Why?

When given the opportunity to choose my path, I wanted to make a difference in someone's life. I wanted to matter. After a long journey, I quickly learned that as teachers, we hold in our hands the unique opportunity to have an impact on the type of person our students turn out to be. 

To me, being a teacher is one of the most rewarding and impactful professions there is. Without teachers, there would be no other professions. Every doctor, lawyer, fireman, professional athlete, movie star, nurse, investment banker, bus driver, chef, police man, and teachers themselves started in a classroom. They had teachers who helped guide them on a path to achieve their goals and work for their dreams. They had someone that let them make mistakes and helped to teach them how to grow from them. This is the impact I know I want to continue to make on the world and the students I teach. 

I believe every student has a unique ability to be great in their own way. Throughout my years as a Special Education teacher, I have strived to help students recognize their unique abilities. I believe students are allowed to have preferences. They're allowed to prefer math over reading or vice versa. I strongly believe that every child’s passion can be used to help them grow. Learning styles are different from person to person for a reason. Each student deserves to be treated in a way that highlights their choice in how and what they learn. My ultimate goal is to have my students leave my classroom stronger than when they came, in whatever capacity that may be. 

Truthfully, putting “Why?” into words is a struggle for me. Images and memories flood my mind of my years in school preparing to become a teacher, and all of the moments since I stepped into a classroom as a teacher for the first time. As a life-long learner, I spend everyday learning and growing collectively with my students. Reflecting upon my experiences has in turn made the list of my why grow exponentially.

As a first year teacher, in September of 2019, I took an idea off of a pinterest blog and implemented it into my own teaching career. The author wrote about how she took a shoe box and wrote the word “WHY” in big bold letters on the top. She kept it in the corner of her classroom and inside collected all of the drawings, bracelets, notes, cards, pictures, and little gifts from students throughout the year. Whenever someone asked her “Why did you become a teacher?”, or told her to “Remember her why”, she simply opened the box. The box contained everything that was needed to respond to those statements. Below are pieces from my “WHY” box: