I argue that teaching is one of the most, if not the most important career in our workforce. Teachers are responsible for morphing the next generation. This generation will greatly impact our society, our economy, our political state, and any and all other aspects of our world. My teaching philosophy is that I will firstly commit to guiding and mentoring my students through the social perspective of their lives. Yes, curriculum-based learning/teaching is important for the success of all students, but ensuring that they become productive members of society is far higher on my priority list. Without teaching students how to be socially active and establish social morals, no other form of learning will really matter. How can we expect students to be involved in curriculum-based learning if they don't have the basic social and human skills to function in our world? I will always maintain that I will not only teach my students how to become better learners and thinkers in the academic realm, but I will also teach them how to become compassionate, functional human beings. No matter how well one performs in school, these social and human skills will carry students much further than their academic experiences ever will. The sole purpose of our jobs is to teach children how to become better learners and thinkers, but we are also teaching them how to become better human beings in the process.

My great-grandmother's brother was killed in France during World War ll at just 19 years old. He was drafted into the war and was abruptly displaced from his family farm in the rural area of southeastern Kentucky. 80 years later, my great-grandmother still gets upset when talking about her brother Leon. Although I never knew him, my great-grandmother described him as "a goofy, cheerful guy that I was proud to have as a brother." Seeing my great-grandmother's emotion and sadness as she recalls him, it has made me put myself in her shoes and think about how my life would be changed if one of my brothers was killed while serving our country. I truly admire Leon. He accepted the role of a soldier and left his home for the first time to serve our country, knowing that he may not return home. Unfortunately, in this case, he did not. I think of how lucky I am to be able to live in a country in which so many brave men and women protect my well-being. I think of how Leon died as a hero and the sacrifice he made for our country. Every time I see a person wearing a military uniform, hat, or any other representation of their service, I make sure to properly thank them for their service and give them the respect that they deserve. Many people don't realize the true bravery and dedication it takes to become a soldier and a member of our military forces. Leon has also taught me that I must live life to the fullest, and take advantage of the opportunities and chances I am given that I would regularly take for granted. I wouldn't be able to go to school if it weren't for our military. I wouldn't be able to go shopping. I wouldn't be able to feel confident in my safety. I thank our service members and keep them a bit closer to my heart to honor my Uncle Leon. Although I never knew him, he holds a special place in my life and heart as someone in my family who gave up his life for our country. And for that, I am especially proud of him and his dedication. Although my great-grandmother gets emotional when talking about him, I try to remind her of his great bravery and excellence in upholding his duty and character of defending our country, and his willingness to put himself in danger to protect us common citizens. To my Uncle Leon, I thank you for your service, bravery, and moral character in upholding your role in serving our country.

I've struggled with mental health issues since I was ten years old. It first started as depression, which then led to suicidal ideation, then to depression and anxiety, until finally, I attempted suicide when I was thirteen. My mental health journey is a constant battle, and there are some days where I don't feel like journeying anymore. I was always told growing up that mental health was a "scam", and that there were people who had way worse life circumstances than I. I remember feeling guilty after my suicide attempt that I lived a privileged life, and that there was no reason for me to be feeling the way that I was. Others told me this, too. It has taken me a long time to realize that anybody can struggle with mental health, regardless of their life circumstances. I've gained new relationships, and I've also lost relationships. Some of my relationships got better and closer, and some got worse and we drifted. Everybody is wired differently. Everybody has their own set of opinions and views. Right after my attempt, I was told that nobody could know, only close friends and family. That ended up hurting me in the long run. But for those first three years, I never talked about it or told anyone not because I was scared about what they would think of me, but because I was terrified of my parents or any of my close family finding out. They made me feel like I should have been ashamed, embarrassed even. It wasn't until this past year that I finally began to open up and tell other people that I was close to about my struggles. And it turns out that most of them didn't even look at me differently. They responded with love and support. My parents still do not know that I've told other people around me. Growing up, I was always taught to be silent. If something bad happened to me or somebody else, I was taught to disregard it and put it out of my mind. I still struggle with that today. It's incredibly hard for me to be honest and go into detail about my feelings because I was always told that they didn't matter. I believed that one should be silent about personal emotions. It wasn't until I started going to therapy that I learned the importance of going through events to process my emotions. I remember one specific session where my therapist and I did an activity called "brain-spotting", and it was where you dig back into your forgotten memories that have stemmed into the person you are now. I remember thinking that it was silly and useless at first, but then I came to find out a lot about myself. I learned that the root of my problem was the passing of my Grandpa when I was eight, and I never even connected the two. I am now a firm believer in processing emotions, and sharing with others your struggles and doubts so that you can not only inform them but also gain the support you need from them. My mental health journey has had one benefit: I've been able to help others with their own battles. I feel like I've defeated part of the stigma that surrounds mental health, and I aspire to keep doing that. Mental health is not something to be taken lightly, in fact, it is one of the most important aspects of our being.

Living in a small rural community, I never really understood what roles and services I could take on to better my community. Nobody in town ever seemed to need anything. Whenever something was needed in town, the town workers would quietly take care of it. I grew up in a very conservative town in the middle of Indiana, so I didn't feel like I could offer anything I was passionate about to it. However, I've learned that many people keep their problems to themselves in fear of what others will think or say. I can remember one incident where we had a bad winter storm in my hometown, and the town suffered a mass power outage. A woman reached out on social media, saying that she had a sick daughter, and she was suffering due to the cold weather. She kindly asked if anyone knew of a place where they could stay until the electricity powered back on. The amount of negative backlash that she received was truly heartbreaking and hurtful. One man even went as far as saying that the woman was responsible for her daughter's illness and that she could "figure it out on her own." After that incident, I never saw the woman or her daughter ask for help ever again. What I'm trying to convey is that every community suffers from some kind of hardship, regardless of location, population, wealth, etc. And as members of a community, it is our responsibility to make sure that our fellow citizens are taken care of in a way that allows our community to flourish. I believe that this is an incredibly rare attribute within our society today. When we think of how we can better our community, we think of things like food banks, blood drives, garage sales, etc. Those things are great for the community, but I believe that we need to look deeper. We need to look at the needs of our fellow citizens and create a welcoming, safe space within our community that allows our citizens to be able to present whatever service they may need. Many people fear condemnation and/or judgment for being vulnerable and admitting that they need help, but this shouldn't be the case! I like to reference the 3 E's system. Encourage, Empower, and Excellence. We must encourage each other to come forward when we need help. We need to empower each other to create a better world for each other. Finally, we must encourage and empower each other to strive for excellence within our world.

Children are the most essential and moldable members of our society. We as teachers must inspire, encourage, and uplift them. Unfortunately, children from low-income families and children with cognitive, physical, mental, etc. disabilities don't always receive this. That's why I'm using my voice and passion to extinguish these barriers, and give all children a chance at learning and leading good lives. Children in general, but especially children with disabilities, has always been my niche and passion. I can remember as a little girl in elementary school feeling sad for the other children in the Life Skills classroom when they were made fun of by both students and teachers. Whenever I hear a story on the news about the mistreatment and/or discrimination against children with disabilities, I feel angry and it inspires me all the more to make a difference in their lives. I have had much exposure to children with disabilities, including those in my own family and friends. I also have worked with disabled children through my work associated by my church. I have much compassion and ambition to drive these children into becoming their best selves, despite whatever disability they may have. I am constantly doing research on disabled children and how they can best be educated and cared for. Every child deserves a chance to learn and flourish into themselves, and I want to be the one who inspires them to do that. I plan on attending a 4-year college institute, and majoring in Special Education and minoring in Child and Adolescent Development. After my 4-year training, I plan to go on to get my Master's in additional education alongside Special Education. Currently, I am a junior in high school preparing for my senior year in the fall. During my senior year, I plan to take Principles of Teaching, and Pre-Facilitating, which is a class through the Life Skills program that allows me to work with high school-aged children with special needs. This summer, I am planning to volunteer at a Vacation Bible School Day Camp, which will include children from all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. I hope that through this essay I have shown my true passion and ambition for children with disabilities, and children in general. My voice can be used to boost others, in this case children with disabilities to have a chance to learn and flourish. Children, regardless of ability, background, race, financial status, etc. deserve that chance.