As an education major, I am no stranger to the discouraging remarks that come from picking such an underappreciated career path. I hear it all the time: “Ew I could never be a teacher,” or my personal favorite: “You know teachers don’t make any money right?” I see the faces people make when they ask my major; it is as if they are disappointed in me or feel worried for me. I have heard the words “you are going to be just a teacher?” more times than I can count. Truthfully, I could not imagine being anything other than a person who “just” changes lives.
As a future teacher, it feels ironic to admit that I hated school. I simply did not do my work because I did not care. The result was a below average GPA of 2.6 paired with my self worth also being below average. I felt defeated by my academics. I never believed I was capable of doing well in school, but now I have a 3.8 GPA, and for the first time, I am proud of my academic achievements. I will not discredit my hard work- I got to this point because I pushed myself. I did not get here on my own, however; I attribute much of my success in school and in life to my past teachers. I had three teachers that I will always remember and be grateful for: Mr. Olson, Mr. Lemke, and Mr. Gerber. They used to pull me out in the hallway (usually after i had missed an assignment) to tell me how much potential I had. I hated that word, though, because it was hard to hear; I did not believe it, but now I can see how true that was. For the first time, I feel like I have lived up to my potential.
No matter how many times I gave up on myself they never gave up on me. That unconditional support and encouragement is what got me here, just two years away from graduating and beginning my own teaching career. I hope to do for another student what they did for me: I hope to help someone not only fall in love with school, but more importantly, for them to feel like there is someone in their corner. I hope to be the role model and support system that I so desperately needed and fortunately found within my past teachers. I hope to be a Mr. Olson, Mr. Lemke, and Mr. Gerber for my future students.
Teachers have the power to completely change the projection of their students’ lives, and I truly feel like that is what my teachers did for me. This is exactly what I hope to do one day. I know that I am meant to help people- that I am destined to build a career around my empathy for others and desire to make a positive impact on someone’s life. I know that I am destined to be “just” a teacher.