Passion by Abigail

Passion by Abigail - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

I have known I wanted to be a teacher since I was little. I didn’t want to be the first female president or even a nurse. It was simple for me, I wanted to be a teacher. I was never sure why I wanted to be one, but I knew I wanted to. Looking back I’m starting to understand the reasons this desire has become a passion.

One reason is my dad. He has been a teacher for 15 years and is one of my biggest role models and my best friend. I look up to him even to this day. Looking back I can see my little elementary self wanting to be a teacher, solely because my dad is a teacher.

During middle school I took up tutoring jobs for kids in elementary school. I would help them with homework and whatever they needed. I'm now realizing that my desire to teach younger kids was evident, I just didn’t see it yet.

During my junior year of high school I really struggled with the thought of a teaching career because I didn't know what subject or age group I wanted to teach. I started to look at other career options but was never satisfied with them. Halfway through my last summer as a high schooler, I joined the kids ministry team at my church. I started with the four and five year olds, but moved around to see where I was most comfortable at. I came back to the four and five year olds group. Seeing their little minds process new knowledge gives me an idea about their potential. Their joy is infectious. I was developing a greater understanding of what age group I wanted to be with for my future. I hold near and dear to my heart the time that I get to spend with them each week.

A little later, right after Hurricane Irma, I had an opportunity to volunteer in the kids ministry to take part in a week of Kids camp. The age range was from babies to middle schoolers and I was able to be with the age group of threes to fives. During that week I made so many friendships and memories that I will never forget. The most defining memory, is that I finally decided for sure I wanted to become a kindergarten teacher. The love and passion that I have for that age group really became clear to me. I believe that this is what my future is to hold.

One thing that makes me love this age group so much are their personalities. I love being able to encounter the kids spontaneity and often random joy over something simple like a movie they got to see this past week. All of the different backgrounds that the kids come from make them who they are. Many of them appear to come from stable homes. Other kids are raised by their single mom who often struggles to get by. Some of them never get to meet their dads. Some are so well mannered and polite. Others lack so many social skills one takes for granted. All of those things factor into what makes them who they are. Being able to be the only positive person that they may encounter at all during the week is something I don’t take lightly.

I have finally decided for sure that I want to become a kindergarten teacher. I want to be the one to start off their desire to learn. During the year that I have them, I want them to know that being in school is not boring and that learning can be fun. I want to be a part of someone's future. If they have a hard life at home, I want to be able to create a great environment for them to be able to relax and be a kid. I want to be able to give someone a better life than they might have back at home. I want to be that positive role model that they could see and learn from every day.

When I graduate high school this Spring, I hope to be able to start studying what I need to know to be prepared to be a successful kindergarten teacher.