I love being a teacher. It is amazing to me how much I am constantly learning... about kids, about myself, how to create a positive learning environment, how to successfully resolve tough situations, the joy that follows a successful lesson. In one of my education classes, I learned that teachers are salesmen- we have to sell our subject matter to our students, and in a way that inspires and promotes them to understand its importance, and want to apply it in their lives.
I can remember a specific teacher I had in college who was just fabulous at creating an atmosphere where you felt so important and comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings. I felt like I left a better person each time I attended her class. I want my classroom to be like that, where my students are encouraged and inspired to work hard, and they know they are important, and that it is okay and good to push yourself and take risks. I heard on another occasion the thought, "I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care." Love is power. I think we are all teachers in one way or another. Our good examples and passion behind what we do, in the end, carries over into the lives of our students, or others, even more than the subject matter we teach.
"A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops."
-Henry Brooks Adams
