First of all, I will just say that I am a Jehovah's Witness. I was also brought up as a Jehovah's Witness when I was a child. It would be an understatement to say my religion is different from most others. In fact, it is very different. As a child, I was constantly reminded of this difference, being surrounded by students and teachers who did not share my family's beliefs. I have endured ridicule from students, but that is expected. What was a surprise was the ridicule from most of the teachers. However, there was one year that stood out to me. I was put in a teacher's class in about the fourth grade, who handled things differently than the other teachers. Her name was Mrs. Turner. She would have regular classroom discussions about my beliefs and why I believed that way. We would also talk about the other student's beliefs, but since I stood out, the focus was mostly there. She was careful to keep the conversations respectful from all sides. Even though she did not personally agree with my views, she wanted everyone to understand that not everyone will think and believe alike. It wasn't just myself; she also did this for another student who was Jewish. Mrs. Turner would always take advantage of any opportunity she had to have a classroom discussion throughout the year. Fast forward a few years, and Mrs. Turner was also my seventh-grade teacher. I can't say that I was shocked when she called on me to once again to explain my religion and beliefs to the class. Although it was nerve-racking, it helped break barriers between myself and other students. She explained why she did it and promised to have more discussions about our differences and similarities. She kept her promise. The experiences in Mrs. Turner's classroom gave me an example of how all teachers should be. We should not just teach students to be respectful of others, but we should model this behavior for them. Mrs. Turner stood out in my mind as a good experience in a sea of bad ones. I knew that I wanted to be the same kind of teacher. Mrs. Turner motivated me to be the kind of teacher that I knew the educational system needed. This is what drove me to be the first person in my family to go to college. The first step is to become a teacher.