Carissa Lewis

Dillon Dwyer
Why do you want to be a teacher? When I first saw this question on the
Foundations of American Education class page, I thought to myself, Wow, what a loaded
question. How will I answer? The requirements for this paper brought to my attention that
there are several realizations I have made since starting this class. I have had to consider
why I want to be a teacher, the influences in my life that have lead me to make teaching a
profession, and the beliefs I have about teaching, including the ways in which I will instruct
my future classes.
To start, I cannot recall a time in my life that I did not want to be a teacher. Even in
kindergarten, my response to the question, What do you want to be when you grow up,
always had to do with teaching. As I got older, I realized there were more possibilities out
there for me, but I never lost the desire to teach, whether it had to do with ministry,
mission work, teaching English to people of other languages, or teaching children in public
settings. While in high school, I was trying to determine how I wanted my life to turn out
and how teaching would play into it. I decided I firmly believed in homeschooling my
children, and this became of higher importance than teaching children in a public setting,
but I still wanted teacher training. I also wanted the opportunity to do teaching outside the
home. I wanted a means by which I could enter the workplace and remain in it until I had
kids. In addition, I knew that I would want to invest in young peoples lives after my kids
grew up, and teaching would give me the means to do that. Additionally, I have always
loved the idea of being involved in the community in which I live, and I know teachers can
do that first hand. I decided to get an Elementary Education degree, as opposed to
another education degree, because I figured it would give me a well-rounded experience in
which to learn various subjects. It would also challenge me to be thinking about how to

teach my own kids in the best ways and what curriculums, philosophies, resources, etc. I
should implement.
In addition, I have had several influences that have led me to get a teaching degree.
The biggest influence was probably the esteem given to teaching by the people I grew up
around. Family and friends all highly regarded the teaching profession. For instance, my
mother is a teacher, my grandmother taught, my grandfather was a professor, and so was
my great-grandfather. Missionary stories also influenced me a lot. These told of fearless
individuals who ventured to foreign countries to teach and preach the Bible. I always
wanted to do something like thatsomething that changed the lives of others and was
bigger than myself. In addition, several teachers that I have known have influenced me to
make the decision to teach. I have been very blessed with several high-quality teachers
that challenged me to be my best and who gave me support. For example, I still remember
my 2nd grade teacher setting out a college textbook in front of me and asking me to read
it. That made an impression on me because I knew he believed that I was intelligent and
capable of excelling. It was also that year that I started going to a group for exceptional
students called, S.T.A.R.S, and the advisor/teacher for the group challenged all of us to
think deeper and challenge ourselves. Another person that made an influence on me was
my Speech coach/Theater director. He was also one of the English teachers at my high
school, and he always amazed me with his passion for whatever he did and with his care
for his students. He was an example to me of a teacher who gave his whole self. Finally,
my English teacher, Ms. Steinhoff, was a huge influence in my decision to become a
teacher. I had her my junior and senior years of high school, and she did such an amazing
job at creating an atmosphere that encouraged collaboration and learning. It did not
matter how hard her classes got or how much work I knew I would have to do when I got
thereI looked forward to coming to her class. These teachers showed me to what extent

a teacher can impact someones life, and I want to impact students the way they impacted
me. There are certain things I look forward to in teaching and things I dont. For instance, I
think I will enjoy being around young people. I will also enjoy feeling like I am making a
difference in my community. I do not look forward to all the rules and technicalities that
come with teaching. For example, I know that there will be certain concepts I have to
teach and certain ones I do not have time for. I also know that I will have to base my
teaching off of standardized tests, and this might allow for less flexibility. I think that all
the meetings, workshops, and other responsibilities will also get tiring.
As a teacher, I believe that my job is to give my children a good foundation in core
content and skills. This essentialist philosophy will be the primary factor in my teaching.
For instance, I want children to feel safe and know that they are coming to school to learn.
For this reason, I will have clear classroom rules that I will uphold, and I will expect respect
from all students towards me and their peers. My teaching methods will include lectures,
informal and formal assessments, discovery and hands-on learning, homework
assignments, lab experiences and field trips. My goal is that all students gain a good
understanding of core concepts and will be able to accomplish objectives in reading,
writing and arithmetic. In addition, I will have an organized room with tidy work spaces
that allows students to be focused on what they are doing. I also plan to have a bright
classroom with pictures, inspiring messages, and educational posters because I benefited
from them as a young student myself. Although I plan to accomplish a lot with my
students, I do not want to treat them as projects, but as individuals with individual
interests and dreams. I want to foster these interests and dreams by giving time for oneon-one conversation with students, class discussions, games, and free-time. I also want
students to know that they can come and talk to me when they are having a hard time.
Another goal I would have for my students would be for them to become good citizens. In

order for this to happen, I know that I need to be an example to them of an adult who
always keeps a good attitude, treats others well, and works for the good of the whole. I will
also speak well of authority figures in our society, despite disagreements I may have with
them, because I think it is important that children respect authority figures. In addition, I
am committed to keeping up-to-date on new pedagogical findings, research, and
technology in order to keep abreast in the field. I also want to be a teacher that continues
to better herself and works collaboratively with other teachers.
The teaching profession is multi-faceted, and I have learned a lot this semester
about various parts of it. For this paper, I considered my reasons for teaching, the
influences that have been in my life to lead me to this decision, and the beliefs I have
about how to teach.