Why Teach?

    Teaching hasn't always been what I wanted to go to school for, and if I'm being honest, I've always been confused as to what I wanted to do with my life. Growing up, college wasn't really talked about in my household. My mom and dad being from an older generation didn't go to college and didn't really know how it worked, so I had little to go off of. The tiny high school I attended provided little assistance and direction as well in that department. What I got from both my parents and the school was that I needed to go to junior college, so that's what I did. My mom was a stay-at-home mom and my dad had a good job as a plant operator so of course, FASFA was off the table. Coming from a family of 5 kids, and with 2 younger brothers still in school my parents helped as much as they could, but ultimately it was an individual effort. I started taking basic classes in 2014 at the junior college with the money I won from scholarships, but soon it ran out and I was paying out of pocket with money from my part-time job. After many hardships, that I won't get into right now, I finally graduated from junior college in 2018 with an associate's degree in applied science to be a Nuclear Technician, something I chose based solely on income and the fact they offered it at the junior college.

     After graduation, I moved out of my parent's house and started applying for jobs. By 2019 I had acquired zero interviews and felt defeated not only from that but from a realization that I didn't even really want to do that with my life. It was then that my boyfriend that I had just started dating suggested I go back to school and I laughed because I couldn't afford that, to which he suggested I apply for FASFA. He explained that since I had been claiming myself on my taxes for the last 2 years this was now an option for me. I sat on it for a while, just remembering how hard it was the first time, thinking if I had known all the information I knew now about college, which still wasn't much, it would have made it a lot easier. At first, it caused feelings of resentment. I was mad no one laid anything out for me, offered me advice, told me the things I needed to do to prepare for school, or the things that were accessible to me while at school. I had wasted so much time and money on something I didn't even want because I had no sense of direction. I came to realize though, it was partly my fault. I never asked. 

    It was during this time I thought to be a teacher and a fire started in my heart. I was going to be the one to lay things out for the kids like me and for all the kids that came through my classroom. I was going to help them prepare for college or any road they decided to take and get them to start thinking about what they wanted to do and why it was important to start thinking about it. I also want to be a teacher that students aren't scared to open up to if they have a problem and create to create a safe space for them. I started my first semester at Texas State in the Spring of 2020 and the fire has only gotten bigger and brighter. 

    I'm currently majoring in Elementary Education K-6, but want to go back to school later to teach high school. I want to teach at a lower level before making my way up to become a high school teacher because let's face it, high schoolers are scary. I want to get comfortable in the classroom setting before taking on that challenge. Eventually, I hope to be teaching a college preparedness class and use my story to help students that might not know what they want to do or where to even start.