Student to Future Teacher by Sarah

Student to Future Teacher by Sarah - June 2021 Scholarship Essay

I have always wanted to become an Elementary teacher since it has always felt like a calling of mine to influence students in a positive way after seeing how my teachers did the same with me growing up. As a full-time freshman in college after completing my challenging first semester, I did not know what to expect heading into my second semester of college. Worry crept in and I was beginning to feel as if this desire of becoming a teacher was not for me. I have always viewed teachers as being outgoing, confident, and ready to teach. However, as a student attending college to become a teacher, I felt the opposite way. I was shy, fearful, and overwhelmed. I thought to myself that I definitely could not become a teacher if I cannot handle all that a teacher does on an everyday basis. I questioned if I should even try to become a teacher and if I should switch my classes before it was too late.
After feeling all of these mixed emotions, the best action for me to take was to pray about it. It was not until the second day of my second semester. I entered into my Tuesday class, a class for teaching, with Ms.Kitts as the instructor. She walked in and said, “Good afternoon future teachers!” The statement took me by surprise because I have always been referred to as a student. Furthermore, Ms. Kitts then asked us to get in a group of 4 where we had to stand in front of the class as a group to tell who we are and what our major is. I felt nervous and not confident in myself. However, Ms. Kitts seemed to have this sense that everyone was nervous about it because she stated that she wanted us to present to the class in order to get a little feel of what being a teacher is like. To many, that may seem silly but that was the first time that I changed my mindset. I was not presenting to the class as a student, but as a future teacher.
After presenting to the class with the mindset of being a teacher, I felt as if this feeling of fearfulness was replaced by faith and that my prayer was answered. Afterwards, I looked forward to that class because Ms. Kitts helped me realize that teachers are not perfect. She helped me see that teachers go through times of difficulty and are overwhelmed just like how I felt during my first semester. From the very beginning, Ms. Kitts believed in me and every individual in that class. She pushed us to our full potential and changed many of our mindsets. If it was not for Ms. Kitts calling us future teachers and allowing me to step into a “teacher’s shoes,” I would still have a mindset of a “student” and not as a future teacher.