WHY I WANT TO BE A TEACHER/EDUCATOR

Why I want to be a teacher/educator

Why I want to be a teacher/educator

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 ...