To Be a Teacher or Not to Be, That Is My Question by Charleen

To Be a Teacher or Not to Be, That Is My Question by Charleen - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

     Almost a year ago today, I started my journey toward becoming a teacher. I wanted to make a difference in young children’s lives, while making learning fun and life-long. However, I had some doubts as to what I wanted to do with my life. Thoughts like “Should I be a teacher?”  and “Did I make the right decision attending Winthrop University ?” ran through my head constantly during my Freshman year at Winthrop University.
     Learning about the education field and whether or not I fit into this field was the most interesting lesson that I learned in a class because I had the opportunity to figure out if teaching was the right career for me.
     In EDUC 200 (an education course offered at Winthrop), I learned about actually working with children in poverty. This course provided me with the opportunity to see that children in poverty go through so much in their personal lives. However, I cannot feel sorry for these children. As a teacher, I will have more understanding and sympathy for these children. Through this course and my education at Winthrop University, I can learn how to best help these children succeed in school and in life.
     As an additional “teacher” walking into that first grade class for EDUC 200, I never knew the difference of having an extra person to encourage and help the students would make in the classroom. The eagerness that these little children had towards learning was inspiring. I took away so much from this field experience. I learned that most of the time, all it takes to help a child is the belief that every child can and will succeed. I realized that I can help my future students thrive by teaching them important information in a different, more beneficial format. In addition, I realized that I can best help my future students thrive by never loosing hope in them.
     This EDUC 200 course at Winthrop helped put my doubts about being at Winthrop and becoming a teacher to rest. I learned that a teacher’s important job of making a difference is what I would like to do with the rest of my working career.