Through out my life, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I remember way back when I was in middle school, I told all my friends and family that I was going to grow up and be a teacher, just like my uncle. At the time I knew little about teaching in general but I just had this strange feeling that I would be good at it. I loved working with little kids; interacting with them, playing games and doing hands activities. I figured since I could do all the things, teaching would be easy, right? After all, there is not much to do when it comes to teaching, as long as the children are having fun, that is all that matters. This was the mentality I use to have when it came to being a teacher. I was proved wrong once I actually started college and put in a classroom and then all of a sudden I had to come up with engaging but educational plans that are developmentally appropriate. I started thinking, “what did I get myself into?” But then I remember back when I was a junior in high school. The day when I found the real reason why I wanted to be a teacher, the day that changed my life forever.
It was not always easy growing up in my household. Being the oldest, I had to help my parents with my younger brother and sisters, which meant I was learning how to change diapers at the age of ten. By the time I was 16, I was like a 2nd mom to my youngest sister. So what does this have to do with teaching? Well, the fact that I enjoyed taking care of my younger siblings shows that I love being with kids. They bring me such joy that I could be having the worst day of my life, and I could watch a three year old bounce a ball, attempting to catch it, over and over again, and I become the happiest person in the world. The fact that kids bring me such joy, shows that I have a good quality in becoming a teacher. In order to become a teacher, you have to like being around kids, because you are around them for a good six hours of the day, five days a week. If you do not like kids, then those six hours will be total hell, you will probably be bald from pulling your hair out from frustration. I can be around kids all day, and enjoy every minute of it
So what is the real reason why I want to be a teacher? Honestly I didn’t know the answer to that until my junior year of high school, the day I was put into a classroom for a job shadow. The teacher in the classroom told me that she wanted me to work with a particular child that didn’t know how to read. So I grabbed the child, along with some books and went out into the hallway so it was just me and him. I started off by asking him which book he wanted me to read first. He shrugged his shoulders not really interested, so I picked an easy reader book asking him if he wanted to read it. He told me that he didn’t know how to read, so I replied back, “well how about I read it first, and then you can try reading it while I help you?” He agreed and I started reading it out load, while pointing to every word I was saying. After I was done, it was his turn to read and surprisingly enough he actually started to read every single word correctly, pointing to the words as he was reading. After he was done I simple said to him, “you just read a book all by yourself. Good job!” The boy smiled the biggest the smile I had ever seen, beaming from ear to ear. At that moment, I soon realized why I wanted to become a teacher. The fact that I was able to take this boy aside, who did not know how to read, and then have him be able to read a book by himself, was the greatest feeling in the world. I felt not only proud of him, but proud of myself that I taught a kid something and made a difference in his life. From that day on, I knew that teaching was my calling, and that I had made the right decision in becoming a teacher.
I soon learned that teaching is not as easy it looks. There are specific goals that need to be set and lesson plans to write that seem to take hours to do. Yes, the work may be a little overwhelming at time, but in the end it is totally worth it. You as a teacher make a difference in a child’s life, rather it be teaching them to read, or how to write their name. Whatever it may be, the rewards always override the costs. Do not get me wrong, I still struggle trying to come up with the perfect lesson, but I always try and stay optimistic about it. You really need to have a passion for teaching, because if you do not, you will be unhappy in life.
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