My drive to become a teacher comes from two places. First, is my love of kids and working with them. I started volunteering with my mom at our church when I got into high school. We teach preschool aged kids about God through very short lessons - but before and after the lessons we connect with the kids. We have play time and we learn how to play together, share with each other and be kind to one another. We have snack time and we learn how to pray before our meal, how to serve others by passing snacks down and how to clean up after ourselves. I hear about their home lives, I learn their favorite colors and toys and I genuinely enjoy interacting with them in every way. Being a teacher would allow me to interact with kids every day. Everyone always says to find a job that you love, so you never feel like you're working. I know that being a teacher is not an easy job - but I also know that my love for working with kids will make it feel less like a job and more like something I want to do, and enjoy doing. Second, I want to be the kind of teacher that brings back that joy / spark of learning. I have always loved learning about new things and about how things worked and I want other students to feel that same way. School has become a bad thing to students, something they dread doing and don't look forward to. I want to change that. I want to create a learning environment that makes the students excited to come back the next day, a reason to get up out of bed and want to learn. Not only will they be learning new things that I'm teaching them but I too will be learning right beside them and working through things. I want to do fun and helpful activities that the students remember, comprehend and retain instead of information that they just memorize for a test and then forget it all. I want to teach to create a better and more positive environment for students, not tearing them down over something they didn't do right or didn't finish. Learning is not always easy, but everyone learns their own way and at their own pace and that's what I will advocate for. The point of being a teacher is to encourage learning for young minds to grow and for the students to become smarter for their future. Teaching means everything to me. This is because of all the teachers I have had in my years as a student. Teachers that I have loved being with and teachers that I have disliked have taught me that there is not just one right way of teaching. Every teacher has to go through challenges and hurdles in order to figure out what works best for them and their classroom - and I look forward to that challenge.

Have you ever had a teacher you just didn't like? I feel so guilty saying that I didn't like a teacher because I want to be one, but it's true. It might not be for the reason that you think. I don't dislike some teachers because they just don't like me and are definitely just giving me bad grades because they want to see me fail, but because some teachers have just lost the spark of learning and being a teacher. I want to be that teacher to bring back that joy / spark of learning. I have always loved learning about new things and about how things worked and I want other students to feel that same way. School has became a bad thing to students, something they dread doing and don't look forward to. I want to change that. I want to create a learning environment that makes the students excited to come back the next day, a reason to get up out of bed and want to learn. Not only will they be learning new things that I'm teaching them but I too will be learning right beside them and working through things. I want to do fun and helpful activities that the students remember, comprehend and retain instead of information that they just memorize for a test and then forget it all. I want to teach to create a better and more positive environment for students, not tearing them down over something they didn't do right or didn't finish. The point of being a teacher is to encourage learning for young minds to grow and for the students to become smarter for their future. Teaching means everything to me, I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. This is because of all the teachers I have had in my years as a student. Teachers that I have loved being with and teachers that I have disliked have taught me that there is not just one right way of teaching. Every teacher has to go through challenges and hurdles in order to figure out what works best for them and their classroom. This goes for sports as well. I play on the varsity girls soccer team for my high school and I volunteer as an assistant coach for an AYSO U8 boys soccer team. Being involved in these opportunities has shown me that no matter what, we are better as a team. No one can do everything on their own, we all need to work together. I'm not going to be a teacher to never make mistakes or because it's "easy" I'm going to be a teacher because I know it won't be. I want to show my students that no matter what, I will be there for them and I am determined to teach them and have them learning everything they need to by the end of our school year, together. I am determined to create and give them a learning environment that will make them want to come back and learn more. To be the best version of themselves and to not give up because something feels too hard. Because we are a team and we are all there to help once another and to lift each other up, not tear each other down. Learning is not easy, but it wasn't made to be. Everyone learns their own way and at their own pace and that's what I will advocate for.