The biggest question we all face going into college is, “What do you want to do with your life after college?” Or, “What type of career do you want out of college?”. For some of us, this may be working at a hospital as a nurse or a doctor. Others may want to pursue a career in business or economics. But for me, I chose the path of education so that I could study to become a teacher.

Now, when I’ve told people about my major and future plans, some of the reply to me with comments like, “Why would you want to be in school all your life?” or “Have fun making no money and being stuck in a classroom.” To some people, it may seem like this, but to me, I see it as an opportunity to help kids grow, prosper, and prepare for their future ahead. I remember when I was a junior in high school, I was pretty clueless on what I wanted to do with my career in the future and quite frankly I was a little scared because it seemed like everyone knew what they wanted to do except me. It wasn’t until 2nd semester during my U.S History class until I found inspiration.

I was impressed by the way my teacher taught the class, it actually held my interest and made me want to learn more. But what inspired me the most, was how passionate he was about his job. Being a student in his class, you could actually tell he cared about his job, the subject he was teaching, and most importantly, his students. It was that semester being in his class that truly inspired me to become a teacher. Because he went the extra mile to ensure my success and taught in a way that actually helped us learn the subject and made us into critical thinkers. But besides having such a positive experience, it was the negative ones that motivated me even more.

Having teachers that did not care about our success as students and just seemed to put in half the effort as a teacher is what really motivated me because it bothered me. Why become a teacher if you’re not going to help kids? Why don’t you want to see your students succeed? These questions still bother me but they also motivate me. They motivate me to be the best teacher that I can become. To this day I still am motivated to be the best teacher that I can become, to be the teacher who goes the extra mile for their students and helps to guide them towards the path of success. This is our job as teachers, to teach and lead the youth so that they can become successful and make a difference in the world and change it for the better.

So when someone asks me, “Why did you want to be a teacher?” My response is because I want to make a difference in someone’s life like my teachers did for me. I want to be apart of the generation that teaches and leads the youth towards the path of success. I want to be the teacher who goes the extra mile, and 10 years later is still remembered by his students. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And I want to be that teacher who helps use education to help change the world.

I'd like to give special thanks to Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Thomas for being great teachers and basketball coaches. It was both of you who inspired me to become a teacher and make a difference in a student's life.