Every time I mention that I’m majoring in Elementary education, I get one of the following responses:
“Why would you do that to yourself?”
“Yikes, I don’t have enough patience to do that!”
“You know there’s no money in that, right?”
Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I have heard one of those responses, I could pay my entire college tuition!
After hearing so much negativity about the field, I feel like I should share some of the positive reasons why I want to become a teacher.
- The Kids
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The kids come first. Not just because they are absolutely adorable with their chubby cheeks and energetic personalities, but because they are our future (as cheesy as that sounds). These little humans are going to be taking control of our world someday, and I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a future generation of open-minded, intelligent, and creative minds that can help our world progress rather than a bunch of idiots who still wear velcro on their shoes.
Even though a well-educated future generation is a huge bonus, the personalities of the children are what make me want to be an educator.
Children are young, innocent, and FULL of energy, which means that they are extremely entertaining. They can be crazy creative, investigate their curiosities, and they get excited about everything (well, maybe not naptime). Yes, this sometimes ends up with them drawing on the walls, and eating your favorite cherry-scented lipstick, but it’s all worth it to see their happy (lipstick-stained) smiles.
This fun-loving energy is what I look forward to in my future classroom, since every single day will bring a new and exciting adventure.
- The Theatrics
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As I said earlier, kids get excited about EVERYTHING! Which makes my job a lot more fun. I can be as creative as I want when teaching. I can dress up in costumes and play different characters for different subjects, I can make fun learning games, I can read them stories, I have the freedom to make all the subjects they need to know into fun learning experiences. Basically, I want to be a real-life Ms. Frizzle without the chameleon and magic bus.
And that is my goal, to make learning fun and not a chore. To make learning creative and engaging, not just a lecture with a test afterwards. To help kids learn forever, and not just memorize for a few weeks. And by bringing in theatrics, and of course some other teaching strategies, my goals can be achieved.
- The Influence
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Outside of a child’s home, their teachers and school are a huge influence, which is another reason why I want so badly to become a teacher.
Being a teacher, I will have a real chance to make a positive impact on my students, and that really excites me because I hope to create a bond with all of my students and make sure that each and every one of them feels like they are being cared for.
You know those videos of teachers bonding with their students in a bunch of fun ways? Like having secret handshakes with each kid, or doing fun little dances, and you can just see the joy in each little face? That’s what I want to do. Sure, I may end up looking ridiculous, but any amount of embarrassment is worth making a child feel comfortable and safe in the school environment.
These are only a few of the reasons why I want to become a teacher. It may not pay a lot of money, but it comes with a big reward.