, people.

I know that teachers don’t make the most money in the world but that is just fine. I’m not in it for the money. I want to be a teacher because it’s where my heart is and where I know God wants me. So, to all the people that said “you won’t make much money” and laughed when I said I wanted to be a teacher, I hope you realize now why I want to be a teacher.

I just can’t wait to be a teacher. Can you tell?