My Decision to Teach :: College Admissions Essays

My Decision to Teach There are many reasons people decide to enter the teaching field. Some enter because they enjoy working with people or children, others because they like being off during the summer months, and still others because of their love for a particular subject. Although all these reasons are valid, I feel my reasons are much simpler. The bottom line is that I love kids and enjoy working with them. My desire to make learning a more positive experience for them has only increased with time. I knew very early in life that I enjoyed working with children; I am drawn to their eagerness to learn, their trusting nature, and their inquisitive minds. It has always been a joy for me to be around children, who are eager to learn. Children are thrilled when an adult takes time to read to them. After hearing a story only a couple of times, they are like a tape recorder set on replay. Their thirst for knowledge is overwhelming. At the elementary level, children also tend to have a very trusting nature. They rely heavily on their elders for guidance. Most children are very honest with their feelings and don't try to hide them. This is a crucial time in a child's life; it is a time when teachers and parents should be molding them for the future. It seems their minds are always working on something which makes them extremely inquisitive. Their curiosities seem never to be satisfied. Children are always asking "why?" even when they know the answer. The inquisitive child wan ts to know the how's, when's, and where's of everything. Because of my early interest in children, I developed a strong desire to teach; consequently, I sought out jobs that allowed me varied experiences with children. My first experience was baby-sitting. Here I quickly learned that children must be told precisely what to do. For example, "Go wash your hands with soap and dry them right now." Or, "You must take your shoes off and then you may get into the bathtub." From the many baby-sitting jobs I had, I soon discovered that if I did not have a plan the day would be total chaos. As early as thirteen I became familiar with the need for structure and creativity when dealing with younger children and found myself loving every minute of it.