Why am I becoming a teacher?

There has always been something inside of me that told me to be a teacher, but I have recently come to the decision to be a teacher due to my current job at Lake Washington School District. I have had the opportunity to work for the company for three years in the curriculum department at the district office and the warehouse. My job is to refurbish elementary science kids which are also known as FOSS science kits. I have also worked to help the adoption process of new curriculum run smoothly by organizing all of the material for the committee to review. Throughout my experience working with the kit I have see them sent back to the warehouse unopened. We send out consumables that are to be used if the lesson is done according to the teachers manual and these are also coming back unused. After witnessing this over the years, I began to wonder are kids being taught science. What are they learning about science? Since seeing the provided curriculum becoming a waste for some teachers my curiosity led me to speculate that testing material has taken over and the basics of science is not a necessity to pass the test which puts it on the back burner to other important lessons. By seeing the way science kits are treated I have become more passionate to teach kids active discovery and hands-on science lessons that will get them involved in experiencing learning first hand. My current goal is to get kids excited to learn and be engaged.

Last year I took a course called Environmental Education and it broadened my understanding about teaching kids about their environment. This course brought to life the importance of getting kids interacting with their surroundings by going outside to do a lesson, go on a field trip to a local hatchery, etc. All of these things provide the students with a way to connect what they are learning in class to reality. This course and many others that I took to earn a minor in Education have steered me toward becoming a teacher.

Every time I think of becoming a teacher I have a memory that pops up in my head of when I was going into fourth grade. I was a new student at this school and the first day was really hard. I was extremely nervous, but I made friends pretty quickly and love my teacher. She was funny and made me feel welcome. She is one of many important people in my educational career. She had a rewards program that made me want to participate in class and do exceptional work so that I could become a teacher for a day or plan a lesson. This was a rewarding memory for me and to this day I keep in touch with the teacher. I am looking forward to being a teacher!