Surprisingly, Growing up I Never Thought I Would Become a Teacher. I Played School With

Surprisingly, growing up I never thought I would become a teacher. I played school with my friends, I babysat since I was 12, and every single job I had always involved teaching someone something, mainly sports. Then it dawned on me, how could I not become a teacher. I love inspiring people. I love the look on people’s faces when they finally get something after struggling with it for the longest time. I love the look on people’s faces when they do something they never would have imagined because I taught it to them. I love having people come to me for help when they are stuck because they trust me, know I am there for them, and will do whatever it takes to support them.

I never really enjoyed school when I was younger. I always felt I was forced into reading books that were boring and forced into completing assignments that were considered busy-work. I never understood why teachers did that to their students. As a teacher, I want to intrigue students and make them want to learn more, either by doing hands-on activities, incorporating technology, providing videos, sharing personal experiences, and so on.

Since I went to Catholic school for eight years, the teachers were never considered nurturing or caring toward the students’ personal life. They were considered behavioral enforcers and made sure students were not out of line. Because of this, I realized what type of teacher I did not want to be. Yes, I believe it is important to have structure throughout a classroom and teach students appropriate behaviors, but I feel there is more to teaching than that.

Throughout college, as part of the special education program at WesternMichiganUniversity, we needed to complete a practicum each semester and complete two full internships. During these experiences I was surrounded by a diverse array of students, most being from a rough home environment and parents who were never there – physically and emotionally. They needed someone to be there for them – someone who is nurturing, cares about their well-being, and who won’t give up on them. I believe you need to have strong relationships with your students so they respect you, look up to you, and are willing to come to you for anything.

Like most of my students, when learning new concepts they need to be introduced in an innovative, intriguing way to catch my attention. I am a very organized and detail-oriented person that needs to know exactly what is expected of me. With large projects, it is best for them to be broken down into smaller segments, so I am not overwhelmed. I personally work better in smaller groups because of peer-anxiety. I am an extremely outgoing, social person, but when it comes to presenting information to peers, I become shy and easily embarrassed. Wow – I sound exactly like most of my students’ accommodations and IEPs!