Amelia Rogers Assignment 5

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be an elementary school teacher.

I want to be a teacher because I had great teachers. Their lessons will remain with me for life. I had teachers who let me pretend to be the pharaoh of Egypt, dress up like a pioneer, make pudding soil, grow a bean, create my own books. Teachers who unlocked pieces of myself, who helped me do what I thought I couldn’t do. I feel like I have the opportunity and responsibility to try to be that kind of teacher. It scares me a lot, to have that kind of responsibility. I know when I get to college, my classes won’t be lessons that I can just memorize until I pass the test. Those are the classes that really matter, and I will have to use those lessons to become the best teacher I can be.

I want to be the best teacher for kids. Many people shudder at the idea of trying to manage a room of messy, whiny, unruly children with sticky little kid hands, but to me, a classroom has always been beautiful. Because yes, kids can be wild and dirty and disorderly, but they are also intelligent, innocent, curious, creative, and bold. Being a kid is having a whole life in front of you, a blank slate to be filled with hopes and dreams, successes and failures. Being a kid is awesome, remember? Kids are so inspiring, and watching them learn and grow, knowing that you helped them? That’s special. If I can impact the life or change the future of some kid’s, some person’s blank slate, then how amazing would that be? Teachers have the potential to influence attitudes, open minds, and shape the kids who are the future of our world.

And so, I want to be a teacher because I want to change the world.