Submitted via a video link.

There are two primary influences that have made me pursue a career in education. My first, and primary reason to pursue a career in the field, is because of my mom. My mom has been working in a preschool for over fifteen years and always tells me about how her students impact and affect her. She mentions the hardships of having to teach and nurture toddlers, but I know she cares and loves each child in her classroom like one of her own. She has told me time and time again to not do anything in the educational field, as she believes that teachers are underpaid and overworked, but I still want to do it anyways. She has helped make it one of my lifelong dreams to be just like her.My second reason is every teacher that I have had throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Though there are dozens of them, I can safely say that each educator did their job with such passion and cared for me as a child and as a person, not just as a student. Some of my teachers have helped me with issues beyond the classroom. My first grade teacher, Mrs. George, always asked how my day was as I was waiting to be picked up. My middle school history teacher Mr. Menke has taught me lessons I will never forget. My yearbook advisor, Mrs. Van Petten, and I have discussed everything under the sun, and we have both taught each other so many things over the past two years. People like Mrs. Aeschliman and Mrs. Moses have helped me hone in on what I want to do after high school, which is to help students just how they have helped me. That is truly what it comes down to. I want to help influence the next generation of students with the same passion and love that I have received throughout my entire academic career. I want them to understand concepts I teach them, to feel safe in my classroom, and to know that they can come to me about anything in the world. I want them to talk to me about whatever is on their mind, whether it be something their interested in, a rundown of how they played their last game, or them coming for advice. I want their trust, and in return, I will give them my focus and care.

I love movies. I can name dozens of movies that have impacted my life in more ways than I can explain; however, one of these movies is nearer to my heart than any other. A Silent Voice (2016) is a Japanese animated drama film that I watched for the first time when I was twelve years old. I couldn’t tell you how I found it. I wasn’t interested in dramas at the time; I barely watched anime or any animated movies for that matter, and it was in a different language. I might have just been bored with nothing else to watch during quarantine. Whatever the reason, watching A Silent Voice changed me. The plot begins with the characters in elementary school, where the boy Shoya cruelly bullies a deaf girl named Shoko. Over a few years, the two go their own separate ways, but Shoya is consumed by the guilt of how he made her feel at such a young age. He becomes lonely and withdrawn from everyone at school, but one day he runs into Shoko, and he decides to try and make things right. What connected me with this movie is how I could relate to the feeling of remorse and shame. When I was in elementary school, there was a girl in my school who was kind, smart, and loved by everyone, but for whatever reason, I would go around and say rude things about her. She never provoked me, and she wasn’t rude to me; I just did it to be mean. I remember, though, hearing how she felt when she heard the things I said about her, and it hurt me more than I can explain. I learned at that moment the extent of how painful words could be. Until then, I always thought bullying was exclusively physical, and I did not know the detrimental effects words can have on your mental health. I knew immediately that I had done wrong, and I vowed to myself to never do anything like that again. Watching this movie was like watching myself feel shame for what I had done to somebody innocent, watching me have a change of heart, yet keep still tearing myself apart for something I cannot undo. It helped me realize that, yes, I did do something wrong, and I hurt someone, but that in life it is never too late to try to be better. It is something that influences everything we do. We always want to be better at a certain subject, or improve our technique in our favorite sport, or learn a new song on an instrument, but it’s something that doesn’t happen without effort. Nothing in life is given; we must put in time and effort to improve. Whether it’s relationships, skills, or mental health, A Silent Voice taught me that it is impossible to improve without putting forth the effort to do so.