Why become a teacher? Let me count the ways!

     Being only a junior, I have already been asked too many times to count why I want to be a teacher. This question is so easy for me to answer, yet I still occasionally find myself at a loss for words when someone asks me. This is because my answer is so complex, and I am so passionate about the answer.
     The first and most important reason that I want to be a teacher is in hopes of helping students grow and change for the better. I believe that everyone deserves to have a support system, and I can only hope to be part of that for so many of my future students. When my students come into my classroom, I want each of them to feel important and to know that they are loved. I want to make it known to my students that they are all special in their own ways and that we will celebrate our differences. So many students that I will have over the course of my career are lacking this kind of individualized attention at home, so it is important to me that at least one person their lives will give them the love and support that they so desperately need early in life.
     Throughout my schooling, especially in my elementary years, I can remember so many teachers that helped to influence my decision to pursue education. I had so many positive experiences, and I want my students to be able to remember me as someone that they could look up to and trust like I could with my teachers. One person that always stands out in my mind when I am asked this question is my fourth grade teacher. She is the most genuine and compassionate person I have ever met. She treated each of us like we mattered, and I truly believe that she made a big impact in my life and so many of her other students. Not only do I remember how great of a person she is, I also remember how special she made me feel and how much fun we had with learning in her classroom.
     I want my students to fall in love with going to school and learning like I did. I think that so many teachers forget that they can follow the curriculum without making it boring for the students, and I want to be the exception. School should never be a chore! Schools need more teachers with a passion for teaching so that students will have a passion for learning. I know that when my day comes to teach, I will question even my best ideas so that my students will have as much fun learning as I will with teaching.
     These, among SO many other factors, are what inspired me to become a teacher. I have always wanted to be an educator in hopes of making a difference in the lives of my students. I want them to look forward to coming to school and never forget how important they are. As much as I love being in school, I can't wait to graduate so that I can have my own classroom and hopefully help spark a thirst for knowledge like the one that is in me.