Feeling like a scared Kindergartner, just preparing for the first day of school, I walked in to begin my volunteer experience. But what I thought was going to be the scariest event that I ever experienced, had taken on a new appearance. The feeling of fear, and the silence that accompanied it, was now replaced with the laughter and happiness of children. Walking further into the room, my vision filled with roads, buildings, firemen, and fairy princesses.
Everywhere I turned there was a new adventure. No, I hadn’t arrived at a parade, and I wasn’t approaching a big city either, but nevertheless the place I was in was full of magical dreams and adventures. I had just stepped foot inside a Preschool Center. As I walked around, taking in all of the sites, a four year old boy came up to me, and asked me to help him rebuild his tower. Grasping my hand in his, he led me over to where he had been building with blocks.
Soon, every child wanted my help, or wanted me to see what they had created. I didn’t feel lost anymore, for the first time I felt extremely comfortable. Making letters of the alphabet into arts and crafts, taking playdough and separating it by color and shape, pretending a group of blocks is a castle in a far away land or an airplane ready to take off for a resort destination, all of these things are encountered in a typical day as an elementary school teacher. I am the type of person who loves being creative and loves designing new ways of teaching children basic skills.
I don’t know what first sparked my interest in becoming a teacher; it is just something I had always wanted to do. From the time I was 5 years old, I have wanted to become a teacher. I used to take all of my dolls and stuffed animals and line them up and teach them, I had a white board that I would go to and write on, at first it was colors, then addition and so on, progressing the more I learned. I would even create fake rosters with names on them so I could take attendance and pretend like I was conducting a class. I remember my friends coming over in second grade and we always played school. Sometimes there were multiple teachers; other times it was just me.
I have been told to go into an art career like graphic design, because I am so creative. I have been told that I should become a nutritionist since I want to help people; I would be able to help better lives. I have been told to go into journalism because of my passion for writing. However, when it comes down to it, none of that matters to me. I can’t picture myself doing any of those jobs and being happy with them in the long run. Teaching on the other hand is something that will always be rewarding, and is rewarding in many different ways.
When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to be in the mentoring program. During this, a select few students got the opportunity to work with the 9 grade students and help them transition into high school. In addition we also helped them with homework if they needed it, and taught them how to cope in different stressful situations. To them, we were teachers. It was a unique experience in my life, and I’ll never forget the feeling I got when one of my mentees who never talked and always held the attitude of being mad at the world, broke out of her comfort zone.
The next two years when I saw her in the hallways, she’d always make it a point to smile, wave and say hello. It made me feel like I had made a difference, even if it was on a little scale. At the same time, this experience also helped me to break out of my comfort zone, because I was now the teacher, the leader, and the role model. Being put in a situation like this pushed me to be more outgoing and patient, much like a teacher needs confidence in what they do and patients when working with children.
Although they weren’t elementary children, working with them still helped me to better myself and refine my teaching skills. I may not be the loudest or the most outgoing, but I love working with children and I love watching them discover new experiences. I am always energetic and upbeat when getting the children involved in learning activities. Teaching is something that I have always had a desire to do, and I know that I always will. The joy of helping people, even if it is only a few, just knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life will make everything worthwhile to me.
To me, teaching will be such a rewarding experience, full of fun and laughter. I will be able to help people, which is something I have always strived to do, and at the same time I will love what I am doing. I know that once I become a teacher I will be able to say that I enjoy waking up and going to work every day. I know I will be provided with a great future, and the kids that I help will also. As a teacher, I will be a valuable part of shaping a child’s future. I also hope to inspire children to dream big, and believe in becoming whatever they want to be, while providing them with the knowledge to do so. That is why I am still studying to become a teacher, a helper, and hopefully, an inspiration.
