It was second grade that I really fell in love with the idea of becoming a teacher. I loved my own second grade teacher and we even shared a first name, what could be better? I had always loved school and that year made me decide that I wanted to be a second grade teacher when I grew up. Well, the rest of elementary school came and went and I loved it nonetheless. I loved my teachers, my school, and my friends. It was the best time of my life. The end of 6th grade came and I was a mess. (I actually cried on the last day of 6th grade). I was scared for change and I was scared to go to a new school. I didn't have to worry about 7th grade for 3 months though, because it was summer. Middle school began and like most kids, it was rough. It was like living in survival mode for 2 years. Thank goodness my middle school experience was only 2 years though. Next, came high school. I began ninth grade and life was fine, not great, but not bad. I went through the next 2 years of high school, with not any super close friends, but I still enjoyed myself. Junior year came and college visits began. It was at this point that I began to revisit what I wanted to do with my life. Throughout high school I had taken a variety of elective classes and thought about possibly going into analytical chemistry or accounting, but teaching was not anywhere in the front of my mind for awhile. Also, it is important to know that after 6th grade my love for school disappeared and had never really resurfaced. Not like it once was, anyways. Here I sit, as a senior and my goals and dreams have been rearranged yet again. It was through an education course, where I sat in on a variety of classes that made me find my love for teaching again. It was through my psychology course that I found the type of teacher I want to be. It was through my math classes that I found what age and subject matter I wanted to teach. I formed a real connection with my psychology teacher and I knew that I wanted to impact other people in the same way she impacted me. Although I never thought that I would want to teach kids that don't even like school, I love the high school age. The age where we find out what we want to do with our lives, where we want to attend school, who we are as people, and who our true friends are. All of these things and so much more are all the reasons I want to be a high school teacher. I have experienced so many great things throughout my 4 years of high school and I want to see other people have great experiences just like I have. I want to see students excel in athletics and arts. I want to see students excel in their academics. I want to see students figure out who they are as a person. I want to share my love of math with others (there is a whole other article on that). Yes, I know that not every kid is going to excel in academics, athletics, or arts. I know that most kids won't like math. However, my goal as a future teacher is to leave a lasting impact on my students as genuine individuals and allow them to have a tolerable high school experience, even though they have no interest in being at school. This is my journey to teaching and I am so excited to see where I go from here.