You Want To Do WHAT?!

Well tomorrow's the day. Today I finish up packing and load up the car. Tomorrow I drive down with my parents and two older brothers and we unpack what my mother and I have spent 3 weeks shopping for into a 10x15 foot room. 

Today I got the chance to go see my old high school. Not exactly what normal college freshman do on their last day before college, but it was exactly what I needed.

No, I didn't go for my own purpose. I went to take my little brother Gabe who is about to enter into his first year at the high school. But in helping him, I helped myself.

It gave me motivation, encouragement, and the push I needed to be truly excited for SBU. This will only make sense if you know what I plan on studying in college.

I want to be a high school English teacher. There...I said it...the truth is out. How crazy do you think I am now?! Not only do I want to teach high school, but I want to come back to Blue Springs and teach here. 

As I am sure you can imagine, there is hardly any encouragement that comes along with telling someone you want to teach high school. I have been scoffed at, told I would be "eaten alive", and "encouraged" to stick with teaching 6 year olds. 

This pushes me further.

I want to show that high schoolers are not that bad. That teachers can make a difference and bring passion to the classroom. My best teachers were the ones who taught because it was their PASSION. The teachers who put their heart and soul into every lesson they planned. The teachers who wanted their students to learn, but also wanted to connect to their students on a personal level. 

I had about four teachers like this in my four years as a high school student. Mrs. Darrah, Mrs. Reeder, Ms. Woods, and Mrs. Minnis. Each of these teachers has some major differences from one another, but their one thing in common is that they showed that they CARED.

Mrs. Darrah was my health teacher in ninth grade and she stands out to me anytime I think about the Freshman Center. She was one of the most fun teachers I have had and she made my first semester at a large and overwhelming place seem like a pretty great place. I looked forward to her class everyday and I am appreciative of the example she is to me as a person and a teacher.

Mrs. Reeder was a teacher that I had the three years that I went to BSHS. She is a woman who doesn't intimidate her students. It was in her class that I became truly passionate about history and she was the first person who showed me that it WAS possible to have a teacher as a friend. She made it easy to relate to her and she is truly a woman that I will stay in contact with throughout my life. 

Ms. Woods is the reason I want to teach English. She opened my mind to new perspectives and challenged (and strengthened) my beliefs. She put a spin on a traditional classroom and she made it easy to speak your opinion in her class. I was in her classroom when the realization that I was meant to be a English teacher popped in my head. In fact, she is who I plan on student teaching for in a few short years.

Mrs. Minnis was never a woman who I had as a teacher, but she showed more interest in me than almost any other teacher I have had. She made a huge impact on me over my Senior year, and I feel like to this day I can go to her for prayer and encouragement. She shined Jesus daily and that in itself strengthened my spirit daily.

These teachers are the reason I want to teach. They show that there is more reason in being a high school teacher than "not having to babysit" and the fact that you get out at 2:15 every day. 

I want to bring that kind of passion and encouragement to someone's life. 

So walking around my old school and being told I am "too short to teach high school" only encourages me more. 

I am ready to get to SBU and begin my journey into becoming a teacher.

A high school teacher.

A high school teacher that will NOT be beaten down.







Side note: Koda really doesn't want me to leave...