Why I’m Excited for Teaching

I have thought a lot about teaching this semester, probably because I am only taking education classes and will be student teaching in a few months, but it seems like teaching is always on my mind.  Even though I have experienced several frustrations and worries the past several weeks, I have still found many things to get excited about.  Inspired by Kelsey’s posts about why she is excited for Methods class, here is a list of reasons why I am excited for teaching.

1. I am excited to share books with students and get them excited about reading.  I love to read and it is definitely one of my favorite things to do.  I also love recommending and sharing books with my friends.  I love when people ask to borrow a book I have so that they can read it.  Then once they have finished, I love being able to discuss the book with them and share our thoughts.  When I’m a teacher, I will have over 100 students to share books with.  And the best part is that they will also have books to share with me.    This is probably what I am looking forward to the most.
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2. I am also very excited to learn from students.  There are many things that I know already, but there are also many things I don’t know.  I think all students have things to share and teach to others, so I am excited to be able to give students that chance.  I don’t want to simply teach them what I know.  I want to also teach them how to teach people what they know.  And I want to be their first student.
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3. In addition to learning from students, I am excited to get students excited about learning in general.  It seems that as students go through school, some start o lose interest in learning.  I want to be the kind of teacher that does not let students get bored with school.  I wan to show students that learning can be and is fun.  I want to show them how they can learn about things that interest them, even if they may not like what they are learning in their classes.  I want all my students to realize that learning is a life-long habit; it doesn’t stop once they finish school.  But more importantly, learning is not something that should be dreaded.  Students should be excited to learn and I am excited about getting them excited.
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4. Finally, I am excited about having a positive influence on my students.  I know not all students come from good homes or have parents that are involved in their education.  This can have a negative impact on students and their learning.  I want all my students to know that I care about that I believe in them.  Some students may not accept this and it could end up being a year-long struggle, but even if I don’t see a change in the students, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have an effect on them.  I know that what I do as a teacher will impact my students in ways that I will never see, but just knowing that it will happen is enough to make me be the best teacher I can be.