As a freshman in college who has recently started to think more about what I would like to do in the future, I really have come to my senses when I started taking an education class. At first, I was mostly thinking of teaching as my future job so I would have to work hard to make that happen. I wasn’t sure if I would even enjoy it or not. Even though it has only been two weeks into the new semester, I know now that becoming a teacher for me isn’t just because I see it as a job, it is because I am excited to be able to feel like I have made a difference in a students life no matter how big or small it is.

Right now, the more I go out and surround myself with children who are still learning and growing, teaching is starting to feel more and more natural to me. Once I started to feel like that, I think it made it so much easier to be able to see myself doing this in the future and actually enjoy going and working everyday. I think a big part of why I want to become a teacher is to see lights switch in students heads when they finally understand something they have been struggling with. Or, to be able to help and be there for a student when they are having a hard time. Throughout my own education pathway, I know what it feels like to have a teacher who wasn’t there for you if you had questions unrelated to the class. However, I also know what it feels like to be able to open up to a teacher who I felt really cared and listened to what I was saying. Even if they couldn’t give me a answer or a solution to the problem I was facing, the fact that they sat there and listen even if it wasn’t school related, menat a lot to me. For me, I really want to be that kind of teacher that students can rely on no matter what.

As much as I want to become a teacher in the future, I am still facing problems in my own head. It is scary thought to have a students education in my own hands. I have fears that I would not be able to teach a student properly and they would get nothing out of the class. I am also still in the dilemma of knowing what I even want teach, or who I want to teach. I also feel as though this profession could be either a confidence booster or the complete opposite. These thoughts scare me and at the same time make me question if I should become a teacher or not. That is one of my biggest problem and I know that if I really want to do this, I am going to have to get over it. The thing is, how do I do that?

Even with questions like that, I believe that I will find the answers later on. As much as I want them now, I have only just started this journey and with that, I need to find them when the time comes. I believe that my weaknesses outrank my strengths right now and once again, that terrifies me. However, I know deep down that even with the challenges, I can do this because it goes back to the goals I have set for myself. Now, what goals are those?

I believe that to become an effective teacher, the big thing for me if to let the students create their own path. I will teach the material, but it really is important for me that not only will the student understand what had been taught, I would like to know their thoughts on the subject. Not only do I believe that that would help them be more engaged in a classroom, it would also help me be a smarter and more efficient teacher. Another would be to be able to understand what students are going through and be able to be a helping hand if needed. This goes back to what I was saying earlier. Personally, I think something like this, is one of the most important things. I know as I grow more into this pathway I will open up more and create new, better goals. However, this is just the beginning and however scared I am, the excitement of seeing myself evolve outweighs the fear.