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Why I Will Teach

Why I Will Teach

Bryan Beck
Texas Womans University

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Why I Will Teach

Many people choose to teach and there are many different reasons one would
want to do so: job security, a love of a subject matter, a desire to work with children, and
an interest in being a lifelong learner, among other common reasons. My personal
reason for choosing the teaching profession is to give back to society and have a
positive influence on the future generations to come.
I have worked with children in my previous profession of foster care and I really
enjoyed spending time with them and educating them about life lessons in a less formal
atmosphere. An example of this could be discussing a behavior plan for school, or
saving money from chores to purchase a vehicle. Much of the time I would have life
discussions with the foster children while I provided transportation to a court hearing or
doctors appointment. Working in foster care was very emotionally draining. This was
mostly because of the previous abuse that the children had come from and with which
they were beginning to learn how to cope. I imagine that teaching is somehow similar to
my experience in foster carebecause there are children from all backgrounds in each
classroom that a teacher will get to know on a personal level. I really enjoyed the
opportunity to build up and encourage the foster children I worked with in hopes to get
them excited about what life has to offer and to strive for excellence in all aspects of life.
I hope to lessen the achievement gap where according to Powell (2012) some students
excel while others languish with respect to learning and academic success (p. 5).
Personally, teaching will allow me to continue to build up students to be mentally,
emotionally, and socially prepared for success and will allow them to aim high with their
life goals and aspirations.
I have had some great teachers. One of my favorite teachers growing up was Mr.
Tharel. He taught middle and high school math. I still remember his name because he
always introduced himself as, Im Mr. Tharel, rhymes with Darrel. He rode his
skateboard to school and liked to play guitar while he taught class. I dont remember
much of the information that he taught, but he was able to make math courses fun and
less stressful. I received good grades in my math courses when I was younger but did
not have much of an interest in the subject matter until I took his class. Mostly, Mr.
Tharel provided a comfortable atmosphere where students were able to make mistakes
and learn from them. I hope that I can be a fun and encouraging teacher like Mr. Tharel.
Over the past 2 years, I have met a number of teachers and have had the
opportunity to get an inside look at the profession. Most of the teachers I have met are
teaching in elementary or middle school grades. My wife is one of those teachers and
she will be beginning her third year as an elementary music teacher. What I have heard
from the majority of the teachers I have met is that there is a sense of excitement and
ownership that comes along with being a teacher. Everyone knows that teaching can be

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Why I Will Teach

very difficult and there will always be times that are emotionally stressful, but what I
continue to hear from them are all the success stories and how rewarding it is to work
with children.
I am very proud to be a third culture kid (TCK) and to have had the opportunity to
grow up in Central and South America. My parents worked with the church, which
allowed me to learn Spanish and volunteer in many different ways. I would normally
spend my summers working as an English-Spanish interpreter with volunteer groups
from the United States. I have interpreted for many medical and dental groups, Habitat
for Humanity, and many Vacation Bible School programs. This is where I learned that I
want to always work to improve other peoples lives, and this has transferred into
working in foster care and eventually into a formal teaching career. Hopefully, I will be
able to teach in a bilingual classroom as well, with children from many diverse
backgrounds.
One of my greatest strengths has been encouragement. I love to build others up
by pointing out their good attributes and I try to never speak a bad word about another
person. I always got called out by my basketball/soccer coaches for being too
encouraging to the opposing team. I want to take this strength into teaching by finding
something good in each trouble child and maybe I can in some way enable them to
learn better social skills and become better students in the long run.
I chose teaching because I want to be a positive influence in childrens lives.
Powell (2012) said teachers, are uniquely positioned to shape students thoughts and
interests during the formative years of childhood and adolescence (p. 6). I believe that
my previous experiences growing up in other countries, learning to speak Spanish,
working in foster care, and being an encourager will all be useful in the classroom. My
unique experiences have guided the person I have become and I hope that the children
I teach can embrace their differences and be proud of who they are and want to
become.

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Why I Will Teach

References
Powell, S. D. (2012). Your introduction to education: Explorations in teaching (2nd ed.).

New York, NY: Pearson