why do you like your teacher essay

19 Top Ideas for a “Why I want to be a Teacher” Essay

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

Here are the 19 best reasons you would want to be a teacher that you can include in your essay:

To help children learn more effectively.
To ensure children have positive mentors.
To improve children’s lives.
To help future generations solve the problems of today.
To help the future generations become good citizens.
To inspire future generations to create a more equal world.
To give back to the community I grew up in.
To be a part of helping my community thrive.
To be a part of my community’s decision-making processes.
Because you have the patience for working with children.
Because you have compassion for children.
Because you want to learn from children.
Because you’re enthusiastic about learning.
Because you are a generous person.
Because you’re interested in learning how to teach difficult students.
Because you’re interested in learning how to work with difficult parents.
Because you’re interested in learning diverse strategies for teaching,
Because you’re interested in learning to master classroom management.
Because you’re interested in learning what works and what doesn’t in teaching.

The ‘Why I want to be a teacher’ essay is all about showing you have thought in-depth about what a teacher does and what their role is in society. It’s also about showing you think you’d be a good person to conduct that role.

The 9 Tips are split into five categories. You can scan this whole post or browse through the categories here:

This essay is hard to get right.

Most students write the exact same thing as one another with the same old cliché statements like “because I love kids” (ugh, wrong answer!). If you do this, your teacher will just give you an average grade (or worse).

You need your essay on “why you want to be a teacher” to be different – indeed excellent – so it stands out for your teacher.

I’ll show you how.

Why should you listen to me? Well, I’ve been teaching university students in education departments for 8 years. In that time I’ve marked several thousand essays by people aiming to become teachers. I know what essays get top marks and which ones are average. I also know exactly what mistakes students make that make their essays seem … dull.

So, let me get you started out by introducing 19 points that you should make in your essay on why you want to be a teacher. I’ll break these 19 points down into 5 separate categories. Check them out below.

Read Also: Is Being a Teacher Worth It? (Why I Quit a Good Job)

1. Definitely do not say “because kids are fun”. Do this instead.

The word ‘fun’ is a big red flag for markers. Too many people want to become teachers because they think it would be a fun profession. Or, they might think that they want to help children have fun . No, no, no.

This is an incorrect answer in your essay about why you want to become a teacher.

Yes, teaching is fun a lot of the time. And it is really nice to see students having fun based on activities you’ve set for them.

But society isn’t paying you to have fun, or even to make children have fun. You’re not going to be a child minder, aunt, uncle or clown. You’re going to be a professional who has a bigger social purpose than having fun.

Now, a lot of students say to me “But, students learn more when they’re having fun.” Sure, that might be true – but it’s not a central reason for teaching.

If making learning more fun is genuinely a reason why you decided to become a teacher, then you need to frame it in a way that shows the importance of teaching for the good of students. Here’s three better ways to say ‘because kids are fun’; for each on, we can start with “I want to become a teacher because…”:

I want to help children learn more effectively. You could say something like: …When I was in school, learning was hard and I therefore hated teaching. There were a lot of teachers who seemed uninspired and uninterested in whether their children are learning. I was inspired to become a teacher so I could help children like myself to learn in ways that are engaging, motivating and inspiring.
I want to ensure children have positive mentors. You could say something like: …Many children in the world don’t have positive mentors at home. A teacher is often the one person in a child’s life who is a stable mentor that the child can lean upon. I chose to become a teacher because I believe all children need a positive mentor that instils in them an interest in the world and a belief that they can make something of themselves.
I want to improve children’s lives. You could say something like: …Being a teacher will give me the power to make children’s lives better. Learning opens doors to new opportunities, ways of thinking and paths in life that children wouldn’t have had before me. I am inspired by the idea of helping a child who is sad, uncertain and lacks confidence to see their own potential for creating a fulfilling life for themselves.

All three of those ideas still skirt around the idea that helping children have fun is something you want to see happen, but they also point out that there’s something deeper here than the idea that children should have fun: they should have fun for a reason. That reason could be so they learn more, develop an interest in the world, or see that their lives are full of potential.

Note that in my three examples above, I never used the word ‘fun’: it’s too much of a red flag for your markers.

2. Explain how teaching helps the world! Here’s how.

Have you ever heard someone say that ‘Teaching is a noble profession’? Well, it is. And this is something you really should be talking about in your essay on why you want to become a teacher.

Your teacher will be impressed by your understanding that teaching is a profession that keeps the world turning. Without teachers, where would we be? Probably back in the dark ages where people couldn’t read or write, technology wasn’t advancing very quickly at all, and people mostly lived in ignorance of their world.

So, being a teacher is has a bigger social purpose. As a teacher, you’ll be an important piece of society. You’ll be one of the army of tens – no, hundreds – of thousands of people helping future generations to propel our world towards better days. Below are some ways teaching helps the world. You can start these off with “I want to become a teacher because…”

I want to help future generations solve the problems of today. Being a teacher gives you the opportunity to propel students to greater heights. The children in your classrooms will be the people who solve climate change (oh, goodness, I hope so!), create the technologies to make our lives more comfortable, and get us out of the ecological, economic and political messes we seem to have gotten ourselves into!
I want to help the future generations become good citizens. There’s a concept called the ‘ hidden curriculum ’. This concept points to the fact that children learn more at school than what’s in the tests. They also learn how to get along, manners, democratic values and the importance of sharing. These soft skills are more than just a by-product of education. They’re incredibly important for showing our students how to get along in our society.
I want to inspire future generations to create a more equal world. A lot of what we talk about at school are moral issues: what’s the right and wrong thing to do? How do our actions ensure or hinder equality of races, genders and social classes? As a teacher, you will be instilling in children the idea that the decisions they make will lead to a more or less equal world. And of course, we all want a more equal world for our children.

These points are some higher-order points that will help you teacher see that you’re becoming a teacher for more than ‘fun’. You’re becoming a teacher because you see the noble purpose in teaching. If you do this right, you’ll surely impress your teacher.

3. Discuss your commitment to community. Here’s how.

Teachers are at the center of communities. Parents take their children to school, drop them off, then go to work. They busily get on with their jobs: architect, shop assistant, nurse, builder, and so on… Then, they all come back at the end of the day to collect their children from school.

School is one of the few things that brings all of these different members of a community together. Parents gather around the pick up location to gather their kids, and there they stand around and chat about sports and politics and community issues.

School is at the heart of community.

And you, as a teacher, will be one of the respected members of that community: there to serve all the members of the community by helping to raise their children with the values of the community in which you live.

You can talk about this as a central reason why you want to be a teacher. How about you start off with: “I want to become a teacher because…”

I want to give back to the community I grew up in. You could say …I grew up in a close-knit community where we all looked out for one another. Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to give back to my friends and mentors in the town who need someone to raise their children who they trust will do a great job.
I want to be a part of helping my community thrive. You could talk about how you are from a growing community that needs good quality, respectable people who will educate future members of your community. As a teacher, you will be at the heart of ensuring your local town remains a great place to live.
I want to be a part of my community’s decision-making processes. Teachers hold a certain authority: they know how students learn, and they usually have a very deep understanding of what is best for children in order to ensure they thrive. You can talk about how you want to become a person with deep knowledge about the children in your community so you can help guide you community’s decisions around how to raise their young people.

Note that in this group of ideas, ‘community’ represents the close-knit town in which you live, whereas in point 2, I talked about ‘society’, which was the bigger picture of the future of our nation or world rather than just your town.

4. Discuss the personality traits you think you can bring to the role. Here’s how.

You should show how you have reflected on the requirements of the role of teaching and thought about whether you have the personality traits that are required.

Why? Well, you need to be able to show that you know what being a teacher is all about… and that you think you’d be good at it.

So, let’s dive in to 5 personality traits that teachers have, and how you can show you have those traits:

Patience. Patience is an enormously popular skill for teachers to have. You’ll have kids who just don’t understand concepts one iota, and you’ve got to sit there and work with them until they get it. It’s tedious, let me tell you!
Compassion. Patience and compassion go hand-in-hand. If you don’t feel empathy for the kid who’s struggling super hard at learning, you’ll get pretty mad and just give up. You might also say some mean things to the kid! So, compassion is really necessary if you want to become a good teacher.
Open minded. Teachers always need to be learning new things. We often talk about the importance of learning with students more than directly teaching If you set a student a task, you’ll be sending them out to gather as much information on the topic as possible. They’ll often come back with new knowledge and you will want to praise them for teaching you something new.
Enthusiasm. Let me tell you, when it’s Wednesday afternoon in the middle of a hot school week and everyone’s depressed and flat there’s one person to rally the troops: you! Teachers need to wake up every morning, put their happy face on, and march into the classroom with boundless enthusiasm. It’ll motivate your students and make them feel welcome in the learning environment.
Generosity. You need to be generous with your time and praise. You need to be constantly thinking about the students in your care and doing anything you can to help them learn, instil in them a love of learning, and give them the confidence to try anything. Teachers need to be very generous people.

There’s a ton more traits that make a good teacher that you can talk about. These are just a few. Go forth and learn more, and add them to your essay!

5. Conclude with the things you still need to learn. Here’s how.

One more thing: good teachers are constantly learning. As someone studying to be a teacher, you need to remember that there’s a long way to go before you have all the answers. Heck, I’ve been a teacher for nearly a decade and I’m not even half way towards knowing everything about being a good teacher.

So, conclude your essay by highlighting that you understand what the role of a teacher is in society and the key competencies required of a teacher; but then go further and mention your enthusiasm to learn more about the profession over the coming years.

Here’s 5 things you can mention that you still need to learn:

How to teach difficult students. Some students hate school – mostly because of their terrible experiences in the past. You need to learn to get through to difficult students, and this takes time and patience to learn the art of inspiring the uninspired.
How to work with difficult parents. Oh boy, you’ll have a lot of these. You can highlight this as one of the key things you want to work on in the coming years: again, you’ll need to draw on that skill of patience (as well as the skill of diplomacy ) when it comes time to deal with an angry parent.
Diverse strategies for teaching. There are a lot of different ways to go about teaching. Over the years you’ll pick up on the various strategies and tricks different teachers have to help children learn.
Classroom management. This is one of the hardest things young teachers need to learn. And really, it just takes time. Discuss how this is something you want to focus on, and how you’ll use mentors to really work on this skill.
What works and what doesn’t. Great teachers have this intuitive knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, all based upon their deep experience and trial-and-error. The only way to learn to teach is to do it. Over the coming years, you’ll be learning about this. A lot.

You’ll only need one or two paragraphs on this final point, but it’s a great way to end your essay on why you want to become a teacher. It’ll show your humility and eagerness to take on one of the noblest professions in the world.

If you want to learn to write a top notch conclusion, you might also like my post on the 5 C’s Conclusion method .

Before you finish up your essay, you might want to check out my awesome posts on how to improve your essays, like these ones:

How to write a killer Introduction
My perfect paragraph formula , and
How to edit your essay like a pro .

I promised 19 thoughtful points to make in your essay about why you want to be a teacher. Here they are, all summed up in one final list:

Say you want to help children learn more effectively.
Say you want to ensure children have positive mentors.
Say you want to improve children’s lives.
Say you want to help future generations solve the problems of today.
Say you want to help the future generations become good citizens.
Say you want to inspire future generations to create a more equal world.
Say you want to give back to the community you grew up in.
Say you want to be a part of helping your community thrive.
Say you want to be a part of your community’s decision-making processes.
Say you want to share your patience with your students.
Say you want to share your compassion with your students.
Say you want to learn from your students (be ‘open minded’)
Say you want to share your enthusiasm for learning with your students.
Say you want to share your generosity with your students.
Say you’re interested in learning how to teach difficult students.
Say you’re interested in learning how to work with difficult parents.
Say you’re interested in learning diverse strategies for teaching,
Say you’re interested in learning to master classroom management.
Say you’re interested in learning what works and what doesn’t in teaching.

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Classroom Wall Decoration Ideas
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 31 Cute & Cozy Play Corner Ideas
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 24 Steiner-Waldorf Classroom Design Ideas
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Kindergarten Decoration Ideas

Future Educators

Helping America's Future Teachers

I Want to Become a Teacher Because | My Dream Job Essay

My dream is to become a teacher . If you have this dream, you’re not alone. Here’s a collection of short essays by aspiring teachers. Current and future education students were asked to describe their motivation; what inspires them to succeed at their teacher training studies.

In these 31 student essays, future educators answer the question “I want to become a teacher because …” or “I want to become a teacher to …”. The short student essays are grouped thematically, forming the top reasons to become a teacher.

1. Giving Brings Its Own Rewards

Helping people is the unifying theme as to why students are inspired and motivated to become teachers. Education is a field where you can help young people directly in a personal way; potentially changing their lives for the better. Teaching is more than just a job.

For a significant percentage of education students, the opportunity to be of service provides plenty of motivation to pursue a teaching career. In each Why I Want to Become a Teacher essay here, a future educator explains why teaching is an opportunity to do something meaningful and beneficial.

by Hanna Halliar

If I can make an impact in just one child’s life, I will be able to consider myself successful. That is my motivation. As a future educator, what else would it be?

Every day that is spent in class, the late nights at the library, the endless hours of studying are all just steps getting me closer to the goal. When I am still up at 1 a.m. struggling to keep my eyes open, but only half way through my 6 page paper I remember how excited I am to work with my own students one day.

To me, being a teacher is so much more than the typical response most people have towards education majors. “Oh, you’re going to be a teacher. You know how much you will make?” Yes, I’m aware that I will be making an average of $50,000 a year in Indiana.

To me being a teacher means that I get the opportunity to not only teach my students math, English, and science but to teach life lessons that will stick with them as well. It means walking into school every day being the reason my students look forward to coming to school. It means being surrounded by crafts, books, and music and not being stuck in an office. It means educating our future generation. And if somebody has to do it, it should be somebody who is passionate about it.

So what motivates me to study? It is so simple, it is the kids.

by Savannah Stamates

I lay awake at night and practice my first morning message to my first round of students whom I will not meet for more than a year.

I wonder if I will have hungry children, happy children, or broken children. I wonder if I will be good enough or strong enough to reach those most in need. I wonder if my students will trust me enough to tell me that they are hungry, happy, or scared.

I worry that I will not be strong enough to share their burden or provide a place for peace and learning. I worry that I will misread their actions or their words or miss them reaching out.

So I study, even when I am tired from working two jobs or sick of not being where I want to be. When my time comes to walk into that classroom, my worries and doubts will be silenced by the knowledge I have mastered and the dream I have finally achieved.

by Charity Latchman

Dreams for the future are subjective. They can be based on what we desire. But visionary dreams are not only for us. Imagine asking some of the greatest revolutionaries and pioneers about their dreams. They generally had others in mind. In the famous “I have a Dream” speech, Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr said “we” more than thirty times. Dreams are not for our benefit alone, but to encourage, inspire and benefit others.

Recently I graduated from California Baptist University with a degree in English literature. During my studies, I was cared for my disabled mother. She was a religious studies professor who inculcated me with a diligent and steadfast approach to schoolwork. Managing the role of caregiver with university studies was challenging. But the goal to become a teacher kept me going. Approaching graduation, my mother was diagnosed with throat cancer. She didn’t worry about herself as much as you might expect but kept pushing me to finish the final paper in the program.

With her encouragement, my faith, and a burning desire to teach English literature, I graduated. My motivation comes from wanting to help, to encourage, and to inspire others. Teaching is an act of giving that has its own rewards. Life’s trials bring ups and downs. But we must always strive to attain our dreams, especially when others are central to them.

by Katheryn England

As a high school senior, many people assume I’m prepared for college and know what I want to study after graduation. These assumptions cause me to experience moments of self-doubt. Then I re-evaluate what I want for myself, and what it is that keeps me working towards my dreams. Through the goals I’ve set for myself, I can maintain focus, move past my self-doubt and succeed. By focusing on my goals, I can make a difference in the world directly around me.

A goal I have in my life is to be an elementary teacher, also known as an early childhood teacher. As a teacher, I can share the knowledge I’ve gained to leave behind a better future for our world .

Last year, I had the opportunity to work alongside a previous elementary teacher and mentor of mine. I’d visit her classroom daily, and taught lessons alongside her or independently. Uniquely, they were the opening act in my high school’s original winter play. They read first-hand from our scripts and learned what happens behind the scenes. Showing a new part of the world to the youth of my community has motivated me to pursue my dreams.

Remembering this experience and the positive influence I had on those students helps me overcome self-doubt and stay focused on my goals. Thanks to the goals I’ve set for my life, I not only can find purpose for my efforts, but find the will to be confident in whatever choices I make.

by Emma Lillard-Geiser

I have always known that I would become two things: a mother and a teacher. What I didn’t know is that I would become the mother before the teacher. Having a child that depends on me is what fuels my desire to succeed in life. When I get frustrated with my studies I take a deep breath, look at my daughter, and know that I have reason to persevere. I know that one hour of studying will give me hours with my daughter as soon as I am done.

My mother is a teacher and growing up I cherished learning from her. She had knowledge that I admired and I quickly realized that I had to spend my whole life learning. I love to learn, to have that light go off in my head when it all just clicks.

I cannot wait to see that light in the eyes of my daughter and my future students. For every thing that I learn, is another thing I can teach someone else. It isn’t easy to study when you have a small child to take care of but I know that my education will provide me with the ability to take care of her for the rest of our lives.

2. Help Disadvantaged Students

Students are disadvantaged for many reasons, whether it’s because of a handicap, where they live, economic disadvantage or a language barrier.

Future educators may want to become teachers so they can make a difference in the lives of students who face extra learning challenges. This special interest often comes from the future teacher’s own experience, either personally or involving people they’ve known.

by Ian T Thomason

While attending the University of Minnesota-Mankato, I have aspirations of becoming a Special Education Teacher. Becoming a Special Education Teacher and helping students who have a need for extra help and students who are having troubles with everyday life are things that I dream of doing. I was in their shoes once and know how difficult it is to deal with everyday life and how nice it was have a teacher to talk to.

Becoming a Special Education Teacher is my ultimate goal and, when difficult times arise, I have to remind myself of the children out there who have it potentially worse than I. When I remember this, I also think back to all of the support that I had from my parents, family members, and teachers. I also know that there are lots of children who don’t have this type of support and, if I can be there for them, that would make my career choice all the more worth it.

My Special Education degree is something more than just a degree for me. It is a degree that allows me to help children improve their education. I realize that children are our future and that their minds are terrible things to waste. So, instead of wasting their minds, why not put our best foot forward to educate them? My dream is to help kids realize their full potential, promote education and a brighter future for every child.

by Katherine

Motivation allows you to persist through difficult circumstances. Mine comes from a desire to grow into an instructor who is able to make a difference to many children’s lives.

In elementary school, I actually was a special education student. I’ve had to work hard most days of my life to achieve anything. I could not have succeeded without the support of some absolutely amazing teachers. Now I desire to take on that supporting role for as many students as I can reach.

When a class or an assignment I don’t want to do come up, I think of what motivates me. And the motivation is children. Many students feel powerless about their education, just like I did. I could be a teacher who turns their education around, providing vital support and motivation to succeed at their studies. Ultimately, everyone motivates themselves by one way or another. My motivation comes from the pure desire to help future students.

by Robbie Watson

My road to graduate school has been a long one. I studied religion and culture in undergrad, interested in the material, yet not sure how I would apply it later. Yet I found places, got involved in community and international development, engaged with different cultures, and now feel I use my degree every day.

For over two years I worked alongside Congolese refugees in Rwanda, developing educational opportunities for youths who could not finish secondary school in the underfunded camps. It is these refugees, young and old, the students, the teachers, their passion and vision for a better future that has driven me to seek out more education for myself. I remember how they would pay from their families’ meager funds to attend classes led by volunteer teachers. When finances were against them, or time, or family obligations, or the dire depression of the camp life itself, or even government officials were against them, still those students attended, still those teachers taught.

It is their example of perseverance towards a goal against all odds that inspires me now. I think of them often, think of the friends they were, are still. And I think of how that passion is in me now, to better understand education so that I might better educate, and thus equip such downtrodden communities to work for transformation themselves. I work not only for myself, and am motivated by the potential in those students and educators, which is also in me, and in others like them.

by Natalie Pelayo

I’m a young Latino woman working towards the goal of earning a bachelor degree in bilingual education. On occasions, I feel a slowing in my motivation. But, every time it happens, I think about the goal and that pushes me to move forward.

Looking back to a middle school class I attended, there was a boy who never really participated. He sat in his hoodie, looking down to his desk. Only after trying to talk with him, I discovered he spoke with broken English and a thick Spanish accent. It seemed as if no-one in our class actually knew that he struggled to understand what was being taught because it was presented in English.

By his manner, it was apparent that he had already accepted a dismal fate. Past teachers may have been unable to communicate with him. Eventually, he’d become demoralized. Thinking about the disadvantages he had to endure provides ongoing motivation to study hard.

I aim to become a bilingual elementary school teacher to support young Spanish-speaking children. As a teacher, I’ll be able to show them that they can succeed. Children need not grow up thinking they’re incapable of learning due to a language barrier. I’ll keep working towards my goal to help ensure teaching is inclusive of all children, no matter their first language.

by Abigail Young

I am an American citizen, but my whole life I have lived in Cameroon, Africa. I have been blessed with an enormous amount of opportunities and a great education at a private international school.

Every day I have seen children and teenagers around me who do not get the same education or have the same possibilities of a “bright” future. I see schools that are forced to have three children share a small table, paper, and pens. I have seen a badly lit room with poor roofs and walls made from bricks. Even in my school there are numerous Cameroonians, my friends, and classmates that do not have the same chances at a higher level education, although they work just as hard.

When I study, I study hard because I do not want to let this chance and opportunity go to waste. I study because I have been undeservedly blessed to be able to go the United States for a high education with better chances at getting scholarship money. I study my hardest because it is my dream that I may come back and make a difference in countries like Africa with poor education systems . It should be a right for children to be able to learn like I have. Therefore, because of this mindset, I am driven to study not just out of thankfulness for my circumstances, but also in hope that I may be able to give other children a better chance, and a greater reason to study.

3. Helping Many People Is Achievable in Teaching

A powerful source of motivation for some education students is the potential to touch and positively impact the lives of many people. Education is a field of consequence and that’s a good reason for wanting to join the teaching profession.

Over the course of a long career, a classroom teacher may help shape the learning experience of hundreds or even thousands of students. In policy roles, educators can affect millions of people.

by Rachel Bayly

Through high school I worked as a teacher at a daycare. When I left for college I said goodbye to a lot of people, including my students. All summer I had woken up at five in the morning to go to work and wait for them to arrive and put a smile on my face. Those kids motivated me to keep waking up and working hard, and leaving them was not easy.

The thing that made that goodbye worth it, the reason that I keep pushing through this tying chapter of my life is that I am determined to improve early childhood education in the United States .

I want to be a positive force in the lives of as many children as I possibly can, and I plan on doing that by improving standards and policies for early childhood education and making it more affordable.

Every week I write in my planner, “I will make a difference” and one way that I will change the lives of children and families. On days that I find myself asking, “why am I here?” “why am I going into debt, paying to be stressed out all the time?” I think of my students. I read my “I will make a difference” statements.

I remember that some children out there are stuck in low quality child care centers, they will never reach their full potential, and they need help. I keep working hard everyday so that I can help those children.

by Megan Burns

My ultimate goal is to change the lives of people. Studying to be a teacher is hard. All of the classes that are required, all of the practicums, and all of the time spent just to become a teacher is stressful, but the thought of being able to help just one person changes everything.

It takes one person to be a light in someone’s life. It take one person to be a helping hand. It takes one person to change an unmotivated, broken life, and make it brand new. Qualified teachers are those people. We motivate students to do their best, we guide students to success when no one else will, and we are always available to listen. One teacher can change the lives of thousands of students. That is my motivation.

I know that after college, I will be a teacher, a guider, a counselor, and a friend to so many students. No matter how many bad days I have or how many times I want to quit, I just think of what is to come in the future. I can be that change this world needs, even if its in a small high school classroom. It just takes one person.

by Victoria Shoemkaer

My dream is to make a difference in the life of children.

To make them excited about learning.
To make it fun the way it used to be when they were younger.
To show them that someone cares about them and wants to see them succeed.
To show that they are much more that a test score or a number.
To believe in them so much, that I do not let them get discouraged from chasing their dreams.
To showing them that everyone fails and it’s your recovery that determines what happens next.
To sacrifice myself to gives them more opportunities for success.
To encourage students to succeed in and out of the classroom for the betterment of themselves and the community.
To inspire them to change the world, because they can.
To help them transform into caring and compassionate adults who are ready to conquer the word, but remember where they came from.
To teach them to do good in the world because anyone can accomplish doing well.

Most importantly, my dream is to make children feel like their voice is important and valued and that they are loved more than they know.

4. Lives Can Be Improved by Dedicated Instructors

Teaching a subject such as Math or English is the everyday task of a teacher. But our prospective teachers see a greater purpose in their training and career path.

The daily motivation to teach doesn’t come from the superficial advantages of a teaching career, such as great job security or extra vacation time. Here are stories by future educators who want to go beyond the curriculum and improve people’s lives all round.

by Savannah Luree Weverka

Teachers are the ones who ignited my love for learning and there is not a day that goes by when I do not challenge myself to a personal goal of lifelong learning.

My mother is a teacher, so I was a student educated in an institution filled with support and a home that also supported education. I recall many teacher “get-togethers” and Husker parties where an informal invitation led to my presence.

Due to all of this support and interaction received throughout my elementary and high school career, Elementary Education continues to be at the top of my career choices. And now, as a senior looking forward to graduating from high school, teachers remain my role models .

In considering a focus in Elementary Education, I now realize that many teachers not only teach children eight hours of the day, but become doctors for scraped knees, dictionaries for challenging words, mediators between students, and parents away from home.

Now, as I am taking the steps to make my dream come true I hope to make school an escape to free their minds and expand their knowledge. I want to share my love of learning with my students.

by Aaron Banta

Since I was younger, I have had the dream of becoming a history teacher at the high school level. The reason I am striving for this career is thanks to a teacher I had. They held such a passion for history and taught it so well that it made me want to keep learning everything I could about it.

In college, I have had to work multiple jobs and attend school full-time. I would wake up early in the morning and not get home until late at night. The one thing that kept me on top of my studying and work was the dream I have; to be able to teach history and express my love for it by teaching the next generation. I strive to impact their lives for the better just like mine was.

Being able to pass my courses and get a degree and teaching credentials is the first main goal I am striving for. But being able to have a positive impact on students I have will be an even greater goal that I want to accomplish. I am hoping to guide them through their study of my favorite subject so I can teach them about the world and help them just like my teacher had helped me.

by Chelsea Rogers

At USC Upstate, I am studying to be a Secondary Education Mathematics teacher. The math courses are not easy and the education courses pushes you to challenge yourself. The thought of being a future teacher is what motivates me to keep pushing.

Although I do not know any of my students, they are precious to me and I believe it is my job to change their lives for the better. Teaching math is my job, but looking beyond my content and into the wellbeing of my students is my passion.

The question I always ask myself is how can I teach students who may not trust me? I have to establish a connection with each student so that they will see I care about them academically, physically, and emotionally. Once students see that you care about them in these areas, it becomes easier to teach them and they are willing to perform to the best of their ability because they know their teacher supports them 100 percent. Being a great teacher is what motivates me to continue striving for my degree.

by Micayla Watroba

One plus one is two. Phone is pronounced with an F sound. 60 divided by 15 is 4. An essay typically has five paragraphs. I know all these things because I went to school. I also had teachers that helped me understand it even when I didn’t get the same opportunities as everyone else.

See, when I was in first grade I was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. This made school very hard. I was either out of school so often that I missed entire chapters or I was bullied so badly that I couldn’t focus because I was so scared. Having cancer also made it hard for my mom and dad to pay for food and rent much less after school activities and tutoring. I grew up knowing that there were some things that were just not in reach for us.

For as bad as I had it, I can’t imagine having to live on the streets, going hungry, or even being taught in a language I don’t know.

My dream is to be the teacher that makes sure that every student gets an education that helps them succeed. I want to make sure that my students not only enjoy being at school but feel safe while there. My students will know that it doesn’t matter where they came from or what background they came from. I am going to be there and I will not leave them behind. This is my dream.

5. Promote Lifelong Learning in Young People

What inspires some people to become teachers is the power to set young people on the right education path. Helping children to have good early experiences and embrace the learning process can profoundly enhance someone’s life. The potential for transformative early development applies to handicapped and disadvantaged kids as much as anyone.

by Lesley Martinez-Silva

I aspire to make a difference in others’ lives through education. I’m studying to be an elementary school teacher because I believe that children can achieve so much more if they learn early of their potential.

Education has always been my priority. My parents always stressed the importance of obtaining an education, having missed that opportunity themselves. My parents taught me as a child that schooling was vital to success in life. Truly, that lesson has been the most important in my path to college. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far had I not taken my education seriously.

I want to teach others about the importance of education so they too can prosper. Everything I’m learning at university is important for my future career and, if I don’t study it, I’m failing my future students. Every child deserves the best education available and I should strive to be the best educator possible to provide that for them. When balancing academics, work, and my social life, it can get challenging to keep going. But, with the future of children’s education in my hands, I always get back on track.

by Brianna Rivers

One of my goals is to become a teacher and work in an public elementary school within the greater Boston area (possibly my own elementary school). I want to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children and I know how important teachers are in children’s lives. I plan on receiving my Bachelor’s degree for Early Childhood Education and my Master’s degree in Special Education.

I want to major in Early Childhood Education because early education is significant for children and is a building block for their future in learning . I also want to major in Special Education because I believe all children should receive equal learning opportunities as well as equal treatment (meaning an inclusive environment, etc).

I think all of my experiences have a positive impact on myself because I am learning more about what it takes to be a teacher and what it takes to be a good teacher. My experiences also have a positive impact on the children and adults I work with. I offer a helping hand to the teachers and a friendly face to the children.

I plan to continue to work hard and take advantage of learning opportunities to achieve both of my goals. Being a teacher is my desire and I will stop at nothing to be a great teacher one day.

by Jennamarie Moody

When I close my eyes, I picture myself in a school located in an urban setting, teaching a classroom of diverse yet alike students. These students are in the second grade, meaning that they are impressionable yet vulnerable to their environment whether this means at home, at school, or in their greater community.

Some of these students don’t speak English as their first language, and some come from low-income households that can limit their educational experiences outside of the classroom. And yet, no matter what differences these students bring to the table, their uniqueness flows throughout the classroom in such a positive energy that embraces, respects, and promotes learning. This is the goal I am working towards; the goal to inspire our youth to become self-advocates for their learning .

Opportunities for equal educational experiences may not exist, however the beauty lies in the growth of love young students can develop as they are challenged in the classroom to question their surroundings. I plan to make a difference in the lives of the children I meet along the way, and to create a safe learning environment.

Although the tests for certification and studies can be difficult, my passion for education and dedication to shaping the lives of my students is what keeps me going. The end goal is to nurture the development of my students to become active and engaged participants in society, and that is what I intend to do completely.

by Julie Anderson

My long-time goal has been to become a teacher, and this year I’m in a class called Teachers for Tomorrow, where I get to shadow a kindergarten teacher. Working with her and the students has increased my interest in children with special needs.

From here on out, I want to support my students in academics and other parts of their lives so I can help them learn, grow, and succeed. I know that children need a strong start to their school career because the first few years of school are crucial; this is when students begin to love or hate learning itself. Whether or not children enjoy school, they deserve to appreciate learning. Students who love learning will always want to improve themselves.

I will make an effort to provide a loving environment where each child can prosper. However, for students with special needs, this task becomes even harder to accomplish because traditional classrooms are usually set up for non-disabled students. While I know I can’t “save” every student I teach, and some of them will still hate learning, at least I can start them off right.

When I’m swamped with schoolwork, I will imagine my future students and how I could influence their lives. Even though not all of my college classes will relate to my major, forming a habit of working hard in college will help me to succeed as a future teacher.

6. Teachers Are Excellent Role Models

The experience of being helped and transformed by a good teacher leaves a lasting impression. Teaching is considered a noble profession for good reasons.

Some education students are motivated to become a teacher to emulate their own role models. They want to provide the same kind of service they once received. An added reason for pursuing a teaching career is to be a role model to younger people outside the classroom, including one’s own children.

by Teresa Pillifant

My first day – well, more like first semester- of my freshman year in high school was the hardest semester of my whole school career. Usually the kind of student who loves school, I found myself getting stomach aches in the morning and dreading school with my whole being. I was new to the school, and the number of students was overwhelming.

It seemed like there was no relief, except for my first hour Spanish class. Having no friends, I would always arrive at my first hour class early. As this pattern continued, my Spanish teacher and I developed a relationship. My teacher started giving me books to read, asking my opinion on what we should do in class and just talked to me in general about life. Through my teacher’s support, I grew to find my place in the school and became more confident.

Her kind words and actions inspired me to become a teacher myself. Now, whenever school or life gets difficult, I think of my freshmen year Spanish teacher and how she inspired me. I want to do what she did for me for my future students. Whether it be a difficult test or a challenging class, my goal of making a difference in a student’s life keeps me going.

by Mo Cabiles

The world we live in is hard, unsteady and ruthless. We see this everyday in the harshness of homelessness, to social media screaming for justice. What motivates me to continue on is that I have felt the bitter cold bite of homelessness. I know what it’s like to not have enough to eat and to be scared of what will happen next.

I am fortunate to no longer be in those situations but that, by no means, is an indicator that it will all now come easy. As an adult learner and your “non-traditional” student, there are other obstacles I must overcome. From transportation to childcare or education application mastery to APA formatting, the many roadblocks I tackle both large and small are what I consider to be my victories.

I’ve seen what having a higher education can do for someone and I want that for myself and that of my daughters. I strive to be a good example for them , to show them that, regardless of social standing and unforeseeable circumstances, if they work hard and put their best effort forward, they can achieve their dreams.

My dream is to obtain my Masters in Education with an emphasis in counseling. I want to be an academic advisor or guidance counselor. I’ve seen so many youths attempt community college and fail because they fell through the cracks. These students need to realize their potential and I want to help them achieve that and to be their cheerleader.

by Gia Sophia Sarris

In every school I’ve ever attended, experienced teachers were there to support and inspire me. I have looked up to these people ever since I was in elementary school, and they have had an immense and positive impact on my life and my view of the world. My fondness for these people [educators] has led me to aspire to become a teacher.

I want to “pay it forward” and improve the lives of children and teenagers who grow up struggling as I did, or in any way for that matter. I want to make a difference in their lives and let them know that they are not alone with their problems.

This is what motivates me to study hard. Becoming a teacher, I believe, will help me fulfill my purpose in life, which I think is to create happiness and ease the burdens of others. I feel that children and teenagers need this especially, because they are struggling to understand the world and their place in it. I study hard for their sake.

by Jennifer Wolfert

From elementary school to my first year at college, I struggled to establish a dream for myself. Trying to figure out what career I wanted to pursue as successful adult always filled me with anxiety. I had spent multiple years in special education and left with a low academic self-esteem. So, after high school I attended Bucks County Community College in search for more time. Still I made no progress. Then I decided to change my outlook. I stopped asking “what do I want to do?” and started asking “who do I want to be?”. That’s when my dream took shape.

The educators that I met during my time at community college were my inspiration. They are brilliant, hardworking people with a passion for their specialty that I had never seen before. Their belief in hard work was infectious. School began to fill me with excited anticipation and my grades improved. I started to believe that if I worked hard enough then I could be like them and inspire others like they had inspired me.

At the end of my second year attending community college, I accomplished a task that had previously racked me with fear. I applied to Temple University as a Secondary English Education major. I have now completed my second semester at Temple and earned my first 4.0 GPA. In time, I am confident that I will be able to accomplish my dream. I will become the passionate and inspiring educator that my younger self never had.

by Jenyfer Pegg

My entire life has been filled with discouragement. I grew up in a household where I was constantly told “No”. I was told my ideas were stupid and would not work. In my junior year of high school, my teachers and counselors started talking about college and sending in applications to different places. At that point, I knew I was not going. I came from a poor family and I knew we could never have money for something like college.

But I went on college visits, I listened to people speak about their college, and I was set. I had a lot of things pushing me, except the one thing I really wanted, my family. No one in my family has gone to college, and when I told my mother, she was shocked. She told me she just wanted me out of the house.

When I came to school, I realized I wanted to teach high school. I want to make an actual difference in someone else’s life. My family has taken the same road for years, and I’m not going down that road. I won’t live paycheck to paycheck like my mom, I will be a person that others will look up to.

I’m going to do something worthwhile, and I will work harder than anyone else if it gets me there. I’ve seen what my life will be like without school and motivation and there is absolutely no way I’m going down that road. I’ve got bigger plans.

7. Unlock the Success Potential of Students

Educators want to help students in every way they can but, for some future teachers, the focus is on helping students soar. That child in front of you in the classroom might grow up to do great things for society, raise a strong family, or just be happy and fulfilled.

Whatever the potential of a pupil, a teacher’s job is to help unlock talents and remove any barriers to future success.

by Tamara Vega

The thing that motivates me the most is the thought of having my own classroom someday. I want to be the teacher that changes a child’s life, inspires them to set high goals for themselves and encourages them to reach it.

College can be so hard at times and I get really anxious and scared. I worry about not passing my classes and exams, I worry about not getting my degree. Despite that I do not give up because I have to do this and I want to do this.

I cannot see myself doing anything else besides teaching, I have never been this passionate about something. I want to graduate and get my degree. I’d love to look at it and say, “I worked hard for this and I earned it”.

The idea that the students in my classroom could grow up to cure cancer, or become president, pretty much anything they want, brings me so much excitement. I want to be the teacher that they remember, the one who helped them realize their dream and who gave them the knowledge needed to reach it.

Be the teacher that I needed as a child but unfortunately never had. That is what gets me through all the stress and anxiety, I know in my heart that all the studying I’m doing right now will be worth it in the end.

by Nicole Gongora

The dream of success motivates me to study – not my success, my future students’ success. I push myself through the rough spots for them.

I was a lost child in high school; I didn’t know how to apply to college, let alone afford it. No child should have to experience that. As a future educator, I am committed to helping my students succeed, achieve more, and continue onto higher education. Every child should be given the opportunity to showcase their strengths and follow their dreams.

College was never a dream for me; it was a far off, unattainable fantasy. I met some inspiring teachers in high school who encouraged me to change my life and who helped me to thrive. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I plan to work at a low-income school similar to the one I attended. These types of schools are the ones who lack resources. I will serve as a resource to my students and I hope to be an inspiration to them. In turn, I hope they become kind, respectful adults. I want them to see the virtue in helping others and I hope they will serve others in their future careers. I want to be the teacher they remember. I want to be the teacher that helped them succeed.

I’ll feel successful as a teacher if my students are successful in attaining their goals. If one student decides to achieve more then I will have lived out my dream.

by Madison Sherrill

I’ve decided to become a teacher because I want to show the value of compassion and diversity.

As I begin college this upcoming fall, my main motivation is the students. While I haven’t even met them yet, they inspire me to persist in my classes and stay optimistic. My classroom will support innovative thinking and celebrate each student’s individuality.

As a classroom teacher, I want to encourage and positively influence the next generation. They should know that they can be successful and achieve what they aspire to become while making the world better. By teaching the value of inclusiveness and the power of kindness, my students may turn out to be visionary thinkers and leading members of society.

by Alicia Costin

I am returning to school after taking a few years off. After graduating from California Lutheran University with my BS in Mathematics, I wanted to land a job with benefits and begin my “adult life”.

While it took me a few months to find my current job, is it just that; a job. I have benefits, a full-time schedule, weekends and holidays off, but am I happy? Is this what I want to do as a career for the rest of my life? I have asked myself this question a few times and the answer is always the same; no.

My dream is to become a teacher and help motivate and encourage students to do their best in their studies and in life. It is my dream to do what I was meant to do; shape young minds and help future generations.

When things become difficult during my graduate program, I know to keep pushing, thriving, and studying hard so that, when I do become a teacher, I can use this as a positive story to shape their way of life. I landed a job outside of college, however now it is time for me to land my career.

Who taught the first teacher, what can i do with a master’s in education, why teaching is still a good career choice, how to become a homeschool teacher.

Interview Questions and Answers to help you Ace your Interview!

Interview Questions

Why do you want to be a Teacher? 13 Example Answers

Posted by by Emily Adders
February 4, 2023

Why do you want to be a teacher? This is one of the most commonly asked teacher interview questions out there, and it’s one of the trickiest ones to answer as well.

In theory, any aspiring teacher should be able to answer this question with relative ease, but from my experience, this isn’t always the case.

If you find it difficult to explain why you want to be a teacher , here are some key points you should emphasize in your interview:

Your desire to help students succeed.
Your enthusiasm and dedication to teaching.
Your love of working with children.
Your ability to inspire students.
Your willingness to go the extra mile for your students.
Your commitment to helping bridge the gap between classroom instruction and real-world experience.
Your aspiration to become a role model for students.

Here are 13 example answers you can use as a basis to answer “why do you want to be a teacher?”. As always, try to add your own unique touch to whichever answer you like.

1. “I believe teaching is more than just imparting knowledge; it’s also about instilling values and inspiring enthusiasm for learning. I am devoted to the idea that all students should have access to quality education and I’m determined to help them reach their full potential. ”

2. “I want to be a teacher because I believe in the importance of education for creating a better society. Teaching provides me with an opportunity to shape young minds and inspire the next generation to become productive, successful citizens.”

3. “I’m a teacher because I love working with children and watching them grow. I find it incredibly rewarding to see a student’s face light up when they finally understand a concept or have success in an area where they were struggling.”

4. “I want to be a teacher because I believe that every child deserves to have access to quality education, regardless of their background or economic situation. Teaching provides me with an opportunity to make sure that all students are given the right tools and knowledge to achieve success in life.”

5. “I’ve always had a passion for teaching and I want to share my knowledge with others in order to help them reach their goals. I believe that education is the key to a successful future and I want to do my part in making sure every student has access to quality education.”

Related: 11 qualities of a good teacher.

6. “I am passionate about helping students learn and grow, both academically and personally. As a teacher, I have an opportunity to make an impact on young people during a critical time in their lives by teaching them important life skills and providing guidance that will help shape their future.”

7. “I love being around children and inspiring them to reach for the stars! I believe that a good teacher has the ability to motivate students, bring out new talents, and instil a lifelong passion for learning. This is what motivates me to pursue a career in teaching.”

8. “I believe that education is a right, not a privilege, and I want to do my part in creating equal access to quality education for all students. Being a teacher allows me to become an advocate for those who are underserved and underrepresented in our educational system.”

9. “I have always been interested in working with children and teaching felt like the perfect match for my skills and interests. I am excited by the prospect of helping children reach their full potential and guiding them in their pursuit of a successful future.”

10. “I believe that teachers play an important role in creating a better future through education, and I want to be part of that process. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of my students and help ensure that they have access to quality education.”

11. “I am motivated by the idea that teaching provides me with an opportunity to mould young minds and shape our society for the better. Teaching is about more than just imparting knowledge; it’s also about inspiring enthusiasm for learning and instilling values that can last a lifetime. ”

12. “I want to be a teacher because I believe in the power of education to make our world a better place. I am passionate about helping students learn and discover their potential, while also providing them with the encouragement they need to strive for success.”

13. “I have always been passionate about learning, and teaching helps me share this passion with others. I find great joy in being able to help my students understand difficult concepts and grow academically. Working as a teacher is an incredible privilege, and I am excited to work with students of all ages.”

Related: Why should we hire you as a teacher?

Wrapping up

Whether you are passionate about teaching, have always dreamed of being a teacher, or simply believe that it’s the best way for you to make a difference in the world, it’s important to express your motivations clearly and honestly.

35 Excel Interview Questions (UK 2023)

Safeguarding Interview Questions Teaching Assistants

Safeguarding Interview Questions for Teaching Assistants (UK 2023)

31 Retail Assistant Interview Questions (UK 2023)

31 Safeguarding Interview Questions for Support Workers (UK 2023)

Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar

Additional menu

Educator FI

Financial Independence For Educators

How to Answer “Why Do You Want to be a Teacher?”

posted on November 30, 2020

For this month’s career content, I’m focusing on that inevitable question any future-educator will receive, “Why do you want to be a teacher?”

I’m an educator and love it. It’s a great career and a solid financial path despite what most people believe. But that’s not a good reason to become a teacher, and not a great answer in an interview. Let me prepare you to nail this common teacher interview question.

“Why do you want to be a teacher?”

You can be absolutely certain that this question will show up sometime in your journey to become a teacher. It may be part of your application to college, a formal part of the teacher interview, or a seemingly casual conversational question from another educator.

As a school principal , I don’t ask this when hiring a teacher. I do, however, ask it of any student teacher candidates we host. I know our district uses a version of it in applications for our Grow Your Own Program .

Whenever it’s asked, your answer will contribute to the impression other educators have of you.

I’m going to help you form your answer. I’m not going to give you a “hack” because you can’t and shouldn’t fake your way into the profession. It’ll backfire on you.

But, if you really want it, we’ll make sure you’re able to describe why in an impactful way. Even better, clarifying this for yourself will help keep you motivated.

The path that led you to this point, a fulfilling moment with a student or teacher, impact – the key ingredient, be positive.

Focus On Kids

Be Authentic

Don’t ramble, implications of the fallback, example 1 – why do you want to be a teacher, example 2 – why do you want to be a teacher , example 3 – why do you want to be a teacher, why do you want to become a teacher essay, summary – how to answer why do you want to be a teacher, why do i want to be a teacher.

To help you formulate your answer, I suggest you sit down and think through these three things. They’ll enable you to create both a tight impactful answer and form the foundation for a longer response.

Since you’re reading this post, I’ll assume you’ve already decided to be a teacher. You may even be well down the road and preparing for interviews. Fantastic! We need good teachers in the profession.

Sit down and write out how you ended up at this point. Trace your education and career path. Just sketch it all out. List as many different choices and paths as you remember.

Here’s an example of what that may look like:

Planned to be an astronaut – read science books all through elementary school
Parents split – poverty
Became obsessed with making money
Paper route in middle school
Worked at the local convenience store
Studied economics in high school
Worked weekends at a home improvement store
Went to college for economics – looking to make lots of money
Ended up in an office job. Hated it.
* Volunteered in teacher friend’s classroom *
* Felt drive to do something that mattered *
Enrolled in an MAT program

Look for those pivot points, the moments that set you on the path to teaching. Highlight those. (I marked two above with *bold*.)

Your story will be different. Some people knew when they were very young that they wanted to be a teacher. They may have fewer points. That’s great, too!

You can’t make it clear to other people why/when you decided to be a teacher unless YOU are clear. Moments matter, and we’ll talk about that more in the next step.

Moments matter. Both for individual motivation and for stories. Indeed, Chip and Dan Heath wrote a whole book on it: The Power of Moments.

I’ve witnessed dozens of times how a candidate sharing an impactful moment hits the interview team. Many teachers are driven by those personal moments and interactions, so they resonate deeply with educator panels.

Don’t wait until you’re asked to try and think of a moment. Take time now and write out a few moments in education that had an impact on you.

It can be something you experienced as a student with a teacher, or a moment you’ve had in your education path with a student. Both are equally impactful.

Make sure it’s authentic and personal. Scripted obviously fake moments stick out and work against you. But real moments are gold.

Oh, and while I always advise keeping things as positive as possible, it’s okay if a moment is a negative experience that led you to want to do it better.

A few examples:

In 3rd grade, my parents split. As the oldest kid in my family, I suddenly had a lot of responsibility. I walked around like a zombie, but somehow my third grade teacher Ms. Holland noticed and asked me what was going on. She was the first person I told. She said it was probably hard at home, but it was okay to be a kid at school.

In 10th grade, my US History teacher challenged me to be the first person in our school to ever get a 5 on the AP US History exam. I’d been struggling with self-doubt and the matter-of-fact way he assumed I could do it changed everything.

While I was volunteering in my friend’s classroom, she asked me to read with a first-grade student who was struggling. I’d go in a few times each week and we’d read together. For several weeks, the student (I’ll call her Sara) was quiet and sad. Then one day, I came in and she sprinted to me with a book in her hand. “Ms. Jones taught me to read! I’m going to read this book to you now!”

You will not use all of your examples, but your answer to this question (and others) will benefit from having thought through and clarified these examples.

Moments matter. Make sure you have a few clear in your head and ready to go.

Moments matter, but your personal inspiration isn’t the primary reason you’ll be selected to be a teacher. Liking kids isn’t enough (though it matters.) You need to be driven to have an impact on students.

As a principal, more than anything else I listen for this in a response. Even if you nail the first two, if your “why” isn’t firmly embedded in making a difference for students you have missed the mark.

While the first two are personal and require reflection, this one may require deeper thought. Answer these questions for yourself:

What will change because you become a teacher?

Why did you choose the subject / speciality level that you did?

How will you know you’ve made a difference after a year, ten years, or a career?

A moment will hook people. A strong statement of impact will seal the deal.

Putting It All Together Into Why You Want To Become a Teacher

Okay, now that you’ve written out your thoughts you have all you need to prepare your best answer. Before I get to the examples, here are important things to keep in mind when framing your answer:

This is true in all interviews, but remember to frame your answer in positive language. You want the listener/reader to know you believe that things can and should be better.

Focus On Kids

Why it matters to you is important, but not everything. Teaching is a service profession and your answer should be grounded in students and why you will be good for them as a teacher. An incredibly inspiring story that doesn’t mention students will crash and burn.

Don’t make things up and don’t fake emotions. I’ve seen some really awkward attempts at this. It always shows.

Be honest, and stay within your personality. If you’re cheesy – feel free to be cheesy. But if you’re a quiet person, respond authentically and earnestly.

You’re reading this post to make sure you’re prepared. Part of being prepared is forming a tight answer that has impact. Include all the important information, but do it in a way that flows quickly and focuses the listener/reader on your answer, not a thousand extraneous pieces of information.

Never Include These Things In Your Answer

Yes, I believe that teaching is a solid choice for a career. It’s the point of this site. However, that’s not a reason to be a teacher. There are better professions for your finances.

Most importantly, the vast majority of educators view education as a calling. They don’t want to hear you say it’s about the paycheck.

If you entered education as part of a career change (like I did) then frame it as being called to service. Don’t imply that you’re looking to become a teacher because you couldn’t find anything else to do or are looking for an easier route.

Yes, teachers do get summers off. You’ll be surprised to find that your summers, especially the early ones, are busier than you expect. ( Teachers don’t get paid in the summer! )

Summers off aren’t a good reason to choose a profession. Don’t include this in your answer. Just don’t.

“Why Do I Want To Become a Teacher?” Examples

Okay, with those things in mind, let’s look at some example answers and why they work.

“I think I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I remember as early as 7 years old running a classroom for my younger brother and sister. My decision was affirmed again and again by great teachers I had in middle school and high school. I used to watch and take notes on what worked and didn’t work. During high school, I took career classes and worked on the weekends at a child care center. I’ve never wavered in my desire to teach, and know that I can make the biggest difference at elementary school. I know there are huge disparities in outcomes by race and believe we can change that by eliminating the gap as early as possible.”

This works because it combines the old standby of “I was born to be a teacher” with specific examples of focusing on the craft and skill of teaching in addition to the passion. It closes with a specific desire for impact related to choosing elementary teaching as a focus.

“My parents split when I was young, and my mom worked hard to take care of us. But, we were poor and I hated it. I spent my years in high school and college obsessing over how to become rich. Then I started down the finance career path. It felt hollow and empty. I was making money, but it didn’t really matter. To give something back and do something that mattered, I started volunteering in a friend’s classroom. I still remember the first time one of her first-graders flipped from non-reader to reader. It was magic, and I wanted to learn to be a magician. Every kid we can give the gift of reading to is worth any million dollars I could earn.”

This answer starts with a personal detail that draws the listener in. Then it has a career pivot with a specific student story. Finally, it emphasizes the power of teaching and the drive to make a difference.

“I had some great teachers as a kid. But, as a black boy, I saw how differently some teachers treated us. I’ll never forget in fifth grade when they named the TAG (talent and gifted) students in the grade. Not a single black or brown student was on the list. I knew some of us were just as smart. I watched friends fall away and become disillusioned or drop out. Not me, I became determined to be the kind of teacher that lifts up all students. I know only ⅔ of students of color graduate on time in this district, and I’m ready to be part of changing that.”

This is a real answer I heard a candidate give. As a teacher, it made me immediately want to work with him as a colleague. It starts with a negative story that moves quickly into a drive to make impact. Finally, it closes with a specific piece of data that links the story to the real world and a need for change.

I’ve been asked to complete an essay version of this question three times in my life. First, when applying for graduate school to become a teacher. Second, in an education philosophy course. Finally, in one of my early teacher job applications I had to submit this as an essay.

Each time, my essay got a little better. But, I have to be honest, I don’t think any of those versions would meet my expectations now. I want to make sure yours does.

Use the three building blocks we discussed above. I’d advise starting with the moments to establish your path and desire for becoming a teacher. Moments hook.

Then, use the remaining space in the essay to focus on impact. Research data points and strategies and describe the steps you plan to take. This takes the essay from what some might perceive as “fluff” to inspiration with real world action.

If you look at the previous examples of short-form answers, you can probably see how these could be expanded into a longer essay or statement.

An example outline for such an essay (using example 2) might look like this:

Working hard in school – inspired to action by teachers
Volunteering – “aha moment” with a student
Prison populations predicted by third-grade reading rates
Only x% of students in our community are reading at grade level by third grade
Impact of reading strategies at early grades
Excitement to implement these strategies
Teaching young students to read changes lives and improves the community

Using the simple framework, but expanding the stories and (most importantly) adding research on impact and strategies will produce a strong essay that hooks the reader and presents a clear desire to make a difference. Trust me, you will stand out.

How to answer "Why Do you want to be a teacher?"

Whether it’s an interview question, an application statement, or an essay, you will undoubtedly encounter this question in your journey to become a teacher. Be prepared and increase your chances with the following steps:

Your career path (note the pivot points)
Personal moments / stories with teachers or students
How you will have impact
Be positive
Be authentic
Focus on kids
Keep the statement tight (Don’t ramble)

If you follow these simple steps, you’ll clarify for yourself and others why you want to become a teacher. Your answer will keep you motivated during the challenging times AND stand out in any selection process.

Why I Want to Be a Teacher, Essay Sample

Teaching is a noble job that requires passion, dedication, and commitment. It’s a challenging yet rewarding career with many rewards and opportunities. Thinking about becoming a teacher? Well, this essay, written with the help of custom paper writing service , will explore why I want to be a teacher, what inspired my interest in teaching, and the different roles teachers play in the lives of students.

I Want to Become a Teacher Because It Inspires Me

I have always been passionate about education and helping other people learn. Ever since I was in high school, I enjoyed attending classes as well as helping out my peers with their studies. As an adult, I realized how much of an impact teachers can have on students’ lives. Seeing the positive influence that educators had on their students made me want to become part of it too.

I had some truly incredible teachers who encouraged me to pursue my dreams and gave me the confidence that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. They inspired me with how much effort they put into making sure their students were engaged and learning in an enjoyable way. Their enthusiasm for teaching was contagious, and it made me want to become a teacher myself one day.

Being a Teacher is Very Responsible

Teachers are more than just instructors; they are mentors and role models for their students. They take on multiple roles such as educator, counselor, advisor, confidant, friend, and even parent figure at times. In addition to teaching academic content knowledge and skills necessary for success in life after school, teachers also need to be able to build meaningful relationships with their students, so they can help them develop emotionally and socially while also providing guidance when needed.

Teaching is an Important Social Role

Besides, teachers play a principal role in society because they help young people develop their minds and learn new skills. They teach students things such as reading, writing, and math, but also how to be responsible citizens of the country.

Teaching Makes it Easy to Meet Different People

I also want to be a teacher because it will allow me to work with people from all walks of life. There are many different types of people in the world, and having the opportunity to work with all of them would be amazing!

The Power of Education

Another reason I want to become a teacher is that I believe in the power of education. Education can open doors that would otherwise remain closed; it can give people opportunities they never would have had before; it can be life-changing. As a teacher, I will have the chance to help instill these values into my students while providing them with valuable knowledge that will stay with them for years to come.

Teaching Helps to Make Changes

In addition to it, teaching gives me the chance to make a difference in someone else’s life — and that’s something that money just can’t buy! When you are able to inspire someone else and watch them grow as an individual, it is incredibly rewarding.

Moreover, teaching provides you with plenty of opportunities for growth and development yourself: you get to work alongside other inspiring professionals and learn new skills every day!

Being a teacher is not just about imparting knowledge from textbooks but it’s about inspiring others to reach for greatness and supporting them through it all. It’s a complex job that requires great responsibility, but one that can be immensely rewarding when you see your students succeed because of your efforts.

That’s why I want to be a teacher – so I can make an impact on future generations by helping them reach their full potential while making sure they have fun while learning!

Tips on Writing Why I Want to be a Teacher Essay

A teacher is one of the most important professionals in any society. They are responsible for teaching students various subjects including math, science, English, and many more. If you want to become a teacher, then you should write an essay on why you want to be a teacher. To start with, you can read personal statement essay example . The essay will show your passion for education and how much you want this job. Here are some tips that will help you write an amazing essay

Give a Clear Answer to Yourself

Make sure you have an answer. The most important thing about this essay is that it has a very clear and concise point. This means that you need to be able to clearly explain why you want to become a teacher and why it’s important for you. If you can’t do this, then your essay will not be successful at all.

So make sure that before you begin writing, you know exactly what your answer will be (and how it will relate to the question). This way, when someone reads it, they will understand exactly what your intentions are with becoming a teacher and why it’s important for them too.

Use an Appropriate Tone

Choose a friendly tone for your essay so that your reader can easily understand what you are trying to say without having any confusion or difficulty in understanding. Use active voice instead of passive voice whenever possible, since it makes your writing more engaging and readable.

Narrow Your Focus

Another important step in writing your “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” Essay is to narrow your focus. You do not have to write about all the reasons why you want to teach; rather, focus on one specific reason that is important to you.

By following these tips, you can create a compelling and persuasive essay that demonstrates your commitment to becoming a teacher.

Key Reasons Why Someone Might Want to Become a Teacher

Teaching is a profession that involves shaping the minds and lives of the next generation. It can be a challenging yet rewarding career that offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Here are some of the key reasons why someone might want to become a teacher:

Reasons to Become a Teacher	Description
Making a Difference	Teachers have the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of their students. They can inspire, encourage, and motivate their students to reach their full potential.
Love of Learning	Many teachers have a deep passion for learning and want to share that love of learning with others. They enjoy exploring new ideas and concepts and helping their students do the same.
Job Security	Teaching is a stable and secure profession with a high demand for qualified professionals. Teachers are needed in every community and at every level of education, from early childhood to post-secondary.
Creativity	Teaching allows for a great deal of creativity in lesson planning and instruction. Teachers can design lessons that engage and excite their students, making learning fun and meaningful.
Work-Life Balance	Teaching can offer a good work-life balance, with many opportunities for flexible schedules and holidays. This can be especially beneficial for those with families or other responsibilities.

Note that these are just some of the reasons why someone might want to become a teacher. Teaching can be a fulfilling and rewarding profession for those who have a passion for education and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

Persuasive essay examples that work for college in 2022
Racism: A Cause and Effect Essay Sample
Earthquake Cause and Effect Essay Sample
Essay Sample on Why I Want to Be a Police Officer

Improve your writing with our guides

Youth Culture Essay Prompt and Discussion

Why Should College Athletes Be Paid, Essay Sample

Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised Essay: Benefits for Workers, Society, and The Economy

Get 15% off your first order with edusson.

Connect with a professional writer within minutes by placing your first order. No matter the subject, difficulty, academic level or document type, our writers have the skills to complete it.

100% privacy. No spam ever.

Featured Readings
Children’s Literature
Classroom Activities
Teacher’s Corner
AI Learning Community
Languages and Culture
Professional Development
Subscribe Today

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Being a Teacher

Being a teacher isn’t going to make anyone rich—but it is one of the most rewarding careers on the planet. A teacher can have a huge impact on a child’s life, and to see a child progress and grow is something that brings great joy to teachers.

So why teach? Here’s why I do it:

1. I make a difference – As a teacher, I can positively influence a child’s way of thinking or doing. Essentially, I can be the positive influence in their lives.

2. I can inspire – I can help students build self-esteem and believe in themselves and their ability to learn, no matter their background or abilities.

3. I can mentor a child – Children sometimes need someone to look up to and to aspire to be like. A teacher can help guide a child down the right path in life—one that will lead to the greatest successes.

4. I experience a diverse world – Students can come to school from various socio-economic statuses, ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, and abilities. This keeps me grounded and helps me to develop empathy for all children.

5. I can care for those less fortunate – There are many children who come to school unfed and poor. It’s up to us teachers to let them know that someone cares for their education as well as for their health and well-being.

As a teacher I can be a life-long learner

6. I can be a life-long learner – Teachers are required to take professional development courses in order to renew their certificate periodically. Being an educator allows me to keep learning and growing in knowledge.

7. I can encourage children to dream – Dreams lead to big ideas—which can lead to innovations and changes for the future. A teacher can inspire kids to think beyond their comfort zones and challenge them to reach their fullest potential.

8. I live with a deep sense of purpose – As a teacher, I believe I have a reason for doing what I’m doing. It helps bring value and meaning to my life.

9. I want to ignite the spark of learning – There are many students who say they hate school because it’s boring. I want to spark their interest and help them understand that they are smart and capable of learning, no matter their ability.

10. To prove that one person can make a difference – I can’t teach every child in the world—but I can make a difference for the ones that I do teach. The impact I have on their lives can stay with them throughout their years of schooling and beyond.

I’ve realized that I want to change the educational system completely

When I first began teaching, I only thought about teaching my students and what impact I could have on them. As I’ve grown older and more experienced, I’ve realized that I want to change the educational system completely. I hope to influence other teachers to be as passionate about teaching as I am, and I want to influence lawmakers to make policy that will be in the best interest of teachers and children. As teachers, we are on the front lines and have the greatest effect on children. It’s an awesome responsibility—one that I will always be willing to accept.

Read more: ELLs: Connecting What Students Know to What They Need to Learn

By- Angela Padrón

Latest Posts

Celebrating Bastille Day: The History and Significance of the Holiday

Follow us on social networks

K–12 Education

Higher Education

HTML Sitemap

Essay About Being a Teacher: Top 5 Examples and Prompts

If you are writing an essay about being a teacher, here are some examples to give you inspiration.

Without a doubt, teaching is one of the most important professions one can have. Teachers give children the lessons they must learn to face the future and contribute positively to society. They can be considered the gateway to success stories such as Oprah Winfrey , Adele , and John Legend , all of whom have cited their teachers as major inspirations to their careers.

Many educators would say that “teaching is its own reward.” However, it may be difficult to see how this is the case, especially considering the fact that being an educator entails massive amounts of stress and pressure. Teaching has actually been reported to be one of the most underpaid jobs , yet many teachers still love what they do. Why is this?

If you want to write an essay about being a teacher, whether you are one or not, you can get started by reading the 5 examples featured here.

IMAGE	PRODUCT
	Grammarly
	ProWritingAid

1. Reflections on being a teacher … by Darren Koh

2. teaching in the pandemic: ‘this is not sustainable’ by natasha singer, 3. why i got rid of my teacher’s desk by matthew r. morris, 4. stress is pushing many teachers out of the profession by daphne gomez, 5. doubt and dreams by katheryn england, top writing prompts on essay about being a teacher, 1. what makes teaching so fulfilling, 2. what can you learn from being a teacher, 3. why do people become teachers, 4. should you become a teacher, 5. how have teachers helped you become who you are today.

“Although strictly speaking, based on the appointments I hold, I really do not have time to do much of it. I say teach, not lecturing. The lecturer steps up to the lectern and declaims her knowledge. She points out the difficulties in the area, she talks about solutions to problems, and she makes suggestions for reform. The focus is on the subject – the students follow. The teacher, however, needs to meet the students where they are in order to bring them to where they have to be. The focus is on the student’s ability.”

Koh writes about how he teaches, the difficulties of teaching, and what it means to be a teacher. He helps his students hone their skills and use them critically. He also discusses the difficulty of connecting with each student and focusing their attention on application rather than mere knowledge. Koh wants students to achieve their full potential; teaching to him is engaging, inspirational, and transparent. He wants readers to know that being a teacher is rewarding yet difficult, and is something he holds close to his heart.

“‘I work until midnight each night trying to lock and load all my links, lessons, etc. I never get ahead,” one anonymous educator wrote. ‘Emails, endless email. Parents blaming me because their kids chose to stay in bed, on phones, on video games instead of doing work.’”

Singer writes about the difficult life of teachers trying to balance in-person and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of the standard class routine, being a teacher during the pandemic has entailed the burden of handling students who opt for remote learning. They are faced with additional struggles, including connection issues, complaining parents, and being overworked in general- it’s as if they teach twice the number of classes as normal. This is exhausting and may prove detrimental to the American education system, according to the sources Singer cites.

“What it means to me is that I am checking (or acknowledging) my privilege as a teacher in the space of the classroom and in order to facilitate a more equitable classroom community for my students, erasing one of the pillars of that inequity is a step in the right direction. I am comfortable in my role as the head member in my classroom, and I don’t need a teacher’s desk anymore to signify that.”

Morris, an educator, writes about what teaching means to him, highlighted by his decision to remove his teacher’s desk from his classroom. Being a teacher for him is about leading the discussion or being the “lead learner,” as he puts it, rather than being an instructor. His removal of the teacher’s desk was decided upon based on his desire to help his students feel more equal and at home in class. He believes that being a teacher means being able to foster authentic connections both for and with his students.

“Teachers want to help all students achieve, and the feeling of leaving any student behind is devastating. The pressure that they put on themselves to ensure that they serve all students can also contribute to the stress.”

Gomez writes about the stress that comes with being a teacher, largely due to time constraints, lack of resources, and the number of students they must instruct. As much as they want to help their students, their environment does not allow them to touch the lives of all students equally. They are extremely pressured to uphold certain standards of work, and while they try as hard as they can, they do not always succeed. As a result, many teachers have left the profession altogether. Gomez ends her piece with an invitation for teachers to read about other job opportunities.

“Then I re-evaluate what I want for myself, and what it is that keeps me working towards my dreams. Through the goals I’ve set for myself, I can maintain focus, move past my self-doubt and succeed. By focusing on my goals, I can make a difference in the world directly around me.”

Taken from a collection of short essays, England’s essay is about why she so desperately wishes to become a teacher. She was previously able to work as a teaching assistant to her former elementary school teacher, and enjoyed imparting new knowledge unto children. Even in moments of self-doubt, she reminds herself to be confident in her dreams and hopes to be able to make a difference in the world with her future profession.

Essay about being a teacher: What makes teaching so fulfilling?

When it comes to teachers, we often hear about either “the joy of teaching” or the immense stress that comes with it. You can explore the gratitude and satisfaction that teachers feel toward their jobs, even with all the struggles they face. Read or watch the news and interviews with teachers themselves.

Research on the skills and qualifications people need to be teachers, as well as any qualities they may need to do their job well. What skills can you get from teaching? What traits can you develop? What lessons can you learn?

Despite the seemingly endless barrage of stories about the difficulties that teachers face, many people still want to teach. You can explore the reasoning behind their decisions, and perhaps get some personal insight on being a teacher as well.

Based on what you know, would you recommend teaching as a job? If you aren’t too knowledgeable on this topic, you can use the essay examples provided as guides- they present both the positive and negative aspects of being a teacher. Be sure to support your argument with ample evidence- interviews, anecdotes, statistics, and the like.

Teachers, whether in a school setting or not, have almost certainly helped make you into the person you are now. You can discuss the impact that your teachers have had on your life, for better or for worse, and the importance of their roles as teachers in forming students for the future.

Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Why I Want to Be a Teacher Essay: Writing Guide [2024]

Some people know which profession to choose from childhood, while others decide much later in life. However, and whenever you come to it, you may have to elaborate on it in your personal statement or cover letter. This is widely known as “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” essay.

The primary reasons to pursue this career are:

Raising new generations and changing the world for the better are your goals.
You have all the qualities and skills to become a teacher.
Duties, responsibilities, and creativity that the profession involves fascinate you.
Growing up, you had a fantastic teacher who became your role model.

If you’re having trouble coming up with arguments, you have come to the right place! Here, at Custom-Writing , we gathered all the essential tips to use in a “being a teacher” essays.

🎓 7 Reasons to Become a Teacher

🛑 7 reasons not to become a teacher.

📜 Paper Types

✍️ “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” Essay

📑 “why i want to be a teacher” personal statement, 🖨️ 50 teacher essay topics, 🤔 why i want to be a teacher faq, 🔗 references.

Why do you want to be a teacher? Being one seems manageable if it’s your dream job. At the same time, it’s the hardest profession that wouldn’t fit everyone. Check the following reasons to become a teacher that you can use in your paper.

Also, the following points are entirely appropriate for children. If they have a task like a “When I grow up, I want to become a teacher because…” essay, they will find this section useful.

🌱 Raising New Generations

Do you think that future generations require different teaching? Do you have an idea of a new proper approach? Whatever you believe, make sure to write about it:

Elaborate on the problem:

Would you like to see a more environmentally-conscious generation? Or do you find that kids lack concentration and the will to succeed? Explain why you consider children and teens need guidance.

To support your argument, give statistics and real-life examples of the problems modern children and teens have. Provide the leading causes and solutions for this issue in your “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” essay.

Talk about your reasoning:

How did you understand that the problem above exists? You have to write why you thought about it in the first place.

For example, siblings. Do you have a younger sibling? Or a nephew who often asks you to play with him or her? Then, in your “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” essay, you might mention that this child helped you choose a future career.

Explain why you:

What makes you think you might be a good teacher? Does the child enjoy spending time with you? Did you manage to teach the child something useful? Make sure to discuss this in your essay.

So, are you ready to write about raising new generations? Check this essay sample below to ensure your success:

🎨 Creativity in Teaching

In this kind of essay, you would shift the focus from yourself to the teacher’s profession in general. You’ll elaborate on why you find this profession a great creative outlet.

Talk about creativity that you’ll bring to the classroom. Use this reasoning to explain why this profession is one of a kind and appropriate for you in particular. Do you think that you might use your creative abilities to become an excellent teacher?

To underline your points:

Share several ideas on how to educate children using innovative approaches. Kids are naturally compelling storytellers because of their sincerity and imagination. Maybe, you’ll find a way to use it.

🔍 Qualities of a Good Teacher

All the educator’s responsibilities require communication and writing skills. They have to acquire accountability, patience, creativity, etc.

You may be wondering: how can this topic help me explain why I want to become a teacher? The essay should compare the qualities of a good teacher with your own. Thus, you’ll show how good you are for the position.

Do you believe that a good teacher should be kind? If positive, mention some example that proves your desire to help. For example, you might have volunteered at an animal shelter.
Do you argue that a good teacher should be knowledgeable? Tell your readers about your good grades in college.

Still, wondering about how to write a good paper on an educator’s qualities? Check the useful teacher essay sample, written by a student:

🏫 Duties and Responsibilities

While this topic may sound similar to the previous ones, it’s all about how you present your arguments and structure your narrative. This topic offers you an opportunity to examine the day-to-day lives of teachers.

First of all , you can describe the duties and responsibilities of a teacher. Explore it, be it grading assignments, cooperating and communicating with parents, or continuously learning.

Secondly , you can focus on the aspects of teaching that you find rewarding. You can add in your essay writing the sadness that a teacher feels when his or her students graduate. Or talk about the joy they experience when they see students learning and improving their grades.

Whichever approach you choose, make sure it’s beneficial for you and reveals your strong sides.

👩‍🏫 My Best Teacher

This type of essay is similar to the previous ones. Here, you also describe the characteristics of an excellent teacher. There is, however, one key difference:

Rather than describing some abstract figures, you would describe a real-life teacher. Talk about the person who served as a role model and inspired you to pursue this career.

The premise of this essay is excellent:

First , you show an understanding of what the job of a teacher encompasses. Second , you also demonstrate your appreciation for someone who made a difference in your life.

“My best teacher” topic is an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to your teacher or a trainer who has significantly influenced your life.

🦉 Changing the World

How many times have you heard that teachers change the world? It might sound quite trivial, but they do. Educators have a significant impact on the new generation’s development and their effect on society. Their influence expands to every sphere of our life, from business to community, from ecology to economics.

Here are the four secrets of how teachers change the world:

Sharing. A good educator shares their knowledge with others: students and colleagues. They bring their ideas and concepts to conferences, write blogs, and hold school meetings. Everyone benefits from this sharing. An educator gets feedback while their audience learns something new and motivating. Yes, it takes a lot of effort to set aside time for this, especially when you have a tight schedule. But it’s worth it. Think, would learning theories have ever existed if teachers didn’t share them?
Caring. Educators not only care for their students, but in most cases, they actively participate in charity. Think about what impact it can have when students, parents, and teachers work together for something significant. It can be anything: from planting trees to fundraising for cancer. Such activities help students to gain valuable experience in helping others and saving our planet. In most cases, they will continue doing so even after graduation.
Networking. In daily lives, teachers overcome various challenges. The networking and learning from other’s experiences allow the educator to see alternative points of view, motivate others, and find out new approaches to teaching.
Reflection. Educators regularly analyze what works and what not at their lessons. Regular observations help them adjust the curriculum or change teaching methods. A critical approach to their work allows the educator to optimize and make their job more impactful.

Now you have all the arguments to consider in your essay about the teacher’s profession.

Teaching is not easy and not a profession you should choose unless ready to face all its challenges. And here’s the “shortlist” of them:

Low salary. Yes. Educators from all over the world don’t get paid enough. On average, teachers’ weekly wages are 19.6% lower than those of other professions. So if you are not ready to live, hardly able to make ends meet, being a school educator is not your number one career choice.
Teachers spend their salaries on students and school staff. Most teachers spend a part of their earnings on purchasing school tools and gear. In 2012-2013, K-12 educators spent 1.6 billion dollars on classroom supplies. That’s not fair. Are you ready to waste your hard-earned money this way? Moreover, you will have to transport all this stuff to class on your own.
Teachers have to deal with all disturbing trends. Des-pa-si-to. Does this song make you roll up your eyes? And what about the whole class with fidget spinners? How about that these things repeat day by day for a couple of months? Think if you can deal with your irritation and anger. If negative, consider another profession.
Teachers don’t have weekends and vacations. You may be wondering why. And here’s the answer: they write lesson plans, check countless essays and projects, etc. Yes, in most cases, you won’t have time for yourself and your hobby. And… even for your family.
Educators are at high risk of public embarrassment. This means you will have to control everything you post on social media, your behavior, and every word you say to anyone. It’s like living under the microscope. And it’s exhausting.
Students always try to escape studying, and some parents blame teachers for that. Have you ever missed an essay submission deadline because of procrastination? Even if the answer is “No,” your students will. And some of their parents will blame you. They can say that you did not adequately explain the lesson material, or you’re too prejudiced to their kids, or… whatever it would be, you’ll be wrong.
Students can be abusive. Even the best teacher faced abuse and bullying in class. Think, will you be able to deal with troubled youth and bad behavior day by day?

As you can see, teaching is a stressful, low-paying, and thankless job. There are many reasons not to become a teacher you can use in your paper and to think about when choosing a career. However, many people still decide to be teachers because it is much more than just a profession. They want this career path as the passion of their lives.

📜 Teacher Topic: Paper Types

You may say that it’s just a teacher topic essay, what are we talking about? There are plenty of other types of essays on teaching that your professor may also ask to write. Check our blog to learn more about their specifics.

Below, we will give you all the essentials on being a teacher paper:

🗺️ Application Essay

You will have to write this type of essay when applying for a job. This paper is a crucial part of your application. You have to prove to your future employer that you meet all the requirements of your future career.

At first sight, it’s similar to a CV or a cover letter. But the job application essay is an entirely different paper. And here are some of the features of these papers:

Life experience and hobbies. In your CV or resume, you state your hobbies, interests, and even the places you have visited. However, in the teacher application, you provide only relevant information about yourself that clearly shows that your experience makes you the best candidate for this position.
Personalization. You may not change your CV when applying to various companies (unless you want to tailor it to a particular employer and position). But your teacher application essay must be customized. Some employers will ask you to tell more about yourself while others require you to solve a specific issue in the application.
Your ambitions and enthusiasm. The CV doesn’t show your objectives or attitude to various teaching theories. Otherwise, your employer can ask you to write an essay that represents your professional goals.

🔔 Personal Statement

The personal statement is quite similar to the job application letter. You will write it when applying to a college, university, or for a job. The difference between personal statement and a job application essay is that the first one leaves more space for your creativity.

As in the teacher application essay, you will have to customize it according to the job requirements and express both your ambitions and personal features.

Some employers require you to submit a personal statement along with the CV and cover letter.

💭 Autobiography

You may be wondering why you may need to write an autobiography of a teacher. This essay will be useful for your future portfolio. For example, you can add it to a job search portfolio or “about me” section on social media.

Needless to say that social networking nowadays is an essential part of a job search or career change. So, make sure that your autobiography of becoming a teacher contains only positive details.

However, you have to remember that an autobiography on Facebook or LinkedIn (or wherever you decide to place it) should make your profile searchable .

Above, we’ve provided the pros and cons of being a teacher. We hope, by now, you have the answer to the “why I want to be a teacher” question.

So, another issue arises: how to write an essay? Below we will show you all the essentials on writing teacher topic essays with examples.

1. ✔️ Preparation

Proper preparation is key to an A+ paper. First, you should determine the topic and arguments you will use in your essay on teacher jobs.

The arguments depend on the paper type you have to write. For example, you should prepare merits and demerits, or choose points to use in the argumentative essay. Maybe, you should research for a literature review. Whatever it takes, don’t skip this stage!

2. ✔️ Outline

The next step is to outline your future paper. An outline is a mandatory part of any essay writing. It’s a plan that will let you structure your ideas and stick to the required word count.

Here’s an example of “Why I Want to Be a Teacher” college essay outline:

In this 300-word “Why I Would Like to Be a Teacher of Political Science” essay, our experts organized the paper structure and put key ideas to explore in the paper. As you can see, after the introduction, they put the topic aspects to cover and left a part for sources analysis.

Make a list of your arguments and ensure that they are logically connected. Your professor can require you to write an outline with headings and subheadings as complete sentences or a series of words (phrases). So make sure you’ve carefully read the paper guidelines and understood them.

3. ✔️ Thesis Statement

After you’ve finished your outline, you can start essay writing. At this stage, you need to develop a good thesis statement.

The purpose of your thesis is to explain your position—the central idea of the essay. Tell your reader what you will write in the paper and explain the significance of the subject.

The thesis statement is usually 1-2 sentences long and concludes the introduction paragraph. You can sketch out your thesis and add some touches after the paper is completed to make sure it meets the essay content.

4. ✔️ Introduction

Next, start with an introduction. Here you will have to briefly show the understanding of the teaching profession and its peculiarities:

A teacher essay introduction opens your paper with a hook. This first sentence aims to grab your reader’s attention. You can start it with a quote or an interesting fact.
Then provide the context necessary for understanding the issue.
End with the thesis statement. Make it as clear and precise as possible.
If you have time and space, outline the evidence that you’ll use in the body paragraphs.
Try to avoid phrases like “In this essay, I…” or “In my essay, I’m going…”

Here’s how your introduction can look like:

5. ✔️ Body Paragraphs

Now, it’s time to recall all the arguments and evidence you put in your outline. You will write them in your essay body paragraphs. Depending on the required word count and the number of evidence, the paper body typically contains at least three body paragraphs.

However, some papers can have two body paragraphs. You should know that each idea and point of view must be stated in a separate part. If you have three or five arguments, you have to write three or five paragraphs in your essay, respectively.

Here’s our sample:

6. ✔️ Conclusion

And the last but not the least part of your essay is the conclusion. Here you have to summarize all the ideas presented in the body section and explain how they meet your thesis statement.

Don’t try to repeat the thesis word by word or provide any new ideas. Here’s an example of a conclusion for an “I Want to Become a Teacher” essay:

If you used any sources, don’t forget to include the reference list in your paper according to the required citation style .

The purpose of the personal statement is to tell the admissions officer or recruiter why you decided to become a teacher. You can be required to submit one along with your college, university, scholarship, or job application.

A teacher’s personal statement is a document where you can express your personality. Want to learn all the dos and don’ts of its writing?

Just keep reading!

📝 Personal Statement: Tips

A typical personal statement is up to 700 words or 4,000 characters long, including intro, body, and conclusion. To keep word count tracking, you can type it in Word or Google Documents. Now, let’s consider critical points of personal statement writing that you can use for college/uni and job application:

Intro. Your introductory paragraph is an excellent opportunity to open the statement with memorable sentences about why you chose to become a teacher. Make it bright and clear.
Structure. As we mentioned above, each of your points should have supporting evidence. For example, if you’re writing about your experience, explain what you have learned and how this will help you in your future career.
Conclusion. The secret of good personal statement endings is to keep it simple and clear. Explain why you would be a perfect asset to this company or college and make a statement on why they would be lucky to have you as an employee or a student.
Personal statement for primary teaching. In case you’re going to apply for a teaching role or major, you should mention skills that will be useful for extracurricular school activities. You need to prove that you will be able to help with school plays or organize various off-class events.
Postgraduate personal statement. Here, you have to show your abilities and academic interests. Persuade the admission officers how you will benefit from studying the program and your impact on science.

The next point to consider is what to write in the body section of your “Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher” personal statement. Here are some questions to answer in your paper:

Why do you want to become a teacher?
Why did you decide to teach at this level?
What are your strengths?
Do you have teaching experience?
What personal skills do you have?
Why do you think you deserve a place in this company/university above others?
What is your background?
What are your career goals?

🙅‍♀️ Personal Statement: Common mistakes

A personal statement may be the only way to make a first impression on your recruiter or admissions officer. There might be no other opportunity. That’s why you must know the most common mistakes to avoid:

Negative tone. Believe us: no one wants to read the pessimistic, weak, or adverse essay. Even if you have to describe an uncomfortable fact, try to make it positive.
Using online templates. If you found a great personal statement template that you think will perfectly fit your paper, stop! Recruiters and college admissions have seen dozens and dozens of them, so there are high chances that your application will be declined. Spend a little more time and write a statement yourself.
Including irrelevant facts or lies. Recruiters spend, on average, six seconds on reading the CV and a personal statement. That’s why you should neither tell a cool story about your grandmother’s birthday nor tell lies. In the first case, it’s annoying. Moreover, it may lead to firing or dismissal from the college.
Using clichés, jargon, overused words, etc. A personal statement requires a formal tone, so conversational tone is merely unacceptable.
Using the same personal statement for different applications. Even if you send your application to ten different companies or colleges, personalize it! Include some facts from the firm’s or university’s history, mission, or vision, and explain how your skills meet them.
Leaving writing the statement to the last minute. It takes some time to prepare, draft, and polish your paper to make it stand out from other applications.

If you still need a “Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher?” personal statement example, check the sample below:

In case you want something more than “why did you decide to become a teacher,” check the topics below. We believe that your teacher will appreciate reading your paper.

A recess for primary school students. Imagine if you were a school principal. Would you sacrifice breaks in favor of additional study time? Explain your point of view.
Homework : yay or nay? Think about how much time students should spend on their homework in elementary school. Should there be any homework at all? Provide your points and evidence and show how they are connected to your teaching philosophy.
Technologies in education : pros and cons. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of using desktops and tablets at school and for homework.
Handwriting in elementary school . Some schools stopped teaching students cursive handwriting. Provide your point of view on whether handwriting is a lost art or an unnecessary relic.
School uniform and dress code. Should students wear a uniform? And what about the teachers?
Standardized tests in school. Are these tests discriminatory? Should they be tied to funding? Elaborate on whether they cause too much anxiety for students.
Second language learning : advantages and disadvantages. How many languages should an average school graduate know? Do pupils need to learn any second language at school?
Armed security in educational institutions. More and more school mass shootings are reported every year. Can armed guards protect students? Do your research on gun control and demonstrate your opinion.
Early start times at school . Explore how such start times impact on students’ perception of the lesson material.
Inclusive education for children with disabilities . Research the techniques that will fit your students with special needs. Show the connection between them and your teaching approach.
Personal philosophy of education and views on teacher’s career.
Discuss how teachers can influence students’ personal life .
Analyze the social and emotional competencies teachers should possess.
Describe the difficulties a teacher may face when working with children.
Personal development plan of a teacher .
Who is responsible for children’s low academic achievement.
Explain why you want to be physical education teacher .
Discuss pros and cons of distance education and traditional degree.
Describe an ideal public school .
Remembering who you were: my teacher .
What educational system would you prefer if you were a teacher?
Analyze the difficulties a teacher may face trying to implement multicultural educational practices.
Compare the efficiency of private and public schools.
Road to becoming a good teacher .
Why constant professional development is crucial for teachers.
Describe an educational style a teacher can use when teaching English as a second language.
Is music useful or harmful for student academic performance?
Methods teachers can use to improve the school for young learners.
Examine the effect a teacher has on student’s personality .
Discuss the specifics of teaching music in middle schools.
Analyze the crucial meaning of effective student-teacher interaction in inclusive education.
Explain the teacher’s role in integration of children with special needs.
Reading problems and ways of helping students with reading disabilities.
Describe the strategies a teacher can use to improve student learning.
What can a teacher do to help students in developing social and emotional skills ?
Examine the value of education in student life.
Why e-learning is an important part of contemporary education.
Teacher’s influence on student’s career choice .
Discuss the role teacher plays in students’ moral development .
What can a teacher do to avoid workplace burnout .
Compare and analyze the role of teachers and parents in students’ math performance.
Career goal of a maths teacher.
Should the government allow armed teachers on campus for students’ safety?
Examine the most important classroom management areas for a new teacher .
Why are laptops and iPads so important for students?
Analyze how book clubs for teachers can stimulate professional development.
Is it right to expel bullies from school ?
Motivation to choose a teacher’s profession .
Explain why teachers’ attitude is important for educational system success.
Why is low teacher retention a real problem and what can be done about that?

Want more tips and advice on resume writing? Check this article on how to make a resume written by our experts!

Good luck with your essay about being a teacher! Share the article with those who may need it.

Learn more on this topic:

Scholarship Essay Examples about Yourself
How to Write a Scholarship Essay about Why You Deserve It
Financial Assistance Essay: Useful Tips to Make It Rock
How to Write an Essay Describing Your Financial Need
Why i Want to be a Pharmacist Essay: Step-by-step Guide
College Application Essay Writing Mistakes to Avoid
How to Write a 250 Words College Personal Statement

Becoming a good professional has never been easy. Getting employed as a teacher is not the most difficult part of the process. Acquiring professionalism (e.g., building “soft skills,” psychological competence, broad knowledge base) takes more time and effort.

Formalities of the employment process might not coincide in Canada, US, UK, and any other location. The overall algorithm is as follows:

Choose an educational level and/or a subject to focus on. Study the requirements for the desired role and opportunities to meet them.

Start developing the competencies you are lacking.

Try to recollect how you first thought you would wanna become a teacher

Compose a list of the benefits of this rewarding occupation.

Organize the selected ideas to create a body of the essay. Write an appropriate introduction and conclusion.

Recollect what you dreamed about in your childhood.

Compare it with what you want to be in the future as of today.

Think about the reasons for your choice.

Present the comparison and why your choice looks like this in the essay body.

Write an appropriate introduction and conclusion.

10 Reasons Why I Want to Be a Teacher
19 Top Ideas for a “Why I want to be a Teacher” Essay
Reasons for Becoming a Teacher
My Dream to Be a Teacher | Essays
Interview Answer: “Why Did You Decide to Become a Teacher?”
Why Become a Teacher? Educators Share What They Love About Their Work
Why I Want to Become a Teacher
What Is an Autobiography?
How to Write an Autobiography: 8 Steps for Writing Your Autobiography
How to Write a Resume
How to Write a Perfect Teaching Resume (Examples Included)
Working Toward “Wow”: A Vision for a New Teaching Profession
Being a Teacher Essay
Essay on Teacher for Students and Children
5 Reasons to Love Teaching
Why Do YOU Want to be a Teacher?
Review Essay: Reflections on Scholarship and Teaching in the Humanities
How To Write A Great Personal Statement For A Teaching Job
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter
Share to LinkedIn
Share to email

Friendship Essay: Writing Guide & Topics on Friendship [New]

Assigned with an essay about friendship? Congrats! It’s one of the best tasks you could get. Digging through your memories and finding strong arguments for this paper can be an enjoyable experience. I bet you will cope with this task effortlessly as we can help you with the assignment. Just...

Life Experience Essay: How to Write a Brilliant Paper

A life experience essay combines the elements of narration, description, and self-reflection. Such a paper has to focus on a single event that had a significant impact on a person’s worldview and values. Writing an essay about life experience prompts students to do the following: You may struggle with such...

An Essay about Someone Who Has Made an Impact on Your Life

Who has made a significant impact in your life and why? Essay on the topic might be challenging to write. One is usually asked to write such a text as a college admission essay. A topic for this paper can be of your choice or pre-established by the institution. Either...

Growing Up Essay: Guide & Examples [2024]

What does it mean to grow up? Essays on this topic might be entertaining yet challenging to write. Growing up is usually associated with something new and exciting. It’s a period of everything new and unknown. Now, you’ve been assigned to write a growing up essay. You’re not a kid...

Murder Essay: Examples, Topics, and Killer Tips [2024]

Probably, a murder essay is not a fascinating assignment to complete. Talking about people’s deaths or crazy murderers can be depressing. However, all assignments are different, and you are supposed to work on every task hard. So, how are you going to deal with a murder essay? You can make...

Nursing Reflective Essay: Example Outline and Guide

Are you a nursing student? Then, you will definitely have an assignment to compose a nursing reflective essay. This task might be quite tough and challenging. But don’t stress out! Our professionals are willing to assist you.

Remembering an Event Essay: Examples and Guidelines [Free]

Throughout our life, we meet plenty of people and participate in various events. If some of them are just regular, the other people or occasions play a critical role in our fates. Your life-changing experience might become a perfect ground for creating a remembering essay.

Environment vs. Development Essay: Tips & Topics [2024]

Environment vs. development is a multifaceted present days’ dilemma. On the one hand, environmental problems are increasing year after year. We have more polluted areas on our planet, more polluted rivers, fewer trees that produce oxygen. On the other hand, can we stop development and progress in various fields? Is...

What Does an Essay Look Like? Tips and Answers to Succeed

What does an essay look like? At a glance, the answer is obvious. An essay looks like a mere piece of paper (one page or several pages) with an organized text. It’s generally divided into five paragraphs, though there may be more. The essential essay structure includes: Yet, will this...

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay Step by Step

Some students find writing literary analysis papers rather daunting. Yet, an English class cannot go without this kind of work. By the way, writing literary analysis essays is not that complicated as it seems at a glance. On the contrary, this work may be fascinating, and you have a chance...

These days, leadership and ability to work in a team are the skills that everybody should possess. It is impossible to cope with a large educational or work project alone. However, it can also be challenging to collaborate in a team. You might want to elaborate on importance and difficulties...

Racial Profiling Essay: Outline, Examples, & Writing Tips

Racial profiling is not uncommon. It’s incredibly offensive and unfair behavior that causes most of the protests in support of people of color. It occurs when people are suspected of committing a crime based on their skin color or ethnicity. Unfortunately, most people are unaware that racial profiling is an everyday...

Nice And informative article

Thanks all of this was so helpful, could you send me more on being a teacher to my email [email protected]

Unfortunately, we don’t have more articles on teaching for the time being, but you can check the blog later in case we post something useful for you.

Nice and informative

This article is really very informative and full of great ideas.

I am happy to see new creative writing and wonderful thoughts.

These are super cool guidelines to help me with my essay. Fresh ideas started popping right up. Thnx a whole bunch!

You have really done a good job. More grace to you.

InterviewPenguin.com – Your best job interview coach since 2011

Teacher interview questions answered: Why do you want to be a teacher?

Each of us has some values, ambitions, fears and worries . These things determine to a huge extend our career choice , though we should realize that the ambitions and fears are also determined by something–our upbringing, role models, things we experienced in our childhood. You can talk about all these things when the hiring committee inquires why you want to become a teacher , or when they ask you a similar question, for example “ What attracts you to teaching? “, or “ Why did you choose teaching as a profession? ” But what do they really want to hear from you?

First and foremost, they want to hear some enthusiasm in your voice . They want to feel that, regardless of the reasons why you opted for a teaching career, you are enthusiastic about your future, your teaching mission at their school. And they also want to hear a strong enough reason, something profound , since the strong motivation will help you get over difficult days in the classroom. And such days will undoubtedly come…

Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the question. The list contains some standard choices, but also a couple of strange and unconventional answers . Try to pick one that resonates with your values, and clearly explain the reasons why you want to be a teacher, and teach for many years to come.

7 sample answers to “Why do you want to be a teacher?” interview question

I chose teaching as a professions because I love the impact one can have on individual children , especially here at elementary level. Of course it’s a great responsibility , but at the same time I cannot imagine devoting my life to something else, especially since I love being around children –which is likely the second reason why I want to be a teacher. In my view, teaching is more a mission than a job really, especially in the uncertain times we live nowadays. I cannot wait to start working as a teacher.
I want to become a teacher because I believe to have the right skills, abilities, and attitude to become a good teacher. And I enjoy teaching, talking to children, listening to them , trying to understand their emotional world, and be a good role model for them. At the end of the day, we should do a job in which we see some meaningful purpose . I know that I could earn twice as much working in some big corporation analyzing some data or sitting at a computer programming another mobile application, the billionth on the app store…. But I just don’t see a point in such type of work. Teaching is a completely different story.
I just want to share my vast knowledge of history and geography with the students. I’ve been doing research in these field for years, publishing papers, going to conferences. At this stage of my professional career, however, I feel that I should hand the ball to the younger generation . It is time to share my knowledge with them, and perhaps have them better understand certain phenomenons of the modern day . History is the best teacher in this case, if you can look at it without prejudice. The proposition of helping them to see these things is highly motivating to me.
To be honest with you, my ultimate goal is to become a school principal , or even to establish a small private elementary school. But I am still young and inexperienced , and need to learn a lot from seasoned professionals. And I cannot see a better place than your school, which has an excellent reputation and renowned leadership. That’s why I want to work as a teacher here.
My goal to pay back a big favor attracts me to teaching as a profession . When I was young I struggled to find my place in life. I was a sort of an outsider, always attracted to strange ways, spending times with other outcasts. Had my episode with drugs, skipping school, and everything. But one teacher saved me from a path that would eventually lead me to a lie on the street. They showed huge confidence in my abilities , and they treated me as an equal. Certain things they said to me, and their trust, motivated me to change my ways completely. I became an excellent student, managed to quit drugs and lousy lifestyle, and eventually graduated from the university. Nothing of it would have happened, however, had I not met that one teacher… Now it is my time to help other struggling youngsters find their way. Or at least try my best to do so.
To be honest, I am very concerned about the situation in the world. The inequality of people, the widening gap between the rich and poor, the conflicts we have all around. And I do not believe that some Messiah from heaven will come and save us . We people are responsible, and education is the most powerful weapon we have in our hands–if used correctly. I want to help educate children, especially in rural areas. Help them develop the right values, the sense of self-worth, and of course an ability to think critically and question the religious and political leaders . In this way I can play my small role in helping to make the world a better place. Maybe it is just a drop in the ocean. But even the biggest ocean consists of nothing but water drops…
Teaching is a calling I’ve been following from a young age . I am not sure if I can explain it clearly, why teaching, why not social work, or healthcare. But sometimes you just hear this voice in your head, this calling in your soul, and you know that something is the right thing to do , or the right goal to follow. That’s how I have always felt about teaching, that’s the reason why I chose my school, and ultimately the reason why I sit in this interview with you right now.

Conclusion, other tough questions for your teaching job interview

Teaching is a mission, a calling. Sometimes a pleasure, and sometimes a cross you carry on your shoulders . As long as you know why you do it, however, why you are a teacher and not a manager, engineer, or doctor, you will always get over the difficult period, or over some bad words you may hear in the classroom, or even from fellow staff members.

Ensure the hiring committee that you have your reasons, that they are deeply rooted in your heart, and you won’t quit the profession after first few months. And remember that stories are the best interview answers . Narrating a story of a teacher helping you in your young age, doing something that eventually changed the course of your life, is a great idea. If you have such story, share it with your interviewers.

And if you want to simplify your interview preparation , check out my new eBook the Teacher Interview Guide , for brilliant answers to all 40 teacher interview questions (+ more). Thank you!

Other interview questions that may interest you :

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
Teacher interview – Tell me about yourself .
Where do you see yourself in five years as a teacher?
Teacher interview – Tell us more about your teaching experience.
Recent Posts

Curriculum and Instruction Master's
Reading Masters
Reading Certificate
TESOL Master's
TESOL Certificate
Educational Administration Master’s
Educational Administration Certificate
Autism Master's
Autism Certificate
Leadership in Special and Inclusive Education Certificate
High Incidence Disabilities Master's
Secondary Special Education and Transition Master's
Secondary Special Education and Transition Certificate
Virtual Learning Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Video Gallery
Financial Aid

7 reasons why becoming a teacher might be right for you

Teacher sitting in circle with preschool students

Teachers have a profound impact on students, molding their futures and imparting life lessons. This guide helps answer the following questions you may have about why you should become a teacher, including:

Why is teaching a good career?
Why should someone want to be a teacher?
How do I answer why I want to be a teacher?
Why teaching is a good career?
Why is it important that we are teachers?

This guide has seven great reasons to help you find the answer you need and also explores the perks that make teaching a rewarding profession beyond the classroom.

Is becoming a teacher right for you?

If you’re thinking of becoming a teacher, you’re likely weighing the pros and cons of the job. No job is perfect, life and careers have unavoidable stressors and tasks that you may like less than others. But if you’re considering a career in education, it’s important to ask yourself why you want to become a teacher. Luckily for you, we’ve got seven great reasons to help you get started.

1. You can make a difference.

Becoming a teacher means you’ll be molding future generations through the curriculum you set and bits of personal wisdom you impart. You’ll have the ability and power to teach life lessons as well as core subjects. There’s a good chance that you may be spending more waking hours with these children than their own parents. This means you’ll be the one to help teach them social skills, time management, conflict resolution, how to cope with stressors and how to focus on a task.

If we were lucky, we had a teacher who is indelible in our minds. They showed how much they cared about us and their subject, they inspired us to be better, push harder, go further. Now is your turn to be that teacher for someone else.

2. You’ll get variety in your days.

If you teach high school, you may teach the same lesson content several times in one day, but with new faces and personalities each period, it’s unlikely that the actual lesson will unfold the same way twice. There’s always the chance that students will ask different questions, have different struggles and different reactions to the subject matter. Your days will likely be interesting and varied, making for days that don’t feel as monotonous or sluggish.

3. You can share your love of learning.

4. you’ll have great job security..

Teaching is also a skill that can transfer nearly anywhere. If you train and become a certified teacher, you’ll be able to work almost anywhere in the world. Whether you’re teaching English or a special subject, you could theoretically teach and explore the globe at the same time. International schools and education programs are expanding globally and look for instructors who have trained and are certified.

5. Fun is encouraged

Teaching is also a highly social job. Becoming a teacher means you’ll be joining a team of colleagues who you can lean on in hard times and laugh with during the good. You’ll be interacting with your fellow faculty members as well as students and their parents. Becoming a teacher means becoming a key member of the community as you get to know families.

6. You’ll have a pretty great schedule.

The holidays that teachers get are undoubtedly a pretty great perk of the job. If you become a teacher you may get nearly eight weeks off each summer, paid time off in winter and spring. Most teachers also get paid holidays in addition to the breaks and professional development days without students so that they can have a quiet work day.

7. There are intangible rewards.

But nothing can beat the moment when a student who has been struggling with a concept “gets” it. The sight of their joy when it “clicks” for them and they celebrate their accomplishment is likely one of the greatest rewards of teaching.

This is more than a job.

Whether you’re already an administrator looking for ways to advocate for yourself and your colleagues, or an aspiring school principal looking ahead for ways to fully prepare for the position, consider how an online master's in educational administration from a Top 10 Best Education School (among public universities) 4 can help you achieve your goals to the best of your ability.

Retrieved on September 23, 2019, from suttontrust.com/research-paper/great-teaching/
Retrieved on September 23, 2019, from forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/09/05/we-need-to-stop-talking-about-the-teacher-shortage/

Return to Blog

IMPORTANT DATES

Stay connected.

Link to twitter Link to facebook Link to youtube Link to instagram

The University of Kansas has engaged Everspring , a leading provider of education and technology services, to support select aspects of program delivery.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, retaliation, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University's programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and is the University's Title IX Coordinator: the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, [email protected] , 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785) 864-6414 , 711 TTY.

Scholastic’s blog about books and the joy of reading

10 reasons we LOVE teachers!

Nicole ortiz // may 9, 2017, 1. they teach us new things and help us discover our passions.

How many of us can say that we've developed a passion for a particular study from a teacher that introduced it to us?

2. They believe in us, encourage us to reach our highest potential, and convince us that we can do anything we set our minds to.

Teachers are great at motivating, supporting, and challenging us to unlocking our true potential! They believe in us before we believe in ourselves.

3. They help foster a love for reading, writing, and learning.

Reading and writing are SO important and these are skills that we use for the rest of our lives. Learning to not only read but truly comprehend texts is something we owe our teachers!

4. They open a world of possibility and make learning FUN!

It's not unusual for teachers to suddenly sing, dance, or take part in silly activities to show that learning something new can be fun and will show that in their own creative ways.

5. They can pretty much do it all! They are not only teachers, they are mentors, coaches, motivators, supporters, and friends.

What can't teachers do!? And when they can't.. they'll find a way!

6. They take pride in the little things their students accomplish and the milestones we make.

They celebrate student accomplishments and although teachers know they only have their students for a short period of time, they are proud to see them succeed and move on.

7. They have the ability to leave an everlasting impression on so many of their students.

I still remember my Kindergarten teacher - and I don't think I can ever forget how enthusiastic and full of life she was. She brought so much joy into the classroom, and that's something that will stick with me forever.

8. They are lifelong students themselves!

Teachers spend hours practicing all different kinds of professional development and are committed to being the best teachers they can be. They share ideas, go to workshops, sit in different classrooms, read texts, and try new things.

9. They are patient and they care!

Even though every student learns at a different pace, teachers are completely devoted to making sure each one is learning and understanding - and no one is left behind, no matter how long it takes.

10. They partner with families and communities to ensure every student gets what they need to succeed!

Student education is a team effort! Teachers do everything they can to try and get everyone invloved.

And despite the challenges that come with being a teacher, they LOVE what they do because they know they're making a difference in their students' lives. Make sure to show appreciation to teachers today!

"Nearly every teacher I know care more deeply than probably the general public has any understanding of. It is the only job you'll ever have where you can't sleep because you're worried about someone else's child and that's a true statement." Elementary School Teacher

Teacher & Principal School Report

Now Trending on OOM

Summer Olympics - Scholastic Magazines Resources

Langley leverett // jul 1, 2024.

In celebration of Pride Month, we spoke to Will Taylor about The Language of Seabirds and why the story is so personal to him.

It's What I Needed When I was Twelve

Michelle pastor // jun 28, 2024.

About Project
Testimonials

Business Management Ideas

Essay on My Teacher

List of essays on my teacher in english, essay on my teacher – essay 1 (300 words), essay on my teacher – essay 2 (400 words), essay on my teacher – essay 3 (500 words), essay on my teacher – essay 4 (750 words), essay on my teacher – essay 5 (1000 words).

Introduction:

Teachers are the ones who play a very vital role in shaping our future. From the Pre-Kinder Garden to your Post-Doctoral fellowships, they teach, impart knowledge, share ethical values, and imbibe morality, thereby shaping our personality as a strong one.

My Teacher:

Throughout our lives, we will be having many kith and kins who will hold a special place in our hearts. For me, one such person is my teacher. All of us, for sure, will definitely agree to the fact that the kinship between us and our kinder garden teachers could not be well-defined. I like my nursery teacher, so much. There is something very magical about her. Maybe, she was the first teacher in my life or maybe, she was very sweet in talking to all of us, I am unable to portray why she is always my favourite. I relied on her blindly.

Unforgettable Memories:

I have some cherished memories with my teacher. Whenever I think of those memories, it makes me blissful. On the last day of my nursery school, I started crying at the very thought of leaving her and having a new teacher. I had fallen sick due to crying for hours together. I skipped my food. My parents were not able to do anything. They called for her to make me feel better. My teacher travelled a few miles across the city and reached the hospital. She, then, said that she would never forget any of her students and asked me to write to her. I started writing to her every week from then on and she replied to every letter of mine. Till date, I look at my teacher as my second mother and she guides me in all my difficult situations.

Conclusion:

Having a good teacher who can share an amalgamated relationship with the students is a boon. A good teacher should be a good mentor, a philosopher, a guide, a friend and above all a surrogate parent to the children. I am lucky that I had gotten one in my lifetime.

My favorite subject is English and my most favorite teacher is Chitra Ma’am. She teaches us English. She likes me a lot and appreciates my hard work. She joined our school one year ago. Before that, I was not so good at English. But after attending her classes, we have all become much better at this subject.

I like her for many reasons. First of all, she teaches the lessons in a very interesting way. Even when we have doubts or questions, she never gets upset with us. Her best quality is her loving nature. She would come to school daily without missing a day.

Her dressing sense is nice. She wears simple salwar suits. She always speaks to her students softly and respectfully. I eagerly wait for her class and do my English homework on time. Chitra Ma’am puts a lot of effort in explaining every chapter.

There are many activities given at the end of every lesson and she makes us participate in all of them. Not only that, but she also encourages us to take part in drama and poem competitions. Since her first day, she made a rule for us.

All of us has to speak in English during the English period. Every student tries to talk in English even if the sentence sounds improper. She has taught us to never laugh at each other’s mistakes. This has improved our spoken English in a great way. Now, we are able to talk in English with more confidence.

Another great quality of hers is that she treats every child equally. After explaining the lesson to us, she asks each one of us different questions about the chapter. Sometimes, we also love to talk about our personal lives, like what do we like about our lives, how our parents work hard for us, and things like that.

When we get confused or need an emotional support, she is the best person to talk to. Her advice and suggestions are always positive. Last month, on teacher’s day, all the students wished her and brought presents for her. We also sang a song to her.

I made a beautiful greeting card for her and a red rose with it. She accepted it with a smile and thanked us for everything. I feel grateful to have such a gentle and great teacher in my life who supports me in every way.

In school, you tend to interact with a lot of people who can either impact your life positively or negatively. A teacher is one neutral person who will manage to strike a balance between the positive and the negative. Teachers have a huge responsibility that we students may not understand. All in all our teachers try their best to provide an education, guidance and discipline despite the challenges we might impose on them. The life of a student is entirely dependent on a teacher because most of their time is spent in school rather than with parents that is why teachers play a major role in shaping the lives of young children through school.

Who Is my favourite Teacher?

I have several teachers now that I am in high school but there is only one whom I can relate to as “the teacher” because of the impact he has made in my life. The teacher is male, of Indian origin and has a funny accent when he speaks. He is married and has three children. Actually, one of his children is my age and I know him through tennis practice because he comes to train with us sometimes. I like him because his sense of humor gives a good learning experience for the students. He is a math teacher and he is very good at what he does. Students tend to make fun of him because of his accent but he make fun of it himself, which gets even funnier. This teacher has been a great mentor to me and other student ever since we joined high school. I met him on a personal level one day after class when I needed clarification on a topic I had not quite understood. The teacher was kind to me and guided me through it. Since then, he took his own initiative to do follow-ups on me and I became really good in math due to his efforts.

Coincidentally, he also coaches my tennis team and we meet out on the field. We have won several awards as a tennis team under him. I feel connected to the teacher through his mentorship and he has become like a school parent to me because whenever I have an issue, he is free to help me out.

How the teacher has impacted my life in school .

Mentorship goes along way depending on the approach used. When I first joined high school, I did not have much confidence in myself. This teacher mentored me and made me believe in myself. The good thing is the attention he gives t is students because most of the times, he follows up on the performances and ensures that he does everything he can to help students improve academically. He has also been a role model to me through his way of doing things. He is dedicated to his work and he is an achiever. Through following his footsteps, I have been able to dedicate myself into studies and sports, which has helped me to achieve my goals.

In conclusion, good teachers are hard to find but when you find one, make the most out of them.

The word “teacher” depicts a person that teaches. English dictionary defines teacher as “a person who teaches, especially one employed in a school”. A more recent definition of teacher in the linguistics field is “a tutor that interacts with the learners in order to facilitate good learning”.

Types of Teachers

Old method teachers: the teachers found under this method adopt the rigid mode of impartation of knowledge. They control the class the way a king would rule over his subjects. Old method teachers are less concerned about the welfare of their learners, they are syllabus-oriented.

New method teachers: the tutors under this model are student-oriented. They are more concerned about their learners and their various levels of understanding. They accept and promote contributions in class unlike the old method teachers. New method teachers encourage the inquisitiveness of their students.

Attributes of a Teacher:

A standard teacher has all or most of the various characters imbedded in them:

Compassionate
Open-minded
A good counselor
Friendly and most importantly
Approachable.

Attributes of My Favorite Teacher:

Personally, I see my teacher as a mini-god because he leaves his mark on me. He influences my life in ways that enables me affect changes wherever I find myself.

He is a perfect example of the new model teachers. Basically, he is student-oriented. In the classroom, he employs the Eclectic mode of teaching (this is the combination of all the modes of teaching “discussion mode, play way mode, role play mode, question mode” so as to facilitate standard learning).

He comes into the classroom; starts the lecture with a recap of what was discussed in the previous class, gives room for the students to ask questions that arose from the last class, answers them and then starts a new topic.

To start a new topic, he starts with a mind-capturing introduction that attracts the attention of all students. Once he is through with introducing the topic, he gauges our reaction in order for him to know if his students are on the same page with him or left behind.

Then, he moves on to the discussion mode of teaching, whereby he throws questions to his students and accommodates both relevant and irrelevant answers, at the end of this model, he sieves through the answers provided, pick the relevant ones and add his own iota to it, he also always applaud the courage of all who answers his questions.

He moves either into the role play method or the play way method, here he selects students to either act out the lessons from the day’s topic or summarizes what he has taught for the day. The use of this particular mode enlightens the students more on the topic being discussed.

Finally, he moves over to the questions and revision mode, where he personally go through all he has taught over the course of the period. During this mode, he entertains questions from students on their personal areas of difficulties. Occasionally, he gives assignments to back up his teachings.

During his teachings, he pays close attention to the expression, mood, sitting posture and carriage of his students. This tells him when his students are lost, sad, worried, hungry, sick, away in dream land or simply tired.

Once he is done processing the information gotten from our faces, he either finds a way of brightening the mood of his students, bringing them back from the dream world, or ending his class without breaking his stride or alerting the whole population of students to what is currently going on.

It is only normal for a human being to reflect his mood whenever he is talking or interacting, but my teacher hardly ever allow his bad, horrible moods interfere with his teachings.

Outside the classroom, my teacher is approachable, fatherly, and jovial. He entertains all and no one is excluded from his open arms, smiles and affections.

He is a good counselor who is always ready to help me out of my tight corners. He gives twenty first century advises in a fatherly way.

Although, due to my teachers lenient ways with students, some students tend to be lazy, disrespectful, stubborn or rude. He has a way of being firm, maintaining class control while teaching.

In conclusion, my teacher has all the attributes and more of a new method teachers. He is capable of combining all modes of teaching, he is compassionate, passionate, and friendly. From my interactions with him, I can confidently say that he is one of the best teachers around.

A teacher plays a very important life in shaping your life as well as career. A good teacher is a blessing for the students in their early years and helps them understand the world; learn moral values along with education. Most importantly, a teacher helps you the art of survival and brings out the best of you.

Why a teacher is so important in a student’s life?

Teachers assume the essential job in our life to end up fruitful invocation and business. A decent teacher encourages us to end up great individual in the general public and great nation of the nation.

Teachers realize that students are the eventual fate of any country. So the future advancement of any country is in the hands of teachers. What we move toward becoming in life is relies upon teachers. Teachers confer the information and data in the mind of understudies to dissect. Investigating in the circumstance what is conceivable is the most essential thing that we gain from teachers. Energy about teachers is imperative since they are the most essential individuals in the nation. What we’re seeing today in business, legislative issues, and society all influenced by teachers. In this way, in India, we commend teacher’s day consistently on 5 September on the event of the birth Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

My Teachers, My Role Models

During my formative years, I have come across many teachers who have influenced my life for the better. Having being studies in a convent school, I got to face a much-disciplined environment during my school years. The teachers, although were very polite in their behaviour, at the same time ensuring that we all followed a disciplined life. We were taught how to inculcate these values in our daily life so as to be better human beings when we grow up and face the world. Although all the teachers were good, there is one teacher whose teachings I just cannot forget. She is Ms Kirti Bhushan. Her teachings have been so powerful and impactful that I can still feel them during my day to day decisions even today.

My Best Teacher

Ms Kirti was my class educator as well and took participation in the daily activities with us as well. She was a strict instructor anyway extremely amusing and mind in nature. At the same time, she was extremely restrained and dependable. She did her work perfectly with the class at a perfect time without getting late. I liked her, particularly as she attempted simple approaches to show us beneficial things. We made the most of her class. She taught us English subject as well. She even made us giggle by telling heaps of jokes in the middle of when she taught. She likewise managed us exceptionally well amid any school or between school rivalry of the move, sports, scholastic, and so on. She instructed us to share things in class among our associates, for example, lunch or other required things.

Her Background

She was from Varanasi and completed her initial studies there itself. She took her higher education degrees from the Banaras Hindu University. She was extremely friendly and kind in nature. She realized well about how to deal with little youngsters in the class. Her one of a kind style of educating is perhaps what I mostly recall her for. I even meet her at times at whatever point I have to explain some intense inquiries of my day to day issues, she advises me so easily and comfortably. She looks extremely savvy with shimmer eyes and fair hair.

Her Smiling Attitude

She generally smiled when she entered the classroom and first got some information about our prosperity. She additionally helped us in the games at whatever point our games instructor was missing. She had a smiling face even during the strict environment during the examination times. She constantly rebuffed to the students who were with fragmented home works. She was acclaimed for making loads of fun amid the class time and ensure there was a positive ambience all around.

She was an instructor with great aptitudes of educating, well-disposed nature, great comical inclination, understanding and nice. I am proud to be one of her favourite students, as she always said good things about me to other teachers. At times she gave us chocolates on doing great in the class tests and exams. She never gave us heaps of assignments at home. She was exceptionally eager and constantly spurred us for doing our best in the examination.

Teacher’s In Today’s Scenario

Today the general population are changing and their reasoning and advancement thoughts are more against nature. Presently for the world, a teacher is only a teacher. Various offices and departments only tend to remember them on teachers day during various events and usually do not remember them otherwise. Individuals also share few posts via web-based networking media with respect to teachers and after that just forget them. Individuals overlook a bigger number of things that they are gaining from teachers. Schools and students also praise the teacher’s day event and value the endeavours teachers are doing. This is incredible if individuals ought to pursue the exercises of teachers also.

The genuine present for teachers is when students turn into a decent individual, effective in their vocation and business. Not all teacher are great in instructing and comparatively, not all students resemble “Shishya and Guru” particularly in the advanced period. A few teachers are incredible and they are dependable in heart of students all life along.

Students admire teachers for counsel and direction. Students are inspired by scholastic exercises as well as they are intrigued to pursue their life exercises. That is the reason it’s exceedingly essential for teachers to motivate students to pursue great propensities not terrible by their own precedent. An instruction is critical in everybody’s life and assumes different jobs in various phases of life. It’s imperative that individuals understand the significance of teachers and pursue their teachers in the right spirit.

Get FREE Work-at-Home Job Leads Delivered Weekly!

Join more than 50,000 subscribers receiving regular updates! Plus, get a FREE copy of How to Make Money Blogging!

Message from Sophia!

Like this post? Don’t forget to share it!

Here are a few recommended articles for you to read next:

Essay on Success
Essay on My Best Friend
Essay on Solar Energy
Essay on Christmas

No comments yet.

Leave a reply click here to cancel reply..

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Billionaires

Donald Trump
Warren Buffett
Email Address
Free Stock Photos
Keyword Research Tools
URL Shortener Tools
WordPress Theme

Book Summaries

How To Win Friends
Rich Dad Poor Dad
The Code of the Extraordinary Mind
The Luck Factor
The Millionaire Fastlane
The ONE Thing
Think and Grow Rich
100 Million Dollar Business
Business Ideas

Digital Marketing

Mobile Addiction
Social Media Addiction
Computer Addiction
Drug Addiction
Internet Addiction
TV Addiction
Healthy Habits
Morning Rituals
Wake up Early
Cholesterol
Reducing Cholesterol
Fat Loss Diet Plan
Reducing Hair Fall
Sleep Apnea
Weight Loss

Internet Marketing

Email Marketing

Law of Attraction

Subconscious Mind
Vision Board
Visualization

Law of Vibration

Professional Life

Motivational Speakers

Bob Proctor
Robert Kiyosaki
Vivek Bindra
Inner Peace

Productivity

Not To-do List
Project Management Software
Negative Energies

Relationship

Getting Back Your Ex

Self-help 21 and 14 Days Course

Self-improvement.

Body Language
Complainers
Emotional Intelligence
Personality

Social Media

Project Management
Anik Singal
Baba Ramdev
Dwayne Johnson
Jackie Chan
Leonardo DiCaprio
Narendra Modi
Nikola Tesla
Sachin Tendulkar
Sandeep Maheshwari
Shaqir Hussyin

Website Development

Wisdom post, worlds most.

Expensive Cars

Our Portals: Gulf Canada USA Italy Gulf UK

Privacy Overview

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Our Favorite Teachers & Why We Remember Them

Editor’s Note: As I wrote in Part One, our minds are obviously on COVID-19, not on our favorite teachers. I’ve curated many useful resources about coping with school closures at The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) - Please Make More Suggestions! and will soon be publishing a series of posts here where teachers will be sharing their experiences in this new environment (see Do You Want to Write About Your Experience Teaching Online After School Closures? ). Please consider contributing your thoughts.

In this time of crisis, reading and thinking about non-coronavirus topics can be a welcome diversion now and then. I put thinking about and reading about our favorite teachers into that “welcome diversion” category.

Today, Antoinette Perez, Cindy Garcia, Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski , Shaeley Santiago , Rita Platt , Jen Schwanke, and Barry Saide offer their memories of their favorite teachers.

“Words of affirmation”

Antoinette Perez is currently a high school ELA and ELD teacher at Buena High School in Ventura, Calif. She also works as a language and cultural instructor to adult ELLs. She enjoys cooking, watching baseball, and traveling around the world to visit her former international students:

As educators, we tend to think back and reflect on the teachers who made a difference in our lives. Some of those teachers pushed us to do our best and some of them were powerful enough to make us believe we could do anything. I can remember quite a few teachers who had a gift for teaching and continue to influence my instruction today.

My favorite teacher and one who made all the difference in both my personal life and in my career was my 7th grade reading-intervention teacher. Like many adolescents, I wasn’t fond of reading, mostly because I couldn’t relate to the stories we read or understand many of the concepts we read about. I struggled and I fell behind grade level in reading. Much to my dismay, I was pulled out of my English class a few days each week to complete a reading-intervention program with Mrs. Gustafson. I remember her classroom being comfortable, welcoming, and safe. And Mrs. Gustafson was all of those things, too. She created engaging lessons that helped me access complex concepts and make connections. She created a learning environment where taking risks was encouraged. No matter how wrong I was at times, she gave me credit for trying. Her words of affirmation showed me that she believed in me. She rewarded what I did well. I learned to love my small-group instruction because it catered to my individual needs. Mrs. Gustafson saw me as an individual rather than as a number. She cared, and it showed. I knew that I wanted to be like her and one day make a difference in students’ lives.

It’s not too often we get to thank our favorite teachers for what they’ve taught us, but it’s less often that we get to learn from them for longer than one school year. I consider myself fortunate to have had the chance to be a student of Mrs. Gustafson’s once again more than 10 years after she first opened my eyes to the true gift of teaching. In the final semester of my teacher-credential program, I went out on a limb and registered for a course instructed by a familiar name: Shelley Gustafson. I thought it could just be a coincidence that two people in Long Beach, Calif. had the same name, but I was hopeful. And when I walked into that classroom to a familiar face, I knew I was getting in to the right profession. Fighting back the tears, I began to tell her who I was when she interrupted, “Nettie, I remember you!” I thanked her for believing in me, for inspiring me to continue learning, and for showing me that teaching is a gift that keeps on giving. Much of who I am as a teacher today stems from both what I learned from Mrs. Gustafson 20 years ago as a middle schooler and almost a decade ago as a teacher-in-the-making.

Making connections

Cindy Garcia has been a bilingual educator for 14 years and is currently the district instructional specialist for P-6 bilingual/ESL mathematics in the Pasadena Independent school district (Texas). She is active on Twitter @CindyGarciaTX and on her blog:

When I think about Ms. Anita Moore, I always smile and think about how fortunate I was that she was my 4th and 5th grade teacher. It was evident even to a 9-year-old that Ms. Moore loved being a teacher. She had high structures in her classroom, but it was a safe place where we were encouraged to share, think, and express ourselves. All of her students knew that she cared about us learning and our well-being. Ms. Moore never let us give up if we were stuck, and she worked with us until we figured out a solution.

One of the memories that always stuck with me was Ms. Moore conducting a read-aloud and starting to cry because the main character in the story reminded her of her grandmother. She paused to share about her relationship with her grandmother and made the connection as to how that relationship was helping understand the main messages in the story.

Ms. Moore tried her best to make a connection with each student in her classroom. She knew what are interests were and about our families. She used that information to bring our interests into the classroom. One of the biggest reasons that Ms. Moore will always be my favorite teacher is because she helped my love of reading grow. She made books of various genres available in our classroom and to take home. She suggested books that she thought we would enjoy, and today I realize that it was books that she hoped would get us hooked!

Ms. Moore also went beyond classroom instruction. She decided that our school should have a choir and that all of her students should audition. If not for her initiative, I would never have participated in this type of extracurricular activity. She was known to drive alongside students as they walked home if they were walking home alone and their homes were a bit too far from school. When it was time for the annual 5th grade weekend camping trip, my parents refused to let me attend the trip. Ms. Moore came to my home to talk to my parents to persuade them to let me attend. I was still not allowed to go, but it was amazing to me that a teacher would visit my home in order to help me be part of a school tradition and take part in the experience with my classmates. Ms. Moore was a wonderful example of a caring teacher who worked very hard to help her students learn and feel successful.

“He made me see things about myself that I never realized”

Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski is a 3rd grade teacher in Farmingdale, N.Y. She previously taught 6th grade and kindergarten. Kathleen is one of the co-authors of the Two Writing Teachers and the co-director of the Long Island Writing Project. She blogs at Courage Doesn’t Always Roar:

I’ve had so many wonderful teachers through the years that have helped shape my life. One teacher who especially stands out in my memory was Mr. Patrick Gallagher. Mr. Gallagher was my AP U.S. History teacher in high school, and he was also one of the advisers of Key Club, a service club in which I was a member and an officer.

Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Though Mr. Gallagher was my teacher over 20 years ago, I remember that he made me feel like I was special. He made me see things about myself that I never realized. He encouraged me as a student leader and told me that he saw me as an inclusive person who always tried to welcome others into a situation. He showed that he believed in me, and I wanted to live up to his good opinion of me.

On days when I feel a little lost or low, I still pull out the letter of recommendation he wrote on my behalf for a scholarship for which I applied. It’s been so many years, but those words have the power to make me once again feel worthy and capable.

From Mr. Gallagher, I learned to shine a light on students’ strengths and help them see the special qualities they might not know they have. I look for ways to tell students all the good I see in them, in writing, so they, too, can look back someday and remember that a teacher saw in them a bright student with so much potential.

Encouraging creativity

Shaeley Santiago is an English-learner strategist for the Ames Community school district in Ames, Iowa. She has also served as an ESL instructional coach and a secondary ESL teacher in both Ames and Perry, Iowa. She is a big fan of social media for teachers; you can follow her on Twitter at @HSeslteacher :

My favorite teacher was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Judith Best. From the first day of class, it was clear she incorporated new ideas and instructional strategies to improve her practice. She was an engaging teacher who provided choice in her lessons, advocated for her students, and cared about us as young people.

At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Best asked us to decorate the name tags for our desks. She provided the parameters for the assignment but left the specifics up to us. Unlike most of my classmates, I decided on an elaborate pattern where each letter of my name was colored differently from the next. I wasn’t discouraged from this unusual approach or forced to rush to complete my work. Instead, Mrs. Best encouraged my creativity on a type of task that today might be viewed as a waste of valuable classroom time. In any case, the project allowed me to explore an idea I had while helping Mrs. Best get to know me better.

One of my all-time favorite units in school was a multiweek social studies simulation in Mrs. Best’s class about settlers moving to the Midwest. We drew a card to be assigned our “family” and its circumstances. Then each day in class, someone would roll the dice to determine the weather and other daily events in the simulation. We had to make choices ranging from buying food to upgrading our property. My family was the deJongs, and we farmed a small acreage just outside of town. While I knew a little about farming because my grandparents were wheat farmers, the responsibility of making choices for my “family” and then experiencing the simulated consequences of those decisions over time taught me some valuable life lessons. We also learned about how a community might work together to support each other through difficulties such as natural disasters.

I also still vividly remember Mrs. Best incorporating drawing as a method for helping us develop the lesser-used hemisphere of our brains. She had taken a course where she’d learned about the technique, so she explained some of the research behind it to us. Then she asked us to draw with our nondominant hand. We did activities like this several times during the school year. Looking back now through my own lens as a teacher, I admire that she was applying what she had learned from her course. As her student, I knew from her own efforts to improve and her explanation about why we were doing what we were that she had my best interests at heart.

Mrs. Best also advocated for me to be evaluated for the gifted program. She had seen qualities in me that suggested I would benefit from opportunities for extended learning. Although my standardized-test scores weren’t high enough to automatically qualify me for the program, she still argued that I should participate with another student from my class. Her belief in me and my abilities was a boost for my self-confidence at a time when adolescence and all its awkwardness was fast approaching.

Although I had no plans at that point in my life to be an educator, Mrs. Best’s approach to teaching has had an impact on my beliefs about quality instruction. I believe strongly that engaging students through creative, real-world activities and choice in assignments is essential for maximizing learning. I also strive to stay current in my teaching practice by applying the techniques and research I learn about through professional development. Finally, my path in middle and high school was directly impacted because Mrs. Best advocated on my behalf for access to the gifted program. As her name so aptly conveys, she was my best teacher.

Being “nonjudgmental”

Rita Platt (@ritaplatt) is a national-board-certified teacher and a proud #EduDork! Her experience includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergartner to graduate student. She is currently the principal of St. Croix Falls and Dresser Elementary Schools in Wisconsin, teaches graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute, and writes for MiddleWeb:

My 10th grade driver’s education teacher wore her hair in a curly puff. She wore bright pink lipstick, colorful scarves, mini skirts with rainboots, and was never without a smile. At the start of class, she stood by the door and welcomed her students. When the hour was up, she stood by the door and said goodbye with this line, “Have a great day! If you ever want to hang out, stop by! I always have hot tea and oranges ready for a visit!” My 10th grade driver’s education teacher’s name was Rita Refner. Mrs. Refner was (is?) wonderful.

Over the years, I have often reflected on why I loved Mrs. Refner so much and why her class (driver’s ed, of all things!) inspired me to become an educator. In the end, I think it boils down to how she carried herself and how she treated me.

Mrs. Refner embodied some the character traits that I now recognize as aligned with my own core values . She was nonjudgmental, friendly, funny, encouraging, and completely and totally comfortable with herself.

When I met her, I was what we called, an “Ash Streeter.” It was 1983, and at that time, students were allowed to smoke outside of the school, and I was often found on the front steps of the Ash Street entrance of the high school with a cigarette in hand. In those days (and now, if I’m honest), I marched to the beat of my own drum. I dressed different from other kids (think June Cleaver but with neon pink pumps and punkish blond streaks in black hair.) I skipped classes as frequently as I attended them, and my grades were low. But, I was kind to others, reasonably smart, and liked to laugh. Mrs. Refner saw that. She treated me with a respect that I wasn’t used to from teachers, and I reveled in it.

Mrs. Refner wasn’t joking about the tea and oranges. I know because I often stayed after class to hang out with her over a cup of chamomile and half an orange. We chatted about all kinds of things and found out we had much in common. Chief among them was that we had both suffered from the behavior of people who were alcoholics. Mrs. Refner had lost her husband when a drunk driver crashed into his car, and I was raised by alcohol- and drug-addicted parents who often fell short in the good-parenting department. The combination of her friendly, kind, and nonjudgmental manner allowed me to open up to her in a way I had never opened up before.

Once I opened up, Mrs. Refner encouraged me to use my experiences to reach out and make a difference for others. She encouraged me to attend Alateen , a support group for teenagers who are affected by alcoholism. When that didn’t feel like a good fit for me, together we devised a plan to develop and coordinate a Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) club in the high school. Being a part of that club helped me learn that I was a capable leader and my efforts could help others.

When I think of Mrs. Refner, what stands out most clearly was her willingness to be unapologetically herself. Mrs. Refner put on no airs, showed no pretense, had no need to be “normal.” She, like me, was different and she wore her differences like a name tag that said, “I’m ME! And, you will like me!” What a powerful example she was.

More than 30 years after I met her, I still think of her often and am grateful for the gifts she gave me. I don’t smoke anymore, and there is no Ash Street entrance at the school where I am the principal. But I do wear that invisible name tag that says, “I am ME!” and I work daily to be as nonjudgmental, kind, funny, encouraging, and completely comfortable in my own skin. Thank you, Mrs. Refner.

Trauma should not be a “lonely” thing

Ms. Jen Schwanke has served as a teacher and administrator at the elementary and middle school levels for 20 years. She has established her voice in school leadership by contributing frequently to literacy and leadership publications and has presented at multiple conferences at the state and national level. She is the author of the book, You’re the Principal! Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders , published by ASCD:

The year I entered 3rd grade, my parents’ farm was in the grips of a drought that dried up the entire Midwest. My father’s hay crop withered and died. With no hay to sell, there was no money. With no money, there was no food. We were a family of six. I was very hungry for quite some time.

My father grew sullen and silent, my mother sad and defiant. Though it would be many painful years before they would finally divorce, the drought years were the worst because the farmhouse seemed to be waiting for something—thunder, lightning, heavy rain, a big fight, something to happen.

As kids do, I soldiered on, not having words or systems to manage anything otherwise. My sisters reacted similarly. We did not discuss it. At the dinner table, we gulped at my mother’s home-canned green beans, supplemented with fruit cocktail from Dollar General. We dipped saltines in water, better to swallow with our choked throats. When school started, I packed three apples for lunch every day, because there were plenty in the cellar: towers of bushel boxes full of Macintosh, bought at the Bargain Bin for a song. Kids made fun of me in the cafeteria, and I hissed at them: “Shut up. It’s just that I love apples.”

Early in November, Miss Troutman pulled me aside. She gave me two gifts. The first was a ham sandwich. The second was a journal.

I don’t know how she knew. Perhaps it was my bony legs and dirty, too-short jeans. Perhaps she saw the apples. Maybe she just guessed. Regardless, she found a way to help without humiliating me or making me talk about my breaking heart. She offered dignity and kindness that still makes me swoon with gratitude. “Silly me,” she said. “I accidentally made an extra sandwich this morning.”

With it, she handed me a beautiful black leather journal, thick with pages of unlined white paper. “You don’t need to show it to me as you write. It can be private. Your very own.” I’d long wanted to journal but didn’t have a special place to do it. When there is no money for ground beef, there is certainly no money for journals. I took it home and began experimenting as a poet, a writer, an artist, a dreamer—a little person who could imagine a better ending to the story.

Miss Troutman made many accidental sandwiches that year, fluffy white Wonder Bread stuffed with chipped ham and slathered with delicious, oily mayonnaise. She would slip it into my lunch box when no one was looking.

These days, we are discussing children and trauma more openly and honestly. We are legitimizing how it feels to be a very young person who is scared, sad, sorry, and ashamed, a young person who still has to get up and wash her face and get on the school bus. We recognize trauma takes many forms—hunger, abandonment, physical pain, loneliness, fear, racism, and all sorts of other horrible, painful things—and kids all feel it and react, differently. Trauma is not, and should not be, a lonely and secretive thing. People—kids—often want to deal with it alone, but they may need someone to notice, and teachers are often the ones to do just that.

Facebook recently reconnected Miss Troutman and I; in a private message, I thanked her for her kindness. She was gracious, humble, and gentle, just as I remembered her. “It’s rare that I can still see the 10-year-old in the face of one of my students,” she wrote, “But I can see your young self in your pictures. Except I see peace and confidence now. I’m glad about that.”

I told her my young face is still there, in me, because she helped me preserve it.

“A daily structure”

Barry Saide is the proud principal of Roosevelt School, in Manville, N.J. Prior to becoming principal, Barry was a director of curriculum & instruction, supervisor of curriculum & instruction, and elementary classroom teacher. This is his 20th year in education:

My favorite teacher when attending school was my elementary school teacher Mrs. Pace. She looped with us from 3 rd through 5 th grades. Her consistent presence and approach each day provided comfort for me. I was an anxious learner, uncomfortable with change, and quiet in disposition. Rarely did I raise my hand, offer a suggestion, or ask a question. I didn’t want to stand out in any way possible. I would rather sit there, potentially soak all the learning in, and hope that if I didn’t understand something that one of my peers would ask that question. If one didn’t, I would go home and count on my mother or father to assist me. If that didn’t happen, I didn’t learn it.

Though I was quiet and painfully shy (on a 1 to 10 scale I was an 11), because Mrs. Pace provided a daily structure, reviewed the classroom expectations each day, solicited input from us to build future lessons and units, and got to know us individually, I was able to grow beyond my own self-imposed limitations. Mrs. Pace spent a portion of each day with each of us, reviewing what our accomplishments were and setting our goals for the following day. She knew I was a strong writer, avid reader, and struggling mathematician. She built opportunities within lessons for me to read aloud my free-writes and favorite reading passages and others to share their strengths, too. When I became a teacher, I realized she did this to foster a community of learners—students who would feel comfortable knowing their peers were a resource they could go to when they needed support, suggestion, or guidance on a topic. That communal, inclusive feeling was the overarching goal I created each year in the classroom when I became a teacher.

My formative years with Mrs. Pace as my teacher taught me many of the concepts within my philosophical approach to human-centered education I used as a teacher. Now as an administrator: getting to know each individual, coaching people from their strengths, continually raising expectations slightly based on prior accomplishments (and providing the support to achieve those expectations), and accepting every person for who they are by seeing who they could be with support and guidance is who I strive to be. Without my 3 rd through 5 th grade years, that doesn’t happen.

Thanks to Antoinette, Cindy, Kathleen, Shaeley, Rita, Jen, and Barry for their contributions!

(This is the second post in a multipart series. You can see Part One here .)

The new question-of-the-week is:

Who was your favorite teacher when you were attending school, and why was she/he your favorite?

Part One shared responses from Elizabeth Villanueva, Jessica Levine, Betty Cárdenas, and Jenny Vo. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with the four of them on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn’t include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

This Year’s Most Popular Q&A Posts

Race & Gender Challenges

Classroom-Management Advice

Best Ways to Begin the School Year

Best Ways to End the School Year

Implementing the Common Core

Student Motivation & Social-Emotional Learning

Teaching Social Studies

Cooperative & Collaborative Learning

Using Tech in the Classroom

Parent Engagement in Schools

Teaching English-Language Learners

Reading Instruction

Writing Instruction

Education Policy Issues

Differentiating Instruction

Math Instruction

Science Instruction

Advice for New Teachers

Author Interviews

Entering the Teaching Profession

The Inclusive Classroom

Learning & the Brain

Administrator Leadership

Teacher Leadership

Relationships in Schools

Professional Development

Instructional Strategies

Best of Classroom Q&A

Professional Collaboration

Classroom Organization

Mistakes in Education

Project-Based Learning

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column .

Look for Part Three in a few days....

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Home / Essay Samples / Education / Teacher / What Sets Apart Great Teachers: Essential Qualities

What Sets Apart Great Teachers: Essential Qualities

Category: Life , Education , Sociology
Topic: Skills , Teacher , Teacher-Student Relationships

Pages: 2 (1034 words)

Downloads: -->

Introduction

What is a teacher, what is the purpose of a primary school teacher, what is a good teacher, what are the teacher expectations for their pupils.

--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.

Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?

are ready to help you with your essay

You won’t be charged yet!

Media Analysis Essays

Conflict Resolution Essays

Rhetorical Strategies Essays

Journalism Essays

Socialization Essays

Related Essays

We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Your essay sample has been sent.

In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->