Why I chose teaching as my profession?

​As long as I can remember I have been a “people-person” with a caring nature. I loved helping my fellow classmates understand the class material, as well as helping my fellow Girl Scout troop members learn their dance steps for a presentation. I loved being my Third Grade teacher’s assistant when I organized and filed class works and tests, especially since she told me I was her best helper. Due to these experiences and more, and especially since I had so many wonderful teachers, I grew up with a great respect for the profession. I believe I have always had an inclination towards the profession, because I become excited when I enter Office Max, and “back-to-school shopping” is one of my favorite events. However, when it came to making a career choice upon my entrance to the University, I was “stuck”. There were so many different careers I was interested in, and I had a lot of peer and family pressure to select a “noble” profession, such as medicine or law. Any job that was “repetitive and structured” was immediately discarded, since I am more of a “free-spirit” and I favor variety and creativity; although I do appreciate order. On the other hand, I wanted to make sure I selected a career that was truly employable, especially during these times of high unemployment. The only thing holding me back from initially choosing teaching as a career was its negative stereotype that it is mainly selected by low-achievers. Realizing the anguish I was going through, my mother came to my aid to help me decide. She encouraged me to choose what I loved (guiding), what I had an innate ability for (teaching) and what I excelled in (English). To appeal to my high-achieving temperament, she made me become aware that there are other avenues that could be pursued after a BA in English, such as writing, editing, translating, and others. I was quite intrigued by becoming an interpreter for the United Nations, for which I plan to learn French and Chinese (Mandarin). But I am mostly intrigued by becoming an English teacher for students with a different native language. This way I could nurture my love of travel, of different languages, and of different cultures. I can now say that I am proud to be able to honor my wonderful teachers, and I am glad I chose to become an English teacher. I will have a career that is employable all over the world, is variable, requires creativity, and is helpful to future generations. After all, “education is the most powerful weapon”, “is a passport to the future” and “the key to success”; and I will become a “giver” of all of that.