Pencils, Paper, and Patience.

My favorite question of all time is... What do you want to be when you grow up?
I ALWAYS knew the answer to that. I've always wanted to be a teacher. 

I love to teach. Always have. When I was younger, I would teach anything that sat still long enough. Baby dolls, Beanie Babies, Barbies...you name it. I would bust out my CD collection and set them up as desks in my {class}room. I would usually have to separate Kenny Rogers and Faith Hill...

This "image" I had of what a 

p-e-r-f-e-c-t classroom looks like was that of a fairytale in my childish, unexperienced brain. I've spent some time in the classroom, seeing how the day progresses, how the teacher teaches, and how the students learn, and I couldn't be MORE FAR OFF from what my mind was picturing. 

I started my Junior Internship (Internship 1) at UCF this semester. I am so fortunate to have been BLESSED with a teacher who has a very similar heart as mine, and who is full of words of encouragement {and the naked truth} about all this "job" has to offer. I've also found how.many.people will openly tell you why public education {for lack of a better word} SUCKS and why I shouldn't choose this PASSION of mine as a PROFESSION. 

So, I got to thinking....and here are some reasons why I'm going to be a teacher {and the best darn one I can be}.

Reasons I Teach:

1. My heart doesn't know what else to do. I can't help it. I teach all the time. Whether I'm babysitting, tutoring, at church, at school...I am always looking for ways to teach someone something new. Whether I spend my days teaching in an "A" public school in the United States or in a dusty, open-aired hut in some Third World Country...I don't know these plans yet. But God does. He knows my heart and where it needs to be.

2. I am a lover of learning. I love to learn and experience new things. If there is something I don't know, I {drum roll please} Google it! I want to know the answer! I want to try new things! I just love it! And I'm always collecting brochures and taking from all the places I go for my future classroom.

3. I believe that education is the single most important tool necessary to change the world. Ghandi shares my belief in this statement. Education is THE key that opens so many doors to opportunity. I know that all students have the ability to achieve greatness, and education is the one thing that can help them get there. 

4. I am willing to fill the shoes. So many kids do not have the parental support coming from home. I am so thankful for the childhood I had, where my Mom stayed home and provided so much support and love to her children. There are too many children who simply do not have that. I'm willing to step in and love them. I will encourage them. I will hold their hand when they need it. I will be the launching pad for them to fly.

5. Job Flexibility. This is the bottom of the barrel, but is my most practical reason. Other than teach, my dreams include me being a Wife and a Mother someday. I would love the ability to spend time with my children, and if the finances allowed it, to stay home and raise my children just as I was. With teaching, the doors are opened to this.

Teaching is what I love to do, but WOAH Bessy... It is hard. 

So many people criticize you. So many people doubt your abilities. So many people annoy the heck out of you. It's a tough thing to do. Parents instantly think YOU are the problem, and are always the first ones to tell you how to do your job...yet, won't step foot in you classroom. It's not for sissies that's for sure. And you get paid about a penny an hour...

But none of these things are going to stop this sister from teaching!

I'm just so excited to see what teaching does for me in the next stages of my life. I'm so thankful for the awesome teachers, administrators, and fellow teacher friends I have had the pleasure of knowing along this journey. Your encouragement and thoughtful "well wishes" mean more than you know. 

I'm just your average twenty-something following her dreams.