Autobiography
Teaching is the career that I always thought I was going to pursue. When anybody asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always, “a teacher.” So in high school when I began questioning whether or not I really wanted to be a teacher my friends and family were a little shocked. It wouldn't be until the summer before my junior year in college that I knew teaching was for me.
I was always the kid who couldn't wait for school to start. It was my favorite time of the year. Walking into school the first day, meeting my new teacher, it was wonderful. Each day after school I would get to go to my aunt’s room and clean the chalkboards and do any other small deeds she needed done.
My excitement for school continued throughout elementary school and then the summer before fifth grade my aunt asked if I wanted to be her assistant during summer school. I started with simple things like making copies and reading to the students. This past summer (2011) was the tenth year that I was my aunt’s assistant. I still make copies for her and read books to students, but I also help students with their spelling and journal writing, complete projects with the students and help my aunt prepare her classroom for the coming school year.
Over the ten years that I have been my aunt’s assistant, she has taught me so many things. She taught me that teachers need to be patient, caring, understanding, kind and above all teachers need to be good listeners. Children love to tell their stories, and teachers should be willing to listen to those stories. They may explain why the child may be struggling in school. Another thing that my aunt taught me is that if used right, discipline is a good resource in the classroom. In her classroom when a student doesn't cooperate, he/she is asked to sit out of a class activity for a few minutes. The student gets to participate in the activity but must wait a few minutes before joining everyone else. After the few minutes are up the child is refocused and ready to join the group. As the activity ends, she praises the child for cooperating and listening to directions. My aunt has been one of my greatest supporters in my educational venture, and I know I can always turn to her if I need help.
In middle and high school I continued to help teachers when they needed it. In high school I was active in a lot of clubs but was most influenced by FFA. I was an FFA officer both my junior and senior years of high school. This experience helped me learn what it’s like to be a leader. While I was an officer, I attended many leadership conferences, but the most rewarding was the Washington Leadership Conference that was held in Washington D.C. We got the opportunity to pick vegetables for the local food pantry. Hearing about all the people we had impacted was so rewarding. I think that teaching is the perfect career to impact people’s lives. Teachers have the ability to change lives for the better. That is something that I want to be able to do.
In high school I job shadowed a high school math teacher and a seventh grade teacher to help me see what teaching in other grades was like. I loved being in a classroom, but I did not know if that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I thought I would go to college and after the first semester have it figured out. That did not happen though. I panicked and went with the easier route and declared my major in animal science.
The summer before my junior year in college was when it all changed. One day, one of the young girls that my mom babysits asked me if I would read her a book. She picked out the book, and I started reading. While reading, I pointed to the letter A and asked her, "What’s this letter?” Her reply astounded me. Her answer was “nine”. I thought I would give it another try. This time I point at an O and asked her the same question. Her reply this time was “six”. After multiple tries I found that she couldn't tell me what a single letter was, including the letters in her name. I looked at my mom and started to get tears in my eyes. She looked at me and said, “Britany, I think you need to be a teacher”, and in that moment I realized that she was right. After that day I felt like it was my responsibility to teach her how to write her name and what her letters were so that she was prepared for school. It took a lot of work because she was easily distracted, but by the end of that month, she could write her name with all the letters facing forward. Not only was I proud of her, but she was so proud of herself. I knew right then that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.
All these experiences put together are what will influence me to become the great teacher that I want to be. I hope that I can reach out and make a difference in children’s lives like my teacher’s did for me.
I was always the kid who couldn't wait for school to start. It was my favorite time of the year. Walking into school the first day, meeting my new teacher, it was wonderful. Each day after school I would get to go to my aunt’s room and clean the chalkboards and do any other small deeds she needed done.
My excitement for school continued throughout elementary school and then the summer before fifth grade my aunt asked if I wanted to be her assistant during summer school. I started with simple things like making copies and reading to the students. This past summer (2011) was the tenth year that I was my aunt’s assistant. I still make copies for her and read books to students, but I also help students with their spelling and journal writing, complete projects with the students and help my aunt prepare her classroom for the coming school year.
Over the ten years that I have been my aunt’s assistant, she has taught me so many things. She taught me that teachers need to be patient, caring, understanding, kind and above all teachers need to be good listeners. Children love to tell their stories, and teachers should be willing to listen to those stories. They may explain why the child may be struggling in school. Another thing that my aunt taught me is that if used right, discipline is a good resource in the classroom. In her classroom when a student doesn't cooperate, he/she is asked to sit out of a class activity for a few minutes. The student gets to participate in the activity but must wait a few minutes before joining everyone else. After the few minutes are up the child is refocused and ready to join the group. As the activity ends, she praises the child for cooperating and listening to directions. My aunt has been one of my greatest supporters in my educational venture, and I know I can always turn to her if I need help.
In middle and high school I continued to help teachers when they needed it. In high school I was active in a lot of clubs but was most influenced by FFA. I was an FFA officer both my junior and senior years of high school. This experience helped me learn what it’s like to be a leader. While I was an officer, I attended many leadership conferences, but the most rewarding was the Washington Leadership Conference that was held in Washington D.C. We got the opportunity to pick vegetables for the local food pantry. Hearing about all the people we had impacted was so rewarding. I think that teaching is the perfect career to impact people’s lives. Teachers have the ability to change lives for the better. That is something that I want to be able to do.
In high school I job shadowed a high school math teacher and a seventh grade teacher to help me see what teaching in other grades was like. I loved being in a classroom, but I did not know if that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I thought I would go to college and after the first semester have it figured out. That did not happen though. I panicked and went with the easier route and declared my major in animal science.
The summer before my junior year in college was when it all changed. One day, one of the young girls that my mom babysits asked me if I would read her a book. She picked out the book, and I started reading. While reading, I pointed to the letter A and asked her, "What’s this letter?” Her reply astounded me. Her answer was “nine”. I thought I would give it another try. This time I point at an O and asked her the same question. Her reply this time was “six”. After multiple tries I found that she couldn't tell me what a single letter was, including the letters in her name. I looked at my mom and started to get tears in my eyes. She looked at me and said, “Britany, I think you need to be a teacher”, and in that moment I realized that she was right. After that day I felt like it was my responsibility to teach her how to write her name and what her letters were so that she was prepared for school. It took a lot of work because she was easily distracted, but by the end of that month, she could write her name with all the letters facing forward. Not only was I proud of her, but she was so proud of herself. I knew right then that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.
All these experiences put together are what will influence me to become the great teacher that I want to be. I hope that I can reach out and make a difference in children’s lives like my teacher’s did for me.