I am currently a senior at Appalachian State University which means student teaching is one of my last steps towards graduation. A few days ago, I applied to student teach... That's when it hit me, this is real. My dreams are coming true! All of my hard work has paid off. I can only pray that my student teaching experience is a time of building confidence and becoming comfortable in the classroom. I have a sense of relief knowing that all of the hard work of college will be over soon. But then I realize I'll be a teacher and the work will just get harder.
When I say I have been dreaming of teaching forever, I mean it. Since I was young, I had my own classroom in our game room. I had stuffed animals that all had their own assignments and of course I was the teacher. I had my little gradebook with all of the latest math problems and solutions. I must say that was good training for all of the grading I'll be doing in my near future. I was always the "teachers helper" and I don't know how many times people told me I should be a teacher. (guess they were kinda right)
When I was in high school, I had a lot of career ideas going through my mind. When I applied to Appalachian, I applied for the nursing school. I thought that I wanted to become a nurse and help people. I told myself that nurses help people and get paid much more than teachers do so it is better for me to do that. I knew that I could never really be a nurse. I hate blood and I can't even name any of the parts of the body. (thats a lie... I can probably name like 2) I got to my freshman orientation and changed my major so fast. I know that education was where my heart belonged.
When I announced that I was going to college to be a teacher BOY you should have heard all of the comments that were made. "You know you won't make any money, right?" "You'll be in dept forever." "You should do something that will make more money." "Teachers get no respect." Like thank you people!!! I surely didn't go into teaching for the money and fame. The comments still continue now but they are ~college student edition~. "You can't complain, you're an education major." "Your major is so easy." "I'm going to go into education because it's really easy and I just want a degree." If only they could see how many 6-point lesson plans I have had to make or how many pages I have had to write on the concept of subtraction. (btw its at like 12 pages)
Honestly it's hard hearing the comments and seeing how teachers in our society get treated but I know that I am in this profession because my heart beats for those students and their education. I am so close to living my dream and I couldn't be happier :)
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