When I tell people I want to be a teacher, I get a lot of mixed responses. I get a few, "oh, that's wonderful," but mostly I get a lot of concerning looks and comments on how little money I'm going to make. I get told how "easy" teaching is, how it's such an easy major, and how people only teach for summers and holidays off. Although summers "off" is quite the perk, it has nothing to do with my decision.

I've always loved everything about school, especially the school supplies. My mom always jokes about how she'd always find me in the stationary aisle of the grocery store when she took me with her. I'd ask for Lisa Frank binders and workbooks for my birthdays and Christmas. I had my own little chalkboard and would write up fake worksheets and attendance sheets. I forced my sisters and friends to play many hours of school, and I was always the teacher. By the time I was 10 years old, I knew that's what I wanted to do.

I changed my mind several times through my adolescence, and after being enrolled in an education program I transferred schools and changed my major due to the overwhelming number of "warnings" I received. It seemed everyone thought teaching was a bad idea. I was warned how teachers weren't respected, were paid very little and never got enough credit. After getting lost along the way, I found myself enrolled in another education program.

It's not about the money for me. I don't need recognition either. I want to be a teacher because I love children and I believe in their future. I want to support their dreams. I want to watch the joy on their face when they learn something new when something they've been struggling with suddenly makes sense. I want to make learning fun. I want to inspire them to follow their dreams and to never give up.

I want to give children a safe place. So many children have unstable lives at home and I want to make sure that they feel loved when they're with me. I want to make sure they're fed, that they're clean. I want to make children from all backgrounds and cultures know that where they come from is important.

More importantly, I want to make a difference in education in this country. I want to come up with new techniques to make sure all children are learning at grade level. I want to make sure that children with disabilities are getting the appropriate resources. I want to make sure that every child that walks into my classroom understands that they are important and can do anything they set their minds to.

I want to spend summers writing new lesson plans and coming up with fun and engaging ways to teach. I want to read the best children's books and build my classroom library. I want to host literacy workshops, work after school, and tutor children. I want to dedicate my life to ensuring children have bright futures.