WHY I BECAME A TEACHER
I struggled throughout middle school and high school with what I wanted to do with my life. There were a couple of ideas I tried throughout high school but none of them ever fit. As I was thinking through my future, I had a breakthrough. My parents forced me to take a certain class in high school every year and I was upset. I really didn’t want to take it and I had a bad attitude going into the class. Within about 2 months, it became one of my favorite classes. It was nothing like I thought it would be and it was all because of one reason: Brother Somerville. He created an amazing classroom environment where we did new and exciting activities all the time. He easily planned his lessons so we played games one day and had a powerful, life changing experience the next. I couldn’t wait to continue taking his class. As I reflected on what I wanted to do when I grew older, I came to the idea that I wanted to have that kind of impact, where a student who hates school or certain classes, was excited to come to mine. At that moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
Despite knowing I wanted to be a teacher, I had to figure out what to teach. I don’t have the patience or drive to teach elementary school so I knew I had to specialize in a certain subject, but which one? While Brother Somerville was my favorite teacher, I knew I didn’t want to teach that subject. I finally figured it out my junior year of high school when I took AP US History with Mrs. Loomis. This was my first honors/AP class and let me tell you, it was HARD! I remember failing my first test in the class and being devastated! I had always done well but this test was way harder than anything had ever been for me! For the first time, history wasn’t just about memorizing names, dates, and places. It was about understanding patterns and how they relate to issues found today. I learned throughout the year how change is stepping stones instead of huge strides. I was forced to analyze, evaluate, and use critical thinking in understanding past events and their relation to today and it was a nightmare. I struggled so much in that class but I loved it! I finally felt I was being challenged and that history was relevant to today. I found the subject I wanted to teach! I wanted to teach the basics of history but also to show students how it can relate to their lives today. It was thanks to this class and my other AP classes that not only had I found my passion for teaching, but I was able to succeed in college when the classes were even harder!