Casey Korthals

Foundations of American Education

April 18, 2006

Why I Want to be a Teacher

            There are many reasons I can think of as to why I want to be a teacher; however the main reason is because I want to make a difference in the lives of children.  Several of my elementary teachers influenced me in different ways.  Some of them were good influences and others had things I would improve.  I want to be a teacher that when children look back at their school days, they realize I made a difference in their lives.  My goal in life is to make a difference in the world.  The closest way to me reaching my goal is teaching.  Teachers help people become who they are.  The world would not be as educated without teachers.  Therefore, the main reason why I want to be a teacher is so I can make a difference in the lives of children and help them learn all they need to know to be successful in life.

            One of the influences that helped me make the decision to become a teacher was my second grade teacher.  Not only was she friendly all the time, but the way she taught showed us all that she cared for each and every one of us.  She always made things fun and interesting.  One thing that really sticks in my head is how she taught us to count quarters.  She danced around chanting "25, 50, 75, a dollar."  Each time she repeated the sequence another time she would add more craziness to her dance.  After repeating the numbers about ten times, her arms and legs were flying everywhere and we were all having so much fun.  Obviously now, I have no problems counting quarters, but when I hear younger students struggling, I show them what I learned when I was their age and how learning can be fun.  My second semester of my senior year in high school I mentored a class of kindergarteners.  I had so much fun with those children.  Teaching and being with them made me realize that I want to teach younger children.  It is a bit frustrating at times, but the more you work with them, and the more fun you put into it, the more they learn.  Being with the kindergarteners on a daily basis taught me some things that going through four or more years of college could never teach me.

            As a teacher, I believe that all students should be treated fairly, as opposed to equally.  If there is a student who is struggling with an assignment I will be willing to make accommodations to fit their needs.  If students are treated equally, there is potential that the struggling students will continue to fall farther behind.  After a number of struggles, it is possible the student might give up; however, if special accommodations are made to fit their learning habits they might keep a more positive attitude in the classroom.  Each student will be treated fairly in my classroom.

            I also believe that students may learn at different rates.  There will be students who are slower than others, but there will also be those who learn quicker than their peers.  To go along with my previous statement, I will be willing to make accommodations to fit each student’s needs.

            To assess each student I will be willing to prepare and use different methods.  I believe that students learn in different ways; therefore, they should not all be tested the same way.  To assess students, I plan on using projects, paper and pencil tests, and other ways to find out if they are learning the information that needs to be known.  Assessing students in various ways is a fair approach.  Just as students learn different ways, they test differently as well.  An assortment of assessments may also attain the interest of the students; therefore, lowering the probability of student getting bored in the classroom.

            Overall, there are many reasons as to why I want to be a teacher; however, the main reason being I want to make a difference in the lives of children.  I plan on achieving my goal of being a successful teacher by being fair to the students and varying my methods of instruction and assessments.  All children need to be given an opportunity to learn.  If their opportunity is a proactive approach to learning, the higher their chances are for success.