I have not wanted to be a teacher my whole life. In fact, the last thing I ever thought I'd want to be, let alone actually become, was a teacher. I was never an all A student. Shoot, I was barely a B/C student. I was never a teacher's pet. I was never the best. At anything. I was never even the 2nd, or 5th, or 15th best at anything. I hated school. I wasn't a fan of the majority of my teachers either. The only class I ever truly enjoyed was art. During high school, I turned every class into my own personal art class. What was taught in geometry? I have no clue. I was too busy doodling on my handouts. What did I walk away from after a day in chemistry? A half sleeve, self-doodled tattoo courtesy of a Bic Ballpoint black pen.
My entire life, since I was five, I wanted to be a fashion designer. That was it. There was never another profession I considered. Nor did I think I'd ever one day have a change of heart. My end goal was to move to New York and have my own line.
Until my senior year in high school.
As I said, I wasn't a fan of school. I skipped classes more often than I attended them. So, naturally, when senior year came, I wanted to be on campus as little as possible. Ideally, I wanted to have two off blocks, but my parents told me that was absolutely not an option. So, I went with the next best thing. Our school offered a program called "Ready, Set, Teach!" In reality, this was a program that allowed high school students aspiring to one day be teachers time in a classroom setting. A way for them to "test the waters" and see if it was really something they wanted to do before they went to college and spent years towards an education degree just to find out they weren't cut out for it. However, in my mind, this program was the ultimate blow off class that allowed me to be off campus 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. SCORE!
Little did I know, I would end up absolutely loving my time spent in that elementary classroom and realizing that interacting with and helping young children grow was my true passion. I quickly realized that not only did I want to be a teacher, but there was nothing else I could see myself becoming. Nothing I would enjoy doing more. Nothing I would find more fulfilling than working with young children, sculpting their little minds, preparing them for the future, and making a difference in their lives.
I got to spend 12 hours a week in a kindergarten class. Within the first week, I fell in love with the program. I realized it was going to be something far more than an mindless blow off class for my senior year; it was going to be something I truly enjoyed doing. After the first month, I realized I had found my calling. I was going to graduate and go to college to be an education major and I was going to become a teacher.
I never dreamed of being a teacher, but I do believe I was always destined to become one.
As I mentioned above, by the time I got to high school, I had no interest giving education my full attention. Reason? I had a terrible experience in elementary school. I grew up with Dyslexia, a Speech Impediment and an Auditory Processing Disorder. However, I was not diagnosed and given the help, tools, and strategies needed to overcome any of those obstacles until I entered the third grade. I stumbled through the majority of elementary school believing I was incapable of greatness. Believing I was incapable of learning anything at all because I did not learn the same way or as quickly as was expected of me. Year after year, I watched the frustration build in each of my teachers as I failed to write proper sentences and struggled to read on grade level. It was not until I entered the third grade that anyone actually took a second to ask, "hmm.. I wonder why this little girl is struggling and how can I help her succeed?" My third grade teacher was the first teacher to ever take an interest in my difficulties in learning and not think I was stupid or get frustrated with me because of them. Instead labeling me as a broken lost cause, she helped me fix the problem.
Until my senior year in high school.
As I said, I wasn't a fan of school. I skipped classes more often than I attended them. So, naturally, when senior year came, I wanted to be on campus as little as possible. Ideally, I wanted to have two off blocks, but my parents told me that was absolutely not an option. So, I went with the next best thing. Our school offered a program called "Ready, Set, Teach!" In reality, this was a program that allowed high school students aspiring to one day be teachers time in a classroom setting. A way for them to "test the waters" and see if it was really something they wanted to do before they went to college and spent years towards an education degree just to find out they weren't cut out for it. However, in my mind, this program was the ultimate blow off class that allowed me to be off campus 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. SCORE!
Little did I know, I would end up absolutely loving my time spent in that elementary classroom and realizing that interacting with and helping young children grow was my true passion. I quickly realized that not only did I want to be a teacher, but there was nothing else I could see myself becoming. Nothing I would enjoy doing more. Nothing I would find more fulfilling than working with young children, sculpting their little minds, preparing them for the future, and making a difference in their lives.
I got to spend 12 hours a week in a kindergarten class. Within the first week, I fell in love with the program. I realized it was going to be something far more than an mindless blow off class for my senior year; it was going to be something I truly enjoyed doing. After the first month, I realized I had found my calling. I was going to graduate and go to college to be an education major and I was going to become a teacher.
I never dreamed of being a teacher, but I do believe I was always destined to become one.
As I mentioned above, by the time I got to high school, I had no interest giving education my full attention. Reason? I had a terrible experience in elementary school. I grew up with Dyslexia, a Speech Impediment and an Auditory Processing Disorder. However, I was not diagnosed and given the help, tools, and strategies needed to overcome any of those obstacles until I entered the third grade. I stumbled through the majority of elementary school believing I was incapable of greatness. Believing I was incapable of learning anything at all because I did not learn the same way or as quickly as was expected of me. Year after year, I watched the frustration build in each of my teachers as I failed to write proper sentences and struggled to read on grade level. It was not until I entered the third grade that anyone actually took a second to ask, "hmm.. I wonder why this little girl is struggling and how can I help her succeed?" My third grade teacher was the first teacher to ever take an interest in my difficulties in learning and not think I was stupid or get frustrated with me because of them. Instead labeling me as a broken lost cause, she helped me fix the problem.
While she helped me to no longer feel like I was completely drowning in my education, she was too late to change my perception of school at the time. I was, and forever will be, beyond grateful for her kind heart. However, by the time she helped me change my ability to learn information, I had already made up my mind. School wasn't for me, I would never be as smart as I needed to be, so there was no point in putting any extreme amount of effort into my education.
Though it took me nearly 9 years after the fact to figure it out, I think my destiny to become a teacher took root the day I entered that 3rd grade classroom and that wonderful teacher took a special interest in the girl who would have been much easier to ignore. I now strive every single day to be that teacher for my students. I work hard to make them feel smart and help them accomplish things they have never been able to accomplish before. Everyone is capable of learning absolutely anything. Someone just needs to takes time to discover the unique way they process information. Above all else, if a student walks into my classroom with a sour taste of school in their mouth because they were discouraged from years past, I do everything in my power to not only encourage them, but to change their perception of education so that they never get to the point that they no longer care enough to give everything in life their absolute best effort.
Teaching was never my 1st, or 50th, choice, but it has become my passion. My number one goal as a teacher is to never, ever, ever have a student leave my classroom feeling incapable of everything simply because they aren't yet capable of something. My second goal as a teacher is to encourage all educators to not just feel bad for their struggling students, but to do something to no longer make those students feel as though they are struggling simply because they haven't figured it out just yet. And then, do everything they can to help that student get on the path towards finally figuring it out in a way that doesn't discourage them. Not all students will understand the content being taught the same way their peers do. That does not mean they are incapable of learning though, it just means they learn in a special way that is tailored to their individual abilities.
Teaching was never my 1st, or 50th, choice, but it has become my passion. My number one goal as a teacher is to never, ever, ever have a student leave my classroom feeling incapable of everything simply because they aren't yet capable of something. My second goal as a teacher is to encourage all educators to not just feel bad for their struggling students, but to do something to no longer make those students feel as though they are struggling simply because they haven't figured it out just yet. And then, do everything they can to help that student get on the path towards finally figuring it out in a way that doesn't discourage them. Not all students will understand the content being taught the same way their peers do. That does not mean they are incapable of learning though, it just means they learn in a special way that is tailored to their individual abilities.
Think of the one (or two or three) students you have who struggle the most. I don't mean the ones who are just a little bit behind or the ones you know will eventually be able to get up to speed with continued additional support. I mean the ones who would be easier to dismiss because they are so time consuming and, at times, frustrating to work with because they simply "just don't get it." Don't show your frustration. Don't make them feel incapable. Don't push their needs to the side because you're too busy with your other x amount of student's "more manageable" needs. And, above all else, don't give up on them. You may not realize it, but you have the power to make or break a child in the simple way that you react to their abilities. And, the students who bring you closest to your breaking point, are usually the ones who are the closest to theirs.
So, yea. There are all of the random puzzle pieces in my life that formed together to make me the teacher I am today! I would love to hear how you found yourself in the classroom. Leave your story in the comments below! :)
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