(Prompt 3: Who had the most profound impact in your life to encourage you to work in education?) When I saw this prompt, I didn’t even have to think twice. The person who had the biggest impact on me and made me want to work in education is my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Cluff. I’ve had a lot of teachers throughout my life, but no one has ever come close to what she did for me and my siblings. She didn’t just teach me math or reading — she literally changed my life. In 5th grade, things at home were really bad. I didn’t talk about it at school because I didn’t really know how to explain it, and I didn’t think anyone would care or believe me. But somehow, Mrs. Cluff noticed. She saw something in me that most people didn’t take the time to look for. She cared enough to report what was going on, and because of her, my siblings and I were taken out of that home. At the time, it was super scary and confusing. I didn’t understand exactly what was happening, just that everything was suddenly changing. But now that I’m older, I know how important that moment was. If she hadn’t spoken up, I honestly don’t know where we’d be now. She stepped in when we really needed someone, and I will always be grateful for that. That same year, I met my best friend who’s still in my life over ten years later. It’s funny how everything felt like it was falling apart, but also how some of the most important parts of my life came together in that same classroom. School became the one place I felt safe, and Mrs. Cluff made it that way. Her classroom was warm and fun and full of learning, but more than that, it was full of care. She didn’t treat us like just students she had to get through the year with. She treated us like people. And she made every kid in that class feel important. She had this way of paying attention to the little things, remembering what we liked, checking in when we were quiet, and encouraging us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves. Even after I left her class, she still cared. Years later, she came to my high school graduation. Seeing her there honestly meant so much. She didn’t have to show up, but she did. She’s still teaching today, even into her 60s, which just shows how much she truly loves what she does. She’s the kind of teacher who was clearly made for it, and being around that made me want to become someone like that too. Now that I’m in college studying Elementary Education, I think about her all the time. I want to be that kind of teacher for someone else. I want my classroom to feel safe the way hers did. I want to be the person who notices when something’s wrong and steps in, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. I know how big of a difference it can make, because it made one for me. Mrs. Cluff probably doesn’t even realize the full impact she had on my life, but I hope one day I can do for a student what she did for me. That’s the whole reason I want to be a teacher, to show up for kids the way she showed up for me.