Jessica Conrad 1

EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan

Why I Want to Teach

Jessica L. Conrad
Texas Womans University

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EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan
Why I Want to Teach
Many traditional college students pursuing a career in education have had
dreams of doing so since they were in primary school. Their passion of wanting to
teach came from an early age and is something that followed them throughout their
adolescent years into their college years. My passion for wanting to be a teacher
came much later in life, but my passion still runs just as deep, if not deeper. I grew
up in a military family where things were very strict and disciplined. Politics were
often the topic of discussion at the dinner table, and debates frequently broke out.
Politics has always been a passion of mine and I wanted to use my passion and
knowledge and become a lawyer. When I first started off to college, I entered into a
pre-law program. A year into my college path, I left to focus on my family. I
eventually entered into the financial field and became a financial advisor. Even
though I had a financially stable career, something was missing; passion. With that
being said, I decided to go back to school and continue on my path of becoming a
lawyer. My last year of my undergraduate program, I started questioning what I
truly wanted to do with my life. I thought to myself, what better way to incorporate
my love of the social sciences field and children than becoming an educator?
Watching my children gain new understanding and knowledge is one of the
most amazing experiences. Being able to see the positive effects I make on others
lives I think is one of the most rewarding things a teacher and a parent can
experience. I truly believe that each student has the potential to achieve high levels
of success in their education. Being an educator means being able to help motivate
and encourage those students and watch them succeed. I want to be able to show
my students that learning can be fun and help them realize the value and

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EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan
importance of a good education. I feel students today do not have adequate
preparation leaving high school and entering college. They are not prepared for how
our real-world functions. I want to make a difference and better prepare our
students for their college experiences leading them into the workforce. I want to
bring joy and excitement to my students and make them feel excited about what
they are learning about. I want to inspire my students to work hard and be able to
see them reap the rewards for their hard work and dedication. Being able to share
my passion of learning and watch my students grow intellectually and socially is
something I am ready to embark on. Watching my own children grow up and
become so intellectually stimulated is so inspiring. Being an inspirational part of my
children and my future students educational path is only something I can hope to
achieve.
My children have been the most motivating force in my life since the day they
were born. I continue to work hard each day to provide a better life for them and to
be a role model that they can look up to. My children have made me want to be a
better person, emotionally and intellectually. They have truly made me see how
being involved in their education and school can motivate them to work even
harder. They pushed for me to join the PTA, which I finally did. I eventually became
a room parent as well as the legislative liaison for the PTA board. My children
showed me how being involved in their education pushes them to reach goals that
they thought they did not think they could attain. They teach me so much each day
about myself and the type of parent and educator that I hope to become. Even with
them being so young, they encourage me each day to work harder towards my goal
of becoming an educator. Unfortunately, many parents are not as involved with
their childrens education as we would hope for. My children have showed me just

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EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan
how important being involved effects their education. They have motivated me
even more to enter the teaching profession so I can be that motivating force for
children who need that extra push of encouragement and motivation.
Next to my children, my parents have always pushed me to achieve my
dreams. They have showed me I am capable of achieving anything I put my mind to.
They have been such great role models in my life; I know I would not be where I am
at today without their love and encouragement. Through all the obstacles in my life,
they have always stood by my side and never let me down. They have pushed me
when I thought I could not go any further and I will never be able to thank them for
the impact that they have had on me. No matter what my decisions have been in
life in regards to a career, they have always gave me the motivation that I needed
to get where I am at today. Making my parents proud is something that keeps
driving me forward. My mother went back to school after raising me and my
brothers and received her masters degree from Texas Womans University. I knew
that if my mom could go back to school after so long, that I could as well. She has
been an inspiration to me, and I knew with her by my side, I could not fail.
I am a compassionate, dedicated, strong willed, confident and open minded
woman. I feel I can look at all things in different perspectives which contribute to my
problem solving skills. By being able to provide these different viewpoints, I feel that
this will give my students the opportunity to look deeper into problems that they
encounter and be able to find a solution that works for everyone. I have gained so
much inner strength over the past few years which I feel has propelled me to
wanting to help others by helping them bring out their underlying strengths that
they did not realize they had. I appreciate and respect others values and beliefs, but

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EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan
I do take a stand for what I believe in. I do not let other people persuade my
integrity, honor or my core values. I consider myself to be a conscientious type of
person. It is not always how quickly a task is completed, but how well the task is
done. I have always been very task oriented and organized, which has become a
useful tool in balancing my home and school life. This is something I plan on
bringing into my classroom in the future. Becoming the legislative liaison for the PTA
Board gave me the opportunity to interact and engage with a large number of
parents as well as teachers and administrators. It allowed me to address the
importance of parents being actively involved in their childs education as well as
the importance of keeping up with the legislative aspect. A parents involvement in
their childs education can be a direct reflection of how a child values the
opportunities that are given to them in the classroom.
My life experiences I feel are a great asset to bring to the table when starting
my teaching career. Just because life might not go as planned, that does not mean
you have to give up on your dreams. It is never too late work towards a dream and
achieve anything you put your mind too. I can only hope that my life experiences
will help inspire students to keep focused on their future. I hope to show them that
there will be setbacks in life, but it is how strong you come out on the other end that
matters the most. I hope to show my students that they choose what their future
holds, not their past. I was bullied when I was younger and it has showed me the
dramatic effects it can have on a young childs self-esteem. I am a strong advocate
against bullying and I hope my personal experiences and zero tolerance attitude will
only bring positives to my classroom. My compassionate and loving demeanor I feel
will bring a sense of warmth to my classroom that will only help promote an
engaging classroom setting. Being open minded will help me see points of views

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EDUC 5113 Dr. McMahan
from all my students, which I feel will increase participation, as all students
opinions have value. I only hope that my passion for education will inspire students
to better prepare themselves for the future by opening their mind to accept new
and useful knowledge.
While my path in life has not taken the turns that I expected, I would not
change anything. Every obstacle and event in my life has helped shape me into the
person I am today. It has directed me towards what I feel my true calling is;
teaching. Every assignment, every paper and every day brings me one step closer
to fulfilling my dream of not only being an educator, but an inspiration to students.
Becoming an educator is a life choice, not a career choice. I am proud of the
accomplishments I have achieved in my life. Being a teacher is not only about the
impact I can leave on my future students lives, but also what they can teach me in
becoming a better teacher, mother and individual in society.