Teaching is not only a profession but a lifestyle which pushes you to always be the best version of yourself. When deciding on a career path for myself, there were many factors that came into play. My values have become stronger since I first graduated highschool which ultimately led me to this career path. These values include a passion for learning new skills, a strong sense of purpose in my work, and a love for family and community. I chose to become a teacher to become the truest and best version of myself.
The first reason I decided I wanted to become a teacher is my passion for learning new skills and sharing this knowledge with others. I knew of this passion from a young age and it continues to grow as I do. At a ballet recital when I was five, I couldn’t help coaching the girl next to me through the routine because she was missing steps. While my manners have improved since then, the love of coaching has remained. This love of teaching inspired me to coach throughout my highschool years and into college. I was on competitive teams for both softball and hockey in my school years and had fantastic coaches during this time. After playing softball together for many years, I was lucky to coach the sport we both love with my close friend Melissa Taylor. While having a coffee after practice, Melissa, who herself is a teacher, pointed out to me that she was surprised I hadn’t chosen a career path in education after finishing highschool as she watched me coach the 13 year old girls on our team. This comment first brought the idea to my mind as I value the opinion of my friend greatly, and she knew it would be a great fit for me. The time commitment I want to commit to coaching led me to look for a career in which I would be able to fully apply myself to both the coaching role and my career. I knew when looking for a workplace I wanted to enter a field where I could use my passion of learning and teaching new skills to others. 
The second reason I decided I wanted to enter into the field of education was the firm sense of purpose teaching brings. Teachers play a large role in shaping the future of their students. I had many outstanding teachers and role models growing up who, without a doubt, shaped the person I am today. One moment that sticks out in my mind is the experience I had during my first heartbreak in highschool. I was fortunate to have a great teacher by my side who consoled me and taught me a lot about life. While the curriculum may ask teachers to teach science and math, it was this teacher of mine who taught me that teachers prepare their students for a lot more in the world. This experience left me knowing that I wanted to embrace the values of that teacher when I grew up. At the time, I didn’t know that meant becoming a teacher myself, but the values she expressed were passed on to become my goal. Being a role model is of great importance to me. I keep myself accountable for this goal by hearing feedback from coworkers, supervisors, and the community. I hope to continue this process while adding students to the list of feedback as I enter this field. This career already pushes me to be a role model in my everyday life, even if I am only in the very beginning of the process. Since beginning this schooling I have seen changes in my expectations of myself to be the person who stands up for what is right. I find it is a lot easier to have courage when you know that little eyes are watching you. Teaching is a role that does not end once out of the classroom and continues on into every aspect of the lives of teachers. This strong sense of purpose which carries on not only in the classroom but in everyday life draws me to the education field.
The third reason I entered into this career path was the work life balance this career provides. Having a great work life balance would allow me to reach my full potential as a partner, a mom, and a member of the community. These roles are a huge part of who I am and are vital to my overall wellbeing. My job choices before finding my way back to school had a schedule, including night shifts, which led to a half-full glass for many responsibilities of my life at home. My first career choice out of highschool was Medical Laboratory Technology. After completing the schooling and working within the field for two years, I found myself unfulfilled. While I was helping others at work as I so valued doing so, the on-call hours left me little time outside of work to contribute to my home and community. Having my daughter Gracyn was the final inspiration I needed to apply back to university to become a teacher as I knew the kind of mom I wanted to be and knew the schedule I was currently in as a medical laboratory technologist would not allow me to do so. The work life balance a career in education provides will allow me to fulfill the duties of a teacher, a mother, and a contributing member of the community.
My goal to become a teacher comes from a place of my own passions, the concept of how big of a difference teachers make, and the love I have for my family and community. This career is about more than just work, as it is truly an entire lifestyle to which teachers commit to both in the classroom and out. In whole, I want to be a teacher to push myself to be the best version of myself every day and to inspire others to do the same.