Why I Want to be a Teacher
How do people decide what career to pursue? For some it is a matter of a skill they possess, for some their families have decided for them, and for some people it is a desire in their heart. I have always known I wanted to be a teacher, to follow in the footsteps of my parents. I have many people who have influenced my life decisions and many happy memories to confirm I am making the right choices. To me, being a teacher is not only to choose a career, but it is a quality that is imprinted in my heart. I am a band-aid Only recently though, have I analyzed my desire to teach to find out why I want to do it so badly.
One of my earliest memories is one that has influenced my desire to teach. I was in Preschool, only about 3 years old, but this day has stuck in my mind since. My mother, who was a Kindergarten Teacher, decided it would be fun to substitute for my teacher for a day. She went to the greatest lengths to make our day captivating. We got to play, sing-a-long as she played on the piano, and read stories. She read us a book about a little boy who loses his red mitten one winter, and all sorts of animals seek shelter from the winter storm in it. A mouse, a fox, a bear, and other various forest animals were all trying to live in this mitten. Just as we were beginning to imagine the delima of an overcrowded mitten, my Mom brought out this huge red mitten she had made and assigned each one of us as one of the animals in the story. We got to climb in the mitten and break it open when it got too crowded. She showed us how even stories about animals can relate to our lives. It may not seem like such an inspirational story, but that day made me realize I wanted to be a teacher. I thought that my mother was so creative and engaging and I wanted to be just like her.
As I matured, I realized tthat not all of my peers were treated as I was at home. I had an exceptional childhood filled with learning and exploration with my parents to guide me. Many children do not get the luxury of such attention and fostered growth. I have always been a humanitarian, and through teaching I feel I could give children the guidance and attention they do not receive at home. A quote by Charles Platt captures this ability teachers possess. “Compassionate teachers fill a void left by working parents who aren't able to devote enough attention to their children. Teachers don't just teach; they can be vital personalities who help young people to mature, to understand the world and to understand themselves. A good education consists of much more than useful facts and marketable skills." Often children who do not receive enough attention are in lower income families who struggle to survive in our society. The children often lack the drive to succeed, and I want to be the one who can push them. Each citizen in this country is lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore any occupation, no matter his/her social background. I would consider giving a person a chance at the future by teaching them compassion, motivation, and real life skills an accomplishment of a lifetime. I want to give each child the opportunity that is sometimes not offered at home, and open children’s eyes to the possibilities that await them.
Another reason I want to be a teacher is Mrs. Herpolsheimer. She was my sixth grade math teacher and one of my favorite teachers. Every day she came to school in a good mood, complemented each student on their work, and kept the class informed on their progress though constructive criticism. I had always hated math and struggled with everything from fractions to long divison, and Mrs. Herpolsheimer was the only teacher I had that gave me the confidence to master it. She didn’t scrutinize every calculation error, instead she focused on making me understand the overall processes used to solve problems. She didn’t make a point to show me what I was doing wrong as some of my previous teachers had. I am thankful that she helped me learn mathematics, but what made a bigger impression on me was the confidence she gave me. Although I got all of the attention that I needed at home, she always made it feel like it was a pleasure for her to have me in class. I actually looked forward to going to school every day, even to math class. She taught me a lot more than just math; she showed me how to make a difference in someone else’s life and gave me the desire to do it.
One of the most determining factors in my decision to become a teacher was the language elective course I took in high school. I studied American Sign Language and was introduced to the deaf culture. I was going to visit the Michigan School for the Deaf to follow a student to his classes for one day. I was going to get the opportunity to see what education was like for the hearing impaired. At the end of the day I was shocked at the quality of education these students were mastering. It was really interesting to me how far behind these students were in their education. I went to a freshman level reading class and found out the students in it were reading some on the same books I read in sixth grade. It really scared me when I asked my teacher about their poor reading ability and she said most hearing impaired students graduate with a reading and comprehension level of a typical eight grader. I could not imagine these people trying to function in a hearing world without being able to hear and without the ability to understand high level reasoning and thinking. After that day, I decided that not only did I want to be a teacher, but I wanted to work to rehabilitate and increase the functioning of less fortunate individuals. I did some research and found out that speech language pathology is a field that focuses solely on that principle. This seemed to fit me perfectly because I could still work in the school systems with children, but I would have the ability to give each of my students quality individual time. I could give children the attention they need and hopefully help them fit into society with great success. As our country keeps pushing for more progress, the jobs that only require an eighth grade education are diminishing. It is becoming imperative that students are successful in education. Communication is the most important skill one can possess to be successful in education, and I could be the one to ensure a better academic experience for language-disordered children.
After I researched and decided to become a Speech Language Pathologist, I went to observe a real professional in her work environment. Her name was Kathy Fraise and she did therapy in a classroom setting with six preschoolers and kindergarteners. She had lesson plans set up just like a real Kindergarten teacher would have done, except the main focus of curriculum was not normal subjects. The content was focused on improving the students’ speech and language skills. During center time, each student worked on the abilities they needed to improve. For example, one child had trouble coordinating her tongue to make the sounds of our language. Her center consisted of tongue exercises to help her improve coordination and muscle tone. She pushed on a huge toy Oreo cookie to improve tongue strength and had to chase it with her tongue as the Speech language pathologist moved it around. Another boy worked on his stuttering problem, and another did exercises to help him with pragmatics. The teacher of this classroom not only taught the children about subjects like science, math, and social studies, she taught them to have confidence and gave them assistance to help them succeed in the future.
Shortly after I decided that I wanted to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist, my Grandmother had a stroke which caused her to attain a disorder known as aphasia. I was always so interested in how it affected her speech, she would always know what she wanted to say but it seemed as if she had forgotten our language. This was devastating to me and I thought maybe some day I could help people like my grandmother and make them feel like a normal part of society again. After my grandmother’s stroke, she had been depressed and uninterested in the things she had once loved. This mysterious disorder intrigued me and made my heart wish to fix it. A child with a speech disorder surely has similar psychological frustrations as my grandmother had. It tore my heart out to watch her struggle with tasks that other people take for granted, and by helping children with their communication skills, it would give me a chance to work in my grandmother’s memory. I believe that all things happen for a reason, and I see my grandmother’s debilitating disorder as a sign that pushed me into a field that focuses on helping others. Children can be so cruel to a child if he or she does not fit into society “correctly.” I want to help children to have a normal childhood; a childhood that does not teach them to loathe themselves.
Overall, I like the lifestyle that a teacher lives. I could not imagine myself behind a desk all day; I love to be around children and to be a part of their maturation. Children are so uncanny and naïve that it helps me to remember that life does not have to be completely serious. I cannot imagine another job that would keep me young at heart. Not only do I like the fact that children keep you young, but a career in teaching does not end your education. A teacher is a professional learner and that also appeals to me. In the educational setting, the methods in which you perform your job are always changing. A teacher is never done learning, is always adapting his point of view, and using his imagination constantly.
To me, choosing a career in teaching is the most important job one can hold. Teachers are the people who produce future doctors, lawyers, politicians, and other various important people that make our society as powerful as it is today. Teachers may also be the only people that can help a distraught child and keep them from becoming our future criminals and abusers. No matter the background of the child, his race, his gender, or his societal worth a teacher is able to give a child a chance at future success. That is a gift of a lifetime that no other career can provide.
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page last updated October 8, 2004