Why I Want To Be A Teacher

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~ E.E. Cummings.

I remember my first day of school—the tears on my mother’s face, Minnie Mouse on my little backpack, big hugs, and colossal amounts of anxiety, pride, and hope. A tree made out of papier-mâché and construction paper, held up by a concrete pole, stood in the middle of the classroom. Little parrots made out of cotton balls and feathers sat around the room. Bulletin boards filled with colorful charts and pictures decorated every wall. And Mrs. Ramirez stood in front of the chalkboard wearing her jungle animal-print vest and a puppet named George the Giraffe on her hand. I remember all of the fresh, new, exciting details of that place and all of the little faces surrounding mine, lit with awe and wonder. Still, what I remember more than anything else is how the whole experience felt. It felt enchanted, like a far-away land from some chapter in a fantasy book. Yes, that is what I remember most: the magic.

That classroom and the many I have entered since were places of possibility, places of hope and anticipation. Mrs. Ramirez taught her Kindergarten class silly dance moves choreographed to songs about jungle animals, math games played with “barrels of monkeys,” and handwriting and reading amidst George the Giraffe’s inspiration. Mrs. Groty turned her fourth grade classroom into a one-room schoolhouse to teach California history. During one lesson, her award winning science curriculum made the multi-purpose room feel like a space station and her students like astronauts completing important scientific tasks for NASA. The fifth grade came to life when Mr. Downey allowed his students to end each day sitting atop desks, singing along to his guitar musical numbers. He was famous around campus for his Jeopardy games and shoebox dioramas which prepared the class for upcoming history tests. And while teaching her 7th graders the differences between various poetry meters, Ms. Kridler incorporated motions, claps and jumping patterns to mirror the distinctive rhythms and help her students remember each poem type.

In the classroom, amidst the smell of pages of books, and the excitement for a place where anything was possible, I also developed a love of understanding new subjects, problem-solving, and learning and explaining new concepts. The true magic lay in discovering just what I would learn next, how the little mysteries of the world were solved, and my teachers’ contagious excitement for the topic and their confidence in what I could accomplish. It’s no wonder that shortly into my schooling career, I could answer the age-old question that is asked of every little boy and girl, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” with a simple two word answer: “a teacher.” I knew from those first years, that I wanted to make a magical world of learning come to life for children, to be the one who would not only prepare their minds, but their spirits too, with an excitement and love for learning.

Unfortunately, as my own love for learning and knowledge was fostered by countless teachers, I began to appreciate various areas of academia and my once solid resolution to become a teacher wavered as I was introduced to other fields of study and career options, and in turn, to all the other possibilities of who and what I could be. I never doubted my love for children or my desire to help them change their world, but I began listening to others instead of my own heart. Told I was a good writer, I thought of becoming a journalist. Encouraged when others saw my sympathetic heart, listening ear, and helpful words of advice, I considered psychology. I took classes and spent a lot of time pursuing only little threads that helped make up the whole me. Eventually I realized the truth, while I do love to write (and will probably always play with the written word as a hobby) and enjoy mentoring young people through their hardships, I want to be a part of the “shaping” process, not just the “telling” or “fixing” stages. Teaching fulfills the whole of who I am, and not just the little parts that make me unique. I want to be an every-day influence in a child’s life, offering a constant source of that encouragement and assistance all children need. And I look forward to helping create smart, curious, life-long learners in the children I will someday teach.

Although it wasn’t until recently that I made this firm decision to pursue my career in teaching, I can now see the strands of my life being woven into that specific tapestry all along. As a child, I loved to play “school” with my playmates. As a young adolescent, I was eager to help my mother teach my much younger sister to read using her phonics books. I tutored younger students throughout high school and college and even created a “camp” for my sister and her two friends whose parents worked during the summer of 2007. The “curriculum” I shaped for my Camp Restore included: cooking classes, science experiments, arts and crafts, constructive journaling and a book club, involving the reading and discussion of a historical fiction novel revolving around the rise of the Roman Empire. I surprised many of my peers when I didn’t apply for the Editor-in-Chief position at my school newspaper during my senior year of undergraduate coursework. Although I held seniority at the paper having previously been a staff and senior writer as well as the News Editor, I opted to work with younger writers as a Writing Coach instead. In the workplace, I am the first to offer to train new hires and always ask follow-up questions in team meetings to make sure others grasp the fullness of any instruction given. Even in my family and social life, my loved ones will be the first to call me “Teacher Whitney” as I always emphasize following directions, listening carefully, playing fairly, and sharing with others, as well as the importance of proper visual aids and the necessity of learning something in every situation.

Once I understood teaching is at the core of all that I am as a person, I began pursuing a career in elementary education, eager to foster a love for learning and excellent academic skills of those in the early to middle childhood years. As a previous Journalism major, my love for the written word, and the opportunities it provides to those who have the skills to unleash it, is consummately bound to all that I hope to achieve as a teacher. I plan to both build upon the base already set and lay a foundation other teachers will continue to develop in all aspects of learning, but especially in those areas that will help youth open the doorways of the opportunities reading and writing will provide. The knowledge I have gained regarding the importance of early and middle childhood development and early education coupled with my own experiences as a student only further cement my resolve to work with young children in developing the basic skills that will fuel their learning capabilities as well as the person they will eventually become.

It is clear my teachers played a distinct role in my development as a person, as well as in my education. As a future educator, I hope to follow their example and assist developing young minds discover their potential. The quote by E.E. Cummings at the beginning of this essay, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are,” is aptly stated. Its truth resonates with my journey, but also with the teachers who helped me learn “who I really am.” My teachers made the discovering of myself, and the world in which I live, an exciting expedition. By the end of my time in this program, I aim to create a “magical” classroom where children can discover their minds and their world, so they too someday have the courage to fully be themselves, whoever they may be.