To make sure that this application is as encompassing as possible, I've chosen to write about an interest that truly fascinates, amazes, and mystifies me; what it means to be a teacher. As long as I could remember, I've wanted to be a teacher. I remember sitting in my father's Introduction to Communications class at Boston University at seven years old and being absolutely enthralled by how he carried his class. Now seven year old me wasn't necessarily making astute philosophical observations about his pedagogical style, but I remember thinking to myself, "that's what I want to do one day." Something clicked and I haven't looked back since.
Upon my first opportunity, I took it upon myself to be exposed to the world of teaching that students do not necessarily see. As I scoured my school's course list for my upcoming junior year, I found a small listing that I'd never previously seen. The course was a teacher's assistant in a history class. My heart lit up and it was my first course input for the year. Working under Ms. Razzaqui, my supervising teacher, I learned many things. First and foremost, teaching is without a doubt one of the most mentally strenuous professions there is. One of my fondest memories of my time with her sophomore world history class was a quick aside comment she made that blew me away. She would spend between 4-7 hours a night just preparing assignments, grading papers, and making new lesson plans for the next day. All that work just to stay on pace. At first, I was taken aback and was reconsidering teaching, but I came to an important realization; she does the work she does not for the pay, or the flexibility, or the vacations. She does it because it means something that's much greater than her. Again, for the second time in my life, I felt that gravitation that I felt almost eight years before in a communications classroom at Boston University. My short time there made me realize things about teaching that I hadn't considered. It really is one of the most taxing professions that one can undertake in this world. The work it takes to even get there in insurmountable let alone the hours put in day in and day out for students who, sometimes, don't even seem to care. It takes a lot and since then, I've been doing my damnedest to make myself that person. I found myself working harder, longer, and better than I'd had, marking my best high school academic year. I rediscovered a beautiful and thought provoking interest that had gone past a typical likeness; I wanted it to be my future. Teaching isn't just something that one decides to do on a whim, it requires an intense amount of time, patience, and work. It struck me as not just a proud profession, but one of incredible passion, passion I want to find.
Really what separates teaching from other interests I have and why I want to include it is how it translates to something larger. Though I spent only a semester as a student teacher, I learned new levels of patience, perseverance, and passion. It would not be fair or incorrect to say that my time there has not made me a more forgiving and hard working person with a newfound appreciation for the underappreciated heroes of the world. My passion for teaching has moved far past the typical parameters of a hobby and is starting to become a positive addition to who I am and who I intend to be through college and beyond.
Upon my first opportunity, I took it upon myself to be exposed to the world of teaching that students do not necessarily see. As I scoured my school's course list for my upcoming junior year, I found a small listing that I'd never previously seen. The course was a teacher's assistant in a history class. My heart lit up and it was my first course input for the year. Working under Ms. Razzaqui, my supervising teacher, I learned many things. First and foremost, teaching is without a doubt one of the most mentally strenuous professions there is. One of my fondest memories of my time with her sophomore world history class was a quick aside comment she made that blew me away. She would spend between 4-7 hours a night just preparing assignments, grading papers, and making new lesson plans for the next day. All that work just to stay on pace. At first, I was taken aback and was reconsidering teaching, but I came to an important realization; she does the work she does not for the pay, or the flexibility, or the vacations. She does it because it means something that's much greater than her. Again, for the second time in my life, I felt that gravitation that I felt almost eight years before in a communications classroom at Boston University. My short time there made me realize things about teaching that I hadn't considered. It really is one of the most taxing professions that one can undertake in this world. The work it takes to even get there in insurmountable let alone the hours put in day in and day out for students who, sometimes, don't even seem to care. It takes a lot and since then, I've been doing my damnedest to make myself that person. I found myself working harder, longer, and better than I'd had, marking my best high school academic year. I rediscovered a beautiful and thought provoking interest that had gone past a typical likeness; I wanted it to be my future. Teaching isn't just something that one decides to do on a whim, it requires an intense amount of time, patience, and work. It struck me as not just a proud profession, but one of incredible passion, passion I want to find.
Really what separates teaching from other interests I have and why I want to include it is how it translates to something larger. Though I spent only a semester as a student teacher, I learned new levels of patience, perseverance, and passion. It would not be fair or incorrect to say that my time there has not made me a more forgiving and hard working person with a newfound appreciation for the underappreciated heroes of the world. My passion for teaching has moved far past the typical parameters of a hobby and is starting to become a positive addition to who I am and who I intend to be through college and beyond.