My first experience of “real school” was in August 2008 at M. U. Lujan Elementary School. Up until the third grade, I, along with three of my siblings, had been homeschooled by my mother. Naturally, the transition from the comforts of my home to the unknown waters of the real world frightened me. The thing that I remember most from that day was the comforting words my teacher addressed the class with, “Welcome to your second home.” With these five words, my third grade teacher convinced me I was safe, and school became an environment I was comfortable in.

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Throughout my occupation as a student, I have been heavily influenced by the teachers and administrators that have been put in my life. This is the main reason that I aspire to be a teacher. I want to be able to help children the way my teachers have helped me. When meeting with my academic counselor as a junior in high school, I was asked why I wanted to go into education. The answer was simple. I knew that education was the best opportunity for me to interact with children while cultivating their minds to be the best they can be. I truly believe that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, ands it is our responsibility to raise them right.

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The past two years in college have shown me that, although teaching is beautiful and a great experience, it can also be quite difficult. I have seen this mainly in my classroom observations. I have noticed in every classroom I visited that there were problems in the class, whether it be getting the children’s attention, class management, or simply time management. I also noticed that educators are expected to have their lives together. They need to create lesson plans and assignments and grade in a timely manner, all while incorporating technology in the classroom. At the beginning of this semester (Spring 2020), I would have told you I could never incorporate technology into my daily lessons, but with the help of ED271 Tech Apps for Educators, I am now confident in my ability to do so. There will always be difficulties, but that’s what makes the experience better.

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My goal, after attaining my teaching certification, is to teach children with special needs. Despite the challenge that comes with this career, I believe the reward is bigger. As a teacher, I want to give my students their individual voices, and that is no exception for those with special needs. Many times, society tells these children that they are not good enough, or that they are not normal, and they grow up believing that they are not capable of fulfilling their dreams because of their disabilities. If I have the opportunity to help just one student with a disability overcome these negative stereotypes and achieve what is believed to be impossible, every effort towards my teaching degree would be made worth it. After completing ED110, it has helped me to see how important it is to let disabled children interact with their “normal” peers. Being in a traditional classroom setting helps these students to grow and to experience what life is like, instead of being secluded. I have always imagined teaching my special ed students in a classroom of my own, but I never once thought about the fact that they should be in a traditional class setting. This class has helped me widen my view towards teaching and what it means to be a teacher.

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Teaching, as a profession, is an art that can never truly be mastered. It is something that evolves with time, and there will always be new techniques and new situations to learn from. I believe that the greatest reward from teaching is being able to help the children of today become the future the world needs. Our kids deserve good teachers, and I am eager to be one of them.