I am from a family of six kids and second to the youngest. When I got to first grade, my mom held me back. In elementary school I did not think much about being in the same grade as my younger sister but as I entered Junior High School, it bothered me. I was older than most of the other kids in my grade and I felt uncomfortable around the rest of the kids because my sister was one of the popular kids. Also we both knew the same kids from our neighborhood. Since that time, something inside me always made me want to get ahead in school and be around kids my own age. When I was a small boy school never came easy. It seemed as though I always had to work extra hard. I always had a hard time spelling and I do not like reading. My teachers always encouraged me and helped me. Although it was difficult for me, I took for granted the help from my teachers. Many teachers in my life had a big influence on me. I realize how my life has been affected and I want to be proactive when it comes to our children and our future.
I want to become a teacher because of the fulfillment I feel, as well as the influence teachers had on my life, and seeing children grow. Today I have great respect and admiration for my teachers. I was a teacher’s assistant for one year at a Junior High School and I got great fulfillment when working with children. By becoming a teacher I feel that it is one way that I can give back to society. I can help establish good moral ethics and set a good example for children to look up to
Above all, the gift in life is being able to see children grow. Being a teacher allows one to see children grow and it also plays an important roll in one’s life. Knowing the impact a teacher contributes, it enables them to see the changes in their students from children to young adults and feel proud of the impact they have made.
-- Mark Taylor, Florida Atlantic University