Why I Have Chosen The Teaching Profession

When I think of becoming a teacher I would like to imagine or hope that I would be “turning the key” for a student of mine to become something great. I have been soul searching for many years now to have a better understanding of what I am suppose to do in my life. I have worked in so many jobs in so many areas but nothing was fulfilling my life with any amount of meaning. I found myself not wanting to go back the next day or wishing I were somewhere else. Well I guess everyone does that is what I would tell myself.

Until a couple years ago when I was working and living in Las Vegas. It was there that I finally realized what I had been searching for in my life. I was spending a lot of time with a co-worker who had children in the school system. I vividly remember hearing her children say “the teacher’s don’t care.” This was shocking for a child who was in the fourth grade to be saying to me. I guess because I had a great experience in school with wonderful caring teachers. My memories of school are a little blurred with age but I do remember looking up to them as role models. Especially, my eighth grade English teacher who was the first person who ever told me that I was a beautiful writer. She encouraged me to continue to learn as much as I could about becoming a good writer. I still see her from time to time and she asks if I am still writing. I always say yes, but the last time I saw her, I got the chance to tell her that I am also in school to be a teacher. She is very happy for me.

Therefore, my school experience being so positive I had not thought what it would be like if teachers did not care. However, the most important thing is –that I remember saying to the fourth grader “if I was your teacher I would care about you”. In addition, she said, “I wish you were my teacher”. At that moment you could say it was like the clouds parted and the sky opened. I realized at that very moment that I was put here on earth to be a teacher.

A teacher that cares about the random thoughts and dreams each child has throughout each day is what I want to be. Therefore, I decided to go back to school to continue my education. However, this time it would be different. I now knew what I wanted to be—a teacher. I laugh at myself for not realizing this sooner, I mean I had been teaching almost all my life. I had taught swimming lessons, coached high school volleyball, and was a camp counselor for years. I just was afraid to admit that I liked teaching, like I was afraid people would not take me serious enough. I guess when people do a variety of things with their life like I have, people start to think of them as not following through with things or not being dedicated. Nevertheless, I look at it like I was very dedicated; I was dedicated in my journey to discover myself. Why does anyone think that children at the young age of eighteen needs to decide what he or she wants to be for the rest of their life will never make any sense to me? It took me a little longer to figure things out.

Furthermore, my goals as a teacher are immense. I have so many ideas and creative ways to help children in school today. I have probably ten ideas a day of “what I would do in my classroom”. I just file them away waiting for the day I will get to put them to the test. But overall my goal for my teaching career is to; never limit my students potential, to support every idea they may have, but most of all to make sure they all know that beyond anything else, I care about each and every one of them.