Why I Want to be a Teacher Essay

By Tannah Sellers

EDFD 2020 Found. Of Education

Jeff Jones

November 10, 2017

 When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor or nurse, until one day I dislocated my dads

elbow while we were skiing and I almost passed out seeing the bone sticking out of his arm. I

then realized my dream was unrealistic and I needed to find a different career path. After many

people inspired and helped me find my place I decided I wanted to be a teacher. There are many

people who think teaching is not worth it because of having to deal with kids all day, low pay,

and grumpy parents. To me helping children is more important than all the “negative” things

about teaching.

There have been many people and things that have inspired me to become a teacher. One

of my high school teachers was a very helpful guiding in hand in my decision to become a

teacher. Every semester she made sure I was able to be a teachers aid and get in a new classroom

to see other teachers teach. She was always finding new projects for me to do to expand my

knowledge on teaching. I remember one day my junior year of high school I was trying to decide

what my career should be because I was going to be a senior in the near future. Some of my

family kept trying to convince me to go into the medical field because of the low pay in the

teaching area. I was not giving in. I sat down with my teacher and asked her what I should do

and she said to follow my heart. She also told me that I would make an outstanding teacher and it

will all be worth it. At the time I did not believe her, I thought I would be better off in the

medical field. I was wrong. I followed my heart and took her advice and now I could not be

happier with the decision I have made about my career.

I feel that my main strength I can bring to the teaching profession is my communication.

Not just with the students, but with parents and faculty members too. I find it relevantly easy to

communicate with kids. If there is respect established and a good relationship communicating

with the children is not that hard. It could be communication about how to do a math problem or
discussing their behavior. I feel like it is important to have good communication with the parents

as well. I do not really have a problem talking to new people. When it comes to parent teacher

conferences some teachers do not have the best communication and it may cause problems

between the parent(s) and the teacher. Communication with other staff members may be the most

important communication to have. Teachers need to be able to work with other teachers to make

sure the curriculum is going as planned especially in the same grade levels. All the students need

to be learning the same thing at the same time so when they go on to the next grade they are all

ready to start in the same spot, where they finished the last year. Communication is an important

skill to have in the teaching field and you can never stop improving it.

If I could improve one characteristic as I prepare to pursue my career in teaching it would

be my organization. I often function better in a messy place and know where everything is, but

that needs to change. I feel like I will be more successful the more I stay organized. I have seen

some teachers without a paper on their desk and others that have them scattered all over and I

could see it was easier without papers all over the place. I have started working on my

organization already durning these first few months of school and I can tell that it is getting

better, but I still want to more organized. Sometimes I think my mom is too organized, but I have

learned when she needs something it is very easy to find and she doesn’t have to dig through a

pile of papers.

The intrinsic rewards will be seeing the children learn and succeed in the classroom and

feeling like I have made a difference in someones life. All I want to do is help children because I

saw many students struggle in school and if I could help students not struggle like some of my

peers did I will feel successful. All my life it has been a goal of mine to help change someones

life. Some students have a really hard home life and school can be a get away for them. The
extrinsic rewards will be the salary and benefits from teaching. Even though the salary is not the

best it is still income and teaching provides great benefits, so it evens it out a little bit.

Through life I have figured out that dreams changed and some dreams are not realistic.

My dream career has changed from becoming a doctor to a teacher. I know that I will be a

successful teacher because it is truly a passion of mine. Many people and things have influenced

my decision and led me down the right path. Teaching may not be the highest paying job in the

world, but if you truly enjoy something it does not even feel like a job. Many teachers say they

go to school not work and I think that shows the passion. Teachers are not in it for the money,

they are there for the kids. I know I have chosen the right career and I cannot wait for what my

future holds in teaching.