Why I Want to be a Teacher
Running Head: WHY I WANT TO BE A TEACHER
Why I Want to be a Teacher
Darcy Lepper
The Robert B. Miller College
Education 301 Introduction to Education
Tonya Washington
March 7, 2008
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Why I Want to be a Teacher
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For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to get into teaching as a career. The
decision stems not from the monetary gains or the lack of work in the summer, but from the
experience that I have had from my own previous teachers. Every single teacher that I have had
has influenced my decision, good or bad. Within my many years as a student, I have came in
contact with all kinds of different teachers, some extremely good, some extremely bad, and many
in between. As strange as it may seem, I have been influenced by all of the teachers I have had
and observed. The bad teachers I have had have influenced me to become a teacher because I
want to be better than them: I don’t want other students to have the same experience, so the bad
teachers have influenced me to want to be a better teacher than they were. The good teachers
that I have had have influenced me to become a teacher that would live up to their standards: a
teacher that would make them proud.
When I was in the first grade, I had one of the most amazing and inspiring teachers of my
school years. Her classroom was always fun and interesting to go to and learning was always
sure to take place. As long ago as that class seems to be to me, I can still remember so much of
it because of all the wonderful things she taught to me. She always instilled knowledge within
her students, even when they didn’t know they were learning. She definitely had a passion for
teaching and had found her niche when she chose it for her career. I can remember, in my firstgrade teacher’s classroom, always learning through experimenting with our hands on the project.
She would have us use our senses to completely understand the object. She would never just tell
us something and expect us to learn and remember it; we would always discover for ourselves
what she was teaching us. She made me want to be just like her and touch the lives of my own
students.
Aside from having wonderful teachers who influenced my decision to become a teacher,
Why I Want to be a Teacher
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my love for children is another aspect. I have always been enchanted at the lives of children and
I want to be a part of their journeys. I want to interact with them and forever alter their lives in a
positive way. I want to help them when they need it, rejoice with them during their triumphs,
and make a positive change in their lives. In my experience as a student, I have seen a student
actually be saved by their teacher. The student was on very dangerous path and the teacher
intervened slowly and overall changed the outcome of that student’s life. If I can be the
difference in one student’s life then I know that my destiny will have been fulfilled. I want to
teach because it is simply my purpose in life.
The beginning of the year 2007 was a hard time in my life and it left me questioning
whether or not I really wanted to be a teacher. I even went as far as changing my major to
nursing and spending a semester enrolled in that program. However, early on in the program, I
realized that nursing wasn’t a career for me and I took the summer off of school and gave myself
time to contemplate my path. I soon realized that there was nothing in my future career except
teaching. When the fall semester started, I enrolled back into the teaching program and had
actually accumulated enough credits to become a substitute teacher. The first day that I had to
sub, I was a nervous wreck. However, the minute that I walked into the classroom and saw
twenty eager little faces, I knew that I had to finish my degree and become a teacher.
Teaching as a career has always been what I have wanted to do with my life. When I first
started college, I wanted to teach high school but as my years of college progressed, my focus
shifted from higher grade levels to elementary classrooms. I love the enthusiasm that elementary
students have for school and learning in general. Being there to experience that with them and
guide them along is why I want to teach. I can’t wait to get my degree and be able to start
teaching!