Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher. While I couldn’t have known at that time that I would be here now, I think the younger me would be proud. Now, as a senior spending time in the field as I finish my degree, I couldn’t be more sure that I want to be a teacher.
Let me break down my journey more. Younger Natalie wanted to be a teacher but had no concept of what that would be like, I just knew at that time how much I loved school and how much I respected my teachers. One thing I knew for sure was how much I loved to read. In elementary school, I fell in love with books. I made going to the library a weekly event. Those early reading experiences revealed to me that I was not alone and I could find books to fill gaps in my life. I came to look to books as a distraction and a way to understand life. Books were everything. I would read 60+ books a year at this time.
I continued to love books, but middle school was ultimately one of the most formative times in my life. Middle school was perhaps one of the hardest times and for my future one of the best times. While I had always loved reading, in 7th and 8th grade is when I fell in love with writing. Before that, I had always scored low on writing which dulls my attitude toward it, but this middle school age is when I found my voice in writing. I also had teachers who believed in me and my capabilities in a way I had never had before. In 7th grade, I vividly remember my teacher helping me through paper writing and sharing with me that she thought my paper was well written. Her initial belief in me when I was 13 years old was the first chance I had to feel good about my writing ability.
Just the next year, my view of writing was forever changed. Honestly, my life was forever changed too. My 8th grade English Language Arts teacher was the person who truly inspired me to want to not just be a teacher but specifically an English teacher. He taught me poetry, encouraged my writing, and taught us the importance of writing your passions. He believed in my writing in a way no one ever had (and still very few other people have supported me in the way he did). He would say that I found my voice on my own, but I would say I never would have found it without the classroom and the teacher I found in him. He gave me the space I needed to write what I needed to say. His belief in me from a young age continues to inspire me. He told me at one point that he would be first in line at my book signing someday, and I hold onto that when I doubt my abilities. I am still in contact with him and he recently reiterated that and added that there were some people you know would make an excellent teachers. He said he had that inkling about me. All around he supported me and continues to support me and that means the world to me. He has shaped the view of the teacher I can only hope to be – the kind that believes in students, shapes their knowledge, and inspires them to be their best.
My 8th-grade teacher was not the end of my journey, though he was one of the most influential individuals in my choice to become an English teacher. My love for reading and writing (and learning as a whole) came to an all-time high in high school. English was always my favorite subject. But ultimately again here, it was my teachers that guided me into pursuing teaching today. They continued to believe in me and push me to be my best, even in subjects that I struggled with. Two of my English teachers particularly encouraged my love of discussion and intellectual engagement in texts and changed the way I read forever. One of those teachers gave me the chance to be her teacher’s assistant and to help her plan some lesson ideas for a creative writing class. She showed me a glimpse of behind the scenes in teaching and redefined and solidified that I wanted to teach English. Alongside her, my AP English teacher showed me the power of a trustful teacher that encourages rigor in everything. His class was one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had in writing and reading and was the class that prepared me for college the most.
Shifting into college, I chose my school knowing I wanted to be a secondary English teacher. I remember many people questioning why on earth I would want to teach middle and high school. Whenever asked, I would explain about the teachers that shaped me and believed in me even from 7th grade. Those individuals shaped my future in ways that I could never explain. I hope to pass on to others the support, strength, knowledge, and inspiration they imparted to me.
Now as I spend time in the field in a 7th-grade placement, I know I will never regret my choice to prepare for my career as an English educator. I hope every day that I share with my students the aspects I appreciated and loved about the teachers I just highlighted. I know that the first years will be hard (and things can be challenging now as I learn to navigate teaching for the first time), but I just hope that I can continue reflecting on all the aspects my teachers from before left on me.
This may seem like rambling (and it is a little bit), but I continue to think about the reason I am here now and it would not be without the teachers and learning opportunities I had in middle and high school. Thank you to all those teachers for building on my love of reading and for encouraging me to write. I would not be where I am today without your support!
Thanks for reading!
HCXO,
Natalie