when i was little, i use to play teacher with my beanie babies. or i would set up my school in the play room and make my brother and his friends be my students. according to my brother, i was the meanest teacher ever. (i'm not gonna lie though, i really was lol). i was strict. i yelled. and i had a lot of rules. i didn't take any crap from him. and i graded all his papers really harshly. no wonder my brother was scared of me and dreaded when i would say, "hey ryan, let's play school!" lol
but in all seriousness, i have never considered doing anything else with my life. i have always wanted to be a teacher. i don't really know why i picked that profession because i don't come from a teaching family. and i wanted to be a teacher even before i started school. but of course, once i started school, i wanted to become a teacher even more.
i'm taking my very first elementary education class this semester. and so far, i absolutely love it! our very first assignment was to write a short essay about our memories from school and what made us want to become a teacher. so i thought i would share part of it with you...
Ms. Berfett was my second grade teacher; she was petite, had short blonde hair, wore bright eccentric clothes, and was an older lady. She was welcoming and understanding and I felt very comfortable around her. She made me break out of my shell that year. In October of that school year, I was outside doing homework with my dog tied up to the tree. She broke her leash and ran off so my mom and I cased after her. Unfortunately, it was too late. She had met her match with the UPS Truck and it devastated me. That dog had been with me my entire life. My mom sent me into school the next day with a note explaining why my homework wasn’t done and why I had a picture of a dog that I wouldn’t let out of my sight. I cried a lot that day, and many of the other students didn’t really understand what was wrong. Instead of having recess that day, I sat with Ms. Berfett and told her all about my dog. She understood that students had a life outside of school and that the way our outside life was going would effect how well we did inside of school. Her compassion and willingness to listen was really what triggered my thoughts of possibly becoming a teacher. She was the only one outside of my family that I could talk to about this tragic event that I felt like understood me. And for that, I am eternally grateful. I want to help children the same way she supported me and helped me in a difficult situation. so that's basically when i had no doubt in my mind that i wanted to be a teacher. of course as school went on, there were even more teachers i encountered that made me say, "yeah i want to be like her or him." or "i really like the way they did this. i should keep that in mind for when i teach." or "remind me to never do that when i'm a teacher."
when the time came to apply for colleges, i only applied to three because they were the only 3 teaching schools i wanted to get into... Appalachian, UNC Charlotte, and of course, NC State. Appalachian and UNC Charlotte both have an established teaching program and i was very honored to have been accepted to both. i decided to take a chance on NC State though. when i entered as a freshman, it was only the second year state had it's elementary education program. NC State was the school i pulled for ever since i went to a basketball game in third grade. for whatever reason, i fell in love with the wolfpack (i was the only one in my household. everyone else was a blue devil. yuck! lol) so that's why i decided on state. but so far, i'm not regretting my choice at all.
but of course i worry about the future. i love my mom, i really do. but as many of you know, we don't have a very good relationship. it's been getting better, but there are still some tough spots. and one of our argumentative points is the idea that i'm going into teaching and that's the ONLY thing i've ever considered doing. she has told me on many occasions that i should make sure to have a back up plan because she doesn't believe teaching was my best choice. and there have been times where she's tried to talk me out of it... "you'll have to get a second job because you can't support yourself with the salary." or "you don't have the patience to be a teacher that will be successful." things of that nature.
funny thing is though that she's the only one i have ever gotten reservations from. everyone else that gets to know me and see me interact with children or even just gets to know my personality can say they see why i went into education. and that makes me feel confident in my decision. but it does suck that i feel like i don't have the support from my mother.
so i can't help but wonder, is mom right? will i not succeed? i don't always have a great deal of patience, and that's one of the most important qualities in teaching. and what if i really am a mean teacher? what if my students don't like me? and if i don't succeed, what the heck am i going to do with the rest of my life? i've never wanted to do anything else. i don't think i have the disciple to start from scratch.
there are a lot of what if's and they are always in the back of my mind. but right now, i am going to be a teacher. and i may not be the best teacher, but practice will make me a great teacher. this is what i've wanted to do my whole life. if i put my mind to it, i will be successful. it may be a bit of a struggle my first few years, but i know i will get the hang of it. and it will be the greatest experience of my life.
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