Yes, I do want to be a teacher. Yes, I do know their pay per year, and yes, I still want to be one.
My whole life I have wanted to be a teacher, and my whole life I have gotten these questions. "Wow, you really want to be a teacher?" "Are you sure, the pay isn't admirable" "Why would you want to do that?" "You can really deal with kids that long?" And the answer is YES. I do. I know. I can. I want to.
Since I was a child, I grew up playing school with my friends, always being the teacher. I have always been infatuated with conducting my own classroom and teaching things to people who have no idea what is in front of them. I have always appreciated and admired the teachers I had throughout my life, and with having my career path in mind, I have taken away bits and pieces of their principles and techniques, to put towards my own tactics when I am on my own in a classroom one day. Being a teacher has always been everything I wanted in life.
I volunteered to work with kids my whole life. Whether it was coaching field hockey, teaching dance, or going to assistant teach in classrooms, I wanted to be doing it. I have a special connection with kids, everyone I have worked with has noticed this. I know what they like and how they operate, and I know the ways to help them work through problems. Maybe it's because I am really just a giant kid at heart.
There has always been something so special to me about helping children learn. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be the one able to help them achieve understanding in something they didn't know before. If there is one thing more rewarding then finally understanding something you have been confused about or had a hard time figuring out, it is helping someone come to that realization. I want to make a difference in this world by helping kids find and grow within themselves educationally. I want to have an effect on someone, and by being one of the first teachers a child interacts with along their educational career, is a lasting effect I would be so proud to leave. I remember every teacher I had throughout my life; the good ones and the bad. I want a child to remember me, and remember what I did for them.
Particularly, I would love to make this impact on children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Being fluent in sign language, I have always been infatuated with helping young children to communicate. My ideal position in the world would be to help deaf or hard of hearing children communicate with their parents and family. I want to provide that aid for a family and leave that impact on them.
With all of that being said, yes I am very aware of the yearly earnings of an education professional. I know that it requires time, effort, care, and lots and lots of patience. But, that is everything I have ever wanted my life to come to. I want to make a difference in this world, and I want that difference to be helping children learn.
So, yes I do REALLY want to be a teacher. Thank you for questioning.