Amazingly, I can pin point the exact moment when I realized that teaching was what I was meant to do in life.
Oh, I am convinced that growing up in a family where most of its members are teachers, had something to do with it. I will even go as far as to say that having a teacher for a mother also influenced me. However, so many other people have these motivating factors and they do not become teachers. So why did I?
As a child, my mom would sometimes take me with her to her school. I had classes in the afternoon only and she taught in the morning only. SO, sometimes, if there wasn’t anyone available to look after me, she would take me along with her. I remember sitting in her classroom and daydreaming about becoming a teacher. I would imagine trading spots with my mom and wondered about what it would feel like to be the teacher. I wondered what it would feel like to be the one helping the children learn.
As a preteen and teen, I used to spend hours preparing and running activities with my younger cousins and sister. We would often go on picnics in the woods behind my parents’ farm, or we would just camp for the day in the middle of the fields. Sometimes we would organize full out game activities that would keep us busy the whole day, and other times I would just sit with the little ones and have them draw, sing songs or do simple activities.
Despite all this, it was only in grade 12 that I realized that teaching was my vocation. I remember the exact moment. Me and my classmates were all sitting in a circle in the middle of the soccer field at school. We were all talking about what choices we were going to make when applying for university. It was a very stressful time for us. Whatever decision we made, we would have to stick with it for the rest of our lives.
We went around the circle and everyone talked about their ideas and aspirations. Everyone had several career options ideas they would like to pursue. We all discussed the merits and possible obstacles of each idea and tried to help each other in making our decisions.
When my turn came to voice my ideas, my only aspiration was to become a teacher. It just felt right! As I said the words, this sense of destiny came over me and I knew teaching was what I really wanted to do. I remember talking about how I really wanted to be like my Math and Science teachers. How I wanted to help students fulfill their dreams and how I wanted to be competent like these teachers were. I described how I felt every time I helped my friends with homework, how this exhilarating feeling of success overcame my whole body and soul when I realized that I was able to help them understand some concept or another.
Although my parents wanted me to pursue medicine (yeah, right) I ended up at a local private teachers college. It was the first time in my life that I felt that I was doing the right thing! The other times I felt like that was when I married my husband and when I gave birth to my wonderful three children 😀
Now that I am back to pursuing my teaching career, this feeling of rightfulness is back. Being in the classroom volunteering once a week has brought back the yearning to work with children. I’m excited about life again. It feels good to help the little ones understand the concepts taught by their teacher, and I internally cheer every time I help them successfully complete a task or assignment. I can’t wait to get back into a classroom of my own!
You can read about how other teachers realized they wanted to become a teacher by clicking the image below.
Take care,
Catia
