Why Teach?

Mr co-teaching in my Mom’s (Michele Honeycutt’s) classroom and focusing on reading comprehension and formative assessment! My experiences working with the students in my mom’s classroom have shown me that I always want to be a teacher.

I remember this moment well, I had just turned seven years old and was sitting in Mrs. Watson’s first grade classroom. Of all the wonderful discoveries first grade had waiting for me, this one continues to impact me to this day. At the time recess was my favorite part of school. However, this moment with Mrs. Watson changed my entire thought process about school. I had called Mrs. Watson over to my desk, she had allowed for everyone in the class to “free-write,” confused, I asked her what exactly I could write about. Smiling, she told me that I could write whatever story I wanted to.

While this moment may feel small, stories that had been locked up in my mind were soon being written on the page. I began to spend my recesses crafting new adventures in the corner of the playground. While this feels small, I’ve held onto this practice in the 12 years since.

Me with my highschool English teacher, Ms. Darnell, who is one of the best teachers in the world.

These memories of my elementary education were also the reason I decided to volunteer in the Youthfriends program through my FFA chapter (thank you, Mr. Clark) and help start the Open World Cause. In that time, I have seen many students here and around the world discover their true passions in school. I have had also had an amazing experience volunteering in my Mom’s classroom for elementary Summer School program. She teaches first-fourth grade, and has had me practice co-teaching techniques. It’s been nerve-wracking, fun, exhausting (they’re only half days and I have taken naps immediately after each one) that both make me wonder how teachers even do it and yet for some reason makes me want to teach more than I ever have before. These experiences have allowed me to realize the joy I could achieve if I chose to become a teacher.

Someday I hope to help students find the keys to their passions, keys that Mrs. Watson once gave to me.