Why do you want to become a teacher?

That is a question that has been asked of me

many times. My initial response would be “because I enjoy interacting with other people and
teaching them about history”. Upon deeper reflection however, I find that I like making a
difference in people’s lives. I have witnessed on several occasions the change a teacher can make
for a student. They are individuals that serve as a role models by inspiring students to work hard
and persevere in times of crisis. Teachers guide their pupils along the path of learning and help
prepare them to become adults. That is the major role in which I aspire to be. There is one
significant event that inspired me to pursue this career. During one discussion on our Social
Studies class our instructor Mr. Miranda assigned us a project on how we would as Americans
would educate people in other countries on what the United States was and what it means to be
Americans. At first, I struggled with the assignment because I thought “American is being me as
always and everything that I know”. I didn’t really understand until I realized that I would most
likely be teaching people something they would not understand. so, I formed my lesson on more
of the ideals of the country and how they were able to relate to those ideals of other countries.
Finding common ground as well as finding something unique about others, I came to understand
what it meant to teaching other people. When I presented my lesson to the class Mr. Miranda
commended my work and told me that it is vital for a successful teacher to connect with the
students in order to teach them effectively.
I would like to prepare any prospective students I may have in the future by having them
learn the proper skills that they will need once they graduate. What students learn in school is
important, however there are other vital skills that are necessary to know as adults. As an adult I
have come to realize that there are subjects that are being overlooked in the educational system.
This includes knowing the regulations on purchasing or renting a home, the process on setting up
accounts in a bank or other financial entities and completing paperwork for the IRS. If we
prepare our students for these situations before they graduate their chances of success will be
greater. Another goal will be to have the students understand their importance as people and
their abilities to shape the world around them. What I hope to accomplish is to inspire them into
acknowledging that they are each unique individuals with their own personalities, opinions, and
dreams. They each have the capability and opportunity to achieve what they want in life and
potentially will be making decisions that can change the world.
I will create an inviting atmosphere for the students, so they feel that they are welcome,
and their safety and education are the primary goal of the school. For many students the
classroom becomes a refuge from the problems they may face off school grounds. Learning
about the students’ personalities and capabilities is essential so I can build the scaffolds that are
necessary to support our pupils’ educative development. Every student is different from one
another so different methods are needed to ensure everyone is given proper guidance to help
them learn. I will use the textbook as a starting point for my lessons while offering other
complementing and counter narratives from different sources so that students will learn not only
the material that are presented to them but learn to investigate for themselves to discover new
information and develop their own analysis and comprehension of history. Project Based
Learning will become an integral part of the curriculum. By combining the information presented
in the lessons with using real world problems that effect our community the students will be able
to see the material they learn in class is relevant to them and they can use this knowledge outside
of the classroom setting.