Greta Hahn

Bell 3A

Why I Want to be a Teacher

As I anxiously waited at the door for my mother, I knew I could not be late for

school. Double-checking to make sure I had all the materials I needed to be prepared

for the day ahead of me, I couldn’t wait to start the day. I dragged my mom by her pinky

finger into the brick building. She was dropping me off for another day in kindergarten.

Growing up as a teacher’s daughter, the school environment has become my home and

I am very comfortable in school. I want to become a teacher because I want to give

students the best possible experience in school and make them as comfortable as I was

in school.

Teaching runs in my family. My father has been a high school teacher for 25

years. For as long as I can remember, I jumped at any chance I could to go to school

with him. In his eyes, he was dragging me along for work- whether getting his classroom

ready in the summer or taking me in for a day when I was “homesick.” I enjoyed every

second of it, knowing that this is what I want to do when I grew up.

Every holiday when my family comes together, I am able to see all the different

aspects of education. My aunt is a first-grade teacher, my uncle is the Superintendent

for Gloucester County Schools and a former principal, and my other aunt is a retired

biology teacher, as well as a former curriculum specialist for James City County

Schools. There are always conversations about different educational experiences and

school related memories, and I make sure to always be present and ready to listen.

This has been my experience for as long as I can remember.

 Attending school is always easier when one has relationships with his or her

teachers. All twelve years of my schooling, I have been lucky enough to have made

friendships with my educators: people I can look up to and talk to at any time. I continue

to stay in touch with some of my elementary teachers because they have had such a

positive impact on me. I strive to be the teacher that students can talk to. My goal is for

all children to be comfortable around me and trust me. I hope to be the teacher that my

students continue to talk to when they graduate high school or college.

I want to become a teacher to give back to the community. I hope each one of

my students walks out of my classroom having learned something every day, whether

that be instructional lessons or life lessons. I do not plan to be the teacher that only

shoves information down a student’s throat. From past experiences, I know that is not

effective. I will come into school every morning full of energy to help students learn to

love school as much as I do.

I want to become a teacher to give every student a chance to make school the

best years of their life and to make school their “home.” I want school to be a fond

memory for every student.