My Purpose by Betsey

My Purpose by Betsey - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

I always dreamed of my life outside of high school and what my purpose in life is. "Where will I be in 20 years?" I always wrote in my journal as a little girl. I never truly knew what I wanted to do with my life until one class during my junior year in high school changed it. I took a child development class. I was dreading it. I always told myself I never wanted to be a teacher. I did not have time to drop this class, so I had to take it. As I complained to my mom about this class, she told me, "Go into it with an open mind," that is one sentence I will forever be grateful for. I always listen to my mom because of the lessons she has taught me. The first day was as dull as I had expected, but I continued to hear my mom's words and kept my mind open. As the semester went on, I started to feel better about this class and was beginning to feel different about teaching. Before deciding on the class, we would stay for the rest of the semester. I got my class assignment, and it was at our local preschool in the special education room. I felt apprehensive about this; I did not know if I could connect with these students and help the way the teachers needed me to as I drove to the school. As I walked in and started to play and connect with the students, I felt better about where I was. I decided to return for the rest of the semester and continue my journey in that class. 
As the year continued, I looked forward to Wednesdays when I would attend KECC. I started developing a connection with one of the girls in the class, Nola. She has a non-speaking IDD, and she has had a significant impact on my life. She tries to learn even when she cannot say what she wants. The teachers made a joke one day, but even though they meant it to be funny, it stuck with me and will continue to stick with me. They said, "She listens to you better than us. You have so much teacher material." When they said this, I thought to myself, teacher material? I don't want to be a teacher, or so I thought. As I went home that night, I continued to think about that one sentence and started to think about the idea of being a teacher. 
As the semester was ending, which meant I would finish at KECC, not being in child development meant not seeing all my favorite kids on Wednesday. I started to feel extremely sad. I thought about how much I loved helping and working with these kids, seeing them learn and develop. It made me so happy, and I felt like I did something and helped make a difference. I loved this feeling and did not want it to end, so I thought back to the teachers saying I had teacher material and started to think about it deeper. I began to imagine what I could do and how I would feel if I did this my whole life and for my job. That one class and the words from the people around me affected how I see the world and what my purpose is when I leave high school. As I apply to colleges, I want to continue growing my learning about special education.