According to the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, almost half of teachers quit the profession after five years. I am beginning that critical fifth year mark as a teacher; however…I am not joining the ranks of teachers to leave. In fact, each passing school year confirms to me why teaching is my calling. I live for those eureka effects, “aha!” moments, tightly squeezed hugs, sparkled eyes, and much more! Every day I walk into my classroom ready to teach as if my hair is on fire! People think teaching has been a calling all my life. The truth is I never considered teaching as a career choice while growing up. Coming from a strict Asian background, my parents have always pushed for careers in the medical or business field. Being young and uninformed, I pursued the business route without putting too much thought into my decision. I spent my four years of undergrad crunching numbers, analyzing data, and finding ways to maximize profit on a spreadsheet. That was fun and nonetheless challenging, but it did not provide a sense of service that I longed for and did not even know it existed until I lacked it in my daily internship at an accounting company. That was when I felt an itch to do “something” that makes a clear, tangible difference in the lives of others. At the time I had no idea what that “something” was or could possibly be. I sought out different career options, from nursing to ultrasound to sociology. One day I saw a flyer on campus for
Teaching and guiding others have come naturally as long as I can remember, and I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life; sometimes a field or a profession calls a certain type of person, and I definitely am drawn to a path in education. Nothing gives me more satisfaction, and can create more of a positive effect in our society. My passion is teaching and I want to change the lives of students across the board, but mostly those who live in poverty and have not possessed the same opportunities as
Upon first entering college, I struggled deciding at such a young age what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Through babysitting and volunteering with pre-school aged children at my church and through a school program called STARS, it became evident to me I had a love for helping children. It fascinated me to see how they viewed the world around them and how quickly they learned new truths everyday. Nevertheless, I knew I would not get the full enjoyment interacting with children as a schoolteacher because the teacher to student ratio is so large. Classroom demands would make it much more difficult to devot individualized attention to each student, and I did not like that concept. So
For me, the decision to become a teacher is more of a way of life than a career. I have always loved school, practicing at being school marm from a young age, and voraciously devouring every shred of education offered me in my career as a student. If it were possible, I would be a student for the rest of my life. And then I still would not have learned enough. As a teacher, I hope to instill this appetite for knowledge in secondary students. They are, after all, the future leaders of the world, and what better place to expand the minds of the generations to come than here in Appalachia where education programs, especially the sciences, which I plan to teach, are poorly funded and children’s dreams
Teaching was very natural for me. I felt comfortable and confident working in all my classrooms. I was fortunate to have the support from all supervising teachers and they provided me guidance and knowledge as I continued to grow in the classroom. I couldn’t wait to go to college so I could focus on teaching every day and officially start my journey as a future
Fifty percent of new teachers quit with in the first five years of teaching (NEA, 2015), with this number being so alarmingly high it begs the questions: Why do so many teachers leave after going through years of college for this profession? Were teachers not prepared for the job, through college training, what should colleges teach in order to better prepare teachers?
I always thought I would be a teacher and I would make differences in lives and it would be the greatest experience in the world for me, yet being a teacher wasn’t enough, I had a need to expand my education. I decided that perhaps I needed a new career, however, I felt certain education remained my passion. I began to explore new areas of education and I realized I still want to be a member of a classroom, a school and curriculum. I aspire to guide those leading our classrooms.
An inevitable part of being a senior is the question “ What do you want to be when you grow up?”. Luckily for me, i’ve been sure of what i wanted to do since I was 6 years old. I’ve never doubted for a second that teaching is my future. I picture myself ten years from now, and I see myself standing in front of my class, a presentation queued up, and a steely look of determination in my eye.
My decision to be a teacher did not come easily to me. This choice was dependent on a reflection about what I was passionate about and how I could make a difference. I have chosen to become a teacher, as I believe teachers have the ability to provide future generations the stimulation for one of the most significant roles in life; to become a lifelong learner. Many teachers that I have had during my education have had a positive impact on my decision to grow and develop the skills that are fundamental to pursue a successful teaching career. My aim is to be a part of an honorable profession with the optimism that one day I will become an efficacious teacher who can provide future teachers with inspiration, as my teachers have provided for me. Through personal educational experiences and peer-reviewed academic literature, I am able to shape my approach to my pre-service teaching, as it will influence my future practice. As a teacher, there is not just one singular approach to educating students; there is a need for flexibility, diversity, adaptation and reflection.
Bam! It hit me like a speeding truck. Two weeks in Cuzco, Peru had shown me what it is really like to be struggling in all areas in life. This specific mission trip showed me outside our borders there are people in need of basic necessities in life. I spent the better of two weeks learning about myself and the people I was determined to help. Teaching has always been a part of my life, however, after these two weeks, I learned that teaching is exactly what I want to do with my career. The students I was able to work with had not had a proper education, and my teaching them put them that much farther into a life they hadn't imagined ever having. The compassion and empathy I felt in my heart for my students had shown me that teaching is the right
I elected to travel the Road to Teaching to find happiness and fulfillment in my career. I currently work in banking as a loan assistant and while I am highly capable and successful in my current career I came to the realization that I was not fully satisfied with my profession. I simply do not love my job. I feel that my current job will never give me complete satisfaction. It was at the funeral of my high school mathematics professor, Mr. David Smith, that I realized that I needed a change. I did not want to become someone who is merely complacent with their job and settles for a career that is unfulfilling. I want to wake up most mornings excited to go to work and I believe that teaching is the right fit for me. I sincerely hope
I am a creative and ambitious History graduate. Following the completion of my History degree it has taken me time to conclude my decision this is because I believe that a teaching career is too important a role to be taken lightly and understand that such a career choice can also be a challenging one. Not only do I have a passion for broadening my knowledge and eduction but I am also driven to successfully teach and share what I know with others.
With almost 4 years of teaching and tutoring experience I realized that teaching is an ideal profession to help others to determine and reach their potential.
This past semesters has been an eye opening experience that has changed my views on teacher. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a fourth grade teacher. However after being placed in a second grade classroom my views have changed. I liked the idea of teaching fourth grade because my fourth grade teacher was my inspiration in life. When I was in Ms. Petro’s class I enjoyed being able to watch the students progress over time. Being able to see the drastic improvements in little children is very rewarding and that is why I want to continue to teach lower grades. I have learned that being a teacher requires a special someone, a person who knows that sometimes you will have to deal with tough situations leaving you exhausted and feeling like you are not able to help more. But at the same time, being a teacher allows one to be a visionary for the world and those who surround you.
I grew up on a small farm in a small town. My parents are both educators at the school I grew up in. To my surprise my parents were not thrilled when I told them I had a passion for education. Their first words to me were, “are you sure,” “don’t you think you are wasting your intelligence,” and “you’re not going to make very much money.” This was discouraging coming from the two people I thought I would look up to going into my future career. I was at a loss for some time, until I sat down with my grandfather one day after church. He asked me if I had decided what I wanted to do after college. To this I replied, I want to be a teacher. Expecting the same response as my
In the speech “Remarks by the President in a National Address to America’s Schoolchildren” by Barack Obama, he encourages students to try hard in school because education will further their success in the future. President Obama uses the reasoning that with education students will have responsibility just like those around them to achieve high standards. Students must also try hard in school to get their work completed and not give up on their education and make going to college a goal of theirs. Students need to have responsibility, try hard on their education, and be aware that they have many educational opportunities.