Since I was a child I've always known that I wanted to be a teacher. When I was young, I used to play school with my cousins and I always insisted on being the teacher. My mom was a 2nd grade reading teacher at the time, so she would give me copies of her old work books to play with and I would force my friends and cousins to complete the worksheets for "fun". I always loved visiting my mom's classroom and being able to help her set up her classroom. I knew that I wanted to become a teacher just like my mom.
Along with a natural passion for teaching, and my mom as a role model, I had a teacher who inspired me and stuck with me throughout all these years. Mrs. R. was my 3rd grade teacher. During this time, I was dealing with a lot of changes at home and I struggled to stay motivated while in class. Mrs. R. did everything in her power to ensure that I felt comfortable and motivated in her class. I tended to become distracted easily so she bought some pretty purple earplugs that I was able to wear while completing independent work. Mrs. R. loved purple so much, that she decorated her entire classroom in the color purple. I thought this was cool since that was my favorite color. I also expressed to her that highlighting and taking notes on my assignments helped me to understand what the questions were asking me, so she allowed me to use highlighters to mark on my assignments. She never once lost patience with me and she was there for all of us as individuals and was open to trying new things in order to help all of her students become successful. To this day, Mrs. R. continues to inspire me to be the kind of teacher that she was. A teacher who puts her students first and has the ability to make a positive impact on their lives!
Although I enjoy working with all grade levels, It is my goal to teach 4th or 5th grade Social Studies or Science. I was a dance instructor for three years and I worked with all grade levels, but I loved how vocal the students of upper elementary were. They were more open to expressing their thoughts and opinions on things and this always made class interesting! Growing up, Social Studies was always my favorite subject because I loved learning about historical figures and events. I also enjoyed the hands on aspect of science. I always look forward to participating in experiments and believe this would be a fun subject to teach.
