"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." -Aristotle

I have a great love for the English language. I believe words are beautiful, and powerful. I love learning new words and I love using big words. That is why I want to teach English.

Why I want to teach, however, is for a different reason. I want to inspire. Teaching is so much more than writing on the board and expecting the class to take notes. It is more than assigning homework every night. People don't become teachers for the glorious paycheck (insert eye roll), or the countless nights staying up late to grade 50 essays. They become teachers because they want to have a positive influence on young lives. I have experienced first hand, this positive influence.

Throughout middle school and high school, I came across a select few people who impacted my life greatly, and showed me just how there is more to teaching than what meets the eye. My sixth grade reading teacher not only taught me the fundamentals of reading and literature; She taught me that there is always something interesting to be found in the ordinary. My seventh and eighth grade English teacher not only helped me improve my writing, but she helped me believe that my writing was important, and that I can always do better. My seventh and eighth grade math teacher helped me to see that boys were not worth crying over, and was also there when I needed to cry about all the stupid boys. My biology teacher in high school was an asshole. But he also helped me believe in myself, and helped me see that I can do whatever I put my mind to. Finally, my 11th grade English teacher, whether she knows it or not, inspired me to become an English teacher myself. She always challenged us and always assigned a lot of reading. At the time, I thought it was awful. But now I can say that I am so thankful for all the things she did and taught, because it made me better.

So that is what I want to do as a teacher. I want to push students to do their absolute best, even if they end up mad at me. I want to inspire young people to believe in themselves and know their worth. I want to be that helping hand, the person who pushes others to think outside the box, and to see things from a different point of view. I believe that by being a teacher, and being involved in young adults' lives, you are shaping the future. As a teacher, you do so much more than teach. And because of the amazing teachers I have had, I too want to be a teacher.