This week I interviewed a First-year teacher and my Language Arts teammate about what inspired her to become a teacher and what her journey this year has been like. It hasn't been long since I was in my first year but it's nice to reflect back on those days and remember what it was like; and how much I have grown so far.
As I talked to her about her journey to become a teacher, I noticed a lot of similarities and some differences. We both had an experience related to the education field in high school that we enjoyed and that sparked our interest in teaching. For her, it was creating a leadership based curriculum as a MN state ambassador for 4H. For me, it was an after school program with elementary school students working with them to help with homework and improve their math and reading skills. We also had teachers in our lives that inspired us with how they taught their content. Hers was an individual who made learning interactive and inspired students to be more inquisitive and wanting to read. Mine showed me that teaching and learning about history can be fun and interactive and that it can include simulations where students get to experience concepts of what happened.
We both felt supported by our families. Hers more so as they pushed her to be more inquisitive and curious about the world around her. Mine for a while questioned why someone so academically smart wanted to go into teaching instead of a profession that would make more money. Eventually, they realized that teaching is what I want to do and I have a real passion for it.
It's just something that both surprises me and makes complete sense, that teachers have different stories and support but that all those stories share similar traits. There's always a teacher that inspired us to join the profession and some sort of experience that led us to believe that "yes, this is what I was made to do".
