I always wanted to be a teacher. When I was little, the reason was because my mom was one. Over time, this morphed into an actual desire to teach and educate the future generations of our society. Eventually, I found my calling to be an algebra teacher and have fully decided that is the path I want to take. Why? And how? Imagine this: you are fourteen years old, and a new student in a very unfamiliar world. You try talking to people, get "your feet wet," per se. But nobody is really taking the time to get to know you. They already have plenty of friends, why do they need more? However, one teacher reaches out to you. She notices you don't really talk to anyone in her fourth period algebra class. She's kind and friendly, and asks how your day goes every day. She makes you feel worth it, an individual, a person. This teacher is more than just a friend to you. You start to notice she's more than a teacher. She's a tutor. She takes the students aside that struggle with the math she assigns. She doesn't move on in the lesson until everyone understands. She doesn't just assign homework, she gives everyone access to tools and websites that provide extra help if needed. Your fellow classmates "dislike" her class just because it's math, but deep down, everyone loves the teacher. Ultimately, the teacher unlocks your potential. She notices you excel in her class. You don't need the extra help, some of the time you are the one helping other students while the teacher is busy. She encourages you to keep pursuing mathematics and to help others when she can't. Math, in general, is a hard subject. For some people, it clicks right away. But for others? Math is borderline impossible. You start to learn there is more to teaching to providing information, it's to help your students grow. Being an educator takes special people who know the subject and know everyone learns differently. This is why I want to be a teacher. Not just any teacher, but one that cares. One who takes the time to make sure every student feels noticed, that they count. One who provides the means to help the struggling to understand. I want to be just like my freshman algebra teacher. She impacted me in more ways than I'll ever be able to fully comprehend, and in more ways than one. This is what it means to be a teacher.

We've been told since the beginning of our lives to become "problem solvers" - but where does one begin with that? Say you're five years old, and you're walking into your kindergarten class for the first time. Besides the fun colors of the walls and the yummy snack the teacher provided for the class, you start to learn. The teacher leads the whole class counting from one to ten. Years pass, and you find out these numbers add up - or even subtract - to equal other numbers. Even better, numbers can be multiplied or divided. Numbers even can be split in half, becoming fraction or decimal points - are they the same thing? In middle school, letters are added to these math problems. What does x equal? A number, you just have to find it. Senior year, in the middle of your Dual Enrollment Algebra class, you're solving problems and equations that even just a few years ago would be too complicated for you to figure out. However, one thing never changes - numbers are still involved. You might be wondering "Where is this writer going with this?" Math has been there for us since we stepped foot into school for the first time. It builds upon itself. Whether you realize it or not, some concepts that you use in your senior year math class were concepts you learned all the way back in kindergarten. The world's greatest minds are those who if it wasn't for their first math class, they probably wouldn't be where they are today. How does this matter to us? Without math, we would not have the technology, the medicine, or the buildings that we have today. Math is making our lives better day by day, year by year, century by century. The sick, businesses around the world, and those in need of a home and places to stay would be lost without the math used to create the solutions to save and give them a meaning here in life. Something so small as the number one is just the figure used to improve and help those in need. Whether you like the subject or not, math is a foundation for the world and a universal language necessary to keep everyone and everything going in life. This might seem like an over-exaggeration, but everything I'm telling you today is 100% true. Is math helping you in your life?