Education: Encouraging Lives Essay -- Education Careers Teaching Teach

Education: Encouraging Lives My desire to become a teacher goes beyond a professional aspiration; it is also a personal commitment to self-growth and societal advancement. Since the time I was in school I have had the opportunity and pleasure to work with young people and listen to their problems in school and in their lives on a level where I’m neither a peer nor an authority figure. During this time I have decided to devote myself to these young people; I want to know that I can make a difference in their lives. With my teaching certificate, I will fulfill personal goals, make a change in student’s lives, and inspire younger generations to look for horizons as of yet unconceivable to them. I am now old enough to know what is truly important to me. My life is enriched by improving the quality of others’ lives. Only through exposure, only through learning, can anyone aspire to reach his or her greatest potential. In essence, how can we dream of greater possibilities if we do not know they exist? As in the Biblical parable, I want to teach men to fish and feed them for a lifetime. From my personal experience I believe some teachers have forgotten what a critical role they play in not only the futures of the students who sit before them, but in the future of all our lives collectively. I do not want anyone to look back on their life and see me as one of these teachers but as a teacher that inspired them to be something they never dreamed possible. Teaching involves a multi-level commitment to each and every student, including teaching styles, respect, counseling, and inspiration. Psychologists recognize that individuals have a variety of comprehension and learning abilities. Some people learn through audio and visual stimul... ...e to understand by using real-world experiences. I believe as Jean Piaget did, a constructivist, "to understand is to discover, or reconstruct by rediscovery, and such conditions must be complied with if in the future individuals are to be formed who are capable of production and creativity and not simply repetition" as mentioned in his book, To Understand Is to Invent. I do believe people need to learn with Great Books, but comparing things with the real world helps the understanding of these books. In conclusion, my desire to teach is only impeded by the next few years of education that I need to acquire my degree. I understand this will change the role I play in youth’s lives from my current position to an authority figure, but I do believe it will be a change for the best. Teachers wear big shoes and I am committed to filling those to the best of my ability.