I want to be the teacher I needed when thought I was not smart enough. I did not like the first grade. It was the first year that learning was no longer enjoyable; it had turned into a job. I remember the teacher warning the class that if we did not do the worksheet given to us in the time allotted, we would have to remain inside during recess until the work was completed. This was also relevant if our work was imperfect. The teachers' objective was to eliminate one of the most valuable times of the day for a young child's development, based on their ability to complete a worksheet at a specific speed. It was the first time I noticed I was behind the rest of the class. I struggled for the entire year, giving it my all but gradually submitting to defeat. Since I wasn't as fast as my peers, I believed that I wasn't intelligent. Day after day, I was held behind at recess to finish or correct my morning worksheets. I started to assume I was a lousy student because only the bad children were denied recess. After the first grade, it took a lot of outstanding educators to repair the consequences of one bad school year. When given the time and resources I needed to further my education, I discovered that I was a fantastic student. I did not learn until I was an adult that my first-grade teacher believed I wasn't ready for the second grade during my first year. In less sugar-coated terms, she thought that I failed the first grade. She didn't want to consider that it was her responsibility as a teacher to meet her student's different needs. So, she was the one who failed. Today, I understand that holding me back would have negatively impacted my development. My mother, a kindergarten teacher from a different school, had insisted that I was more than capable. She saw past the examinations that only revealed a student's speed and accuracy. She was well aware of my ability to make connections and solve problems. My mother became the anchor in my life who taught me that I wasn't a bad student. She showed me that I was just a different type of learner than the other students. Growing up, I realized the effect that teachers' have when they do not understand the needs of one student. I am determined to become the teacher I needed when I thought I was too slow to learn. I will empower children in understanding how they learn and how it might be different. Learning is most rewarding when it's engaging and fun rather than a burden to be completed or avoided. My ultimate goal is that one day I can guide my future students to uncover their own needs to fulfill their own goals and desires to succeed in learning. I want to be a part of shaping the next generation of lifelong learners.