Why I Want to Teach Essay Example for Free

Why I Want to Teach Essay Why I Want to Teach A teacher is defined as someone who gives instruction as well as communicates skills. Teaching is on the top of my list of potential careers, though I am not certain it is going to be right for me. This essay should shed some light on my incentives and hesitations concerning education as a career path and I’ll hopefully gain some insight as well. I can think of many positive reasons to become a teacher. For one, teachers do something relatively different every day and also get an entirely new class every year (in theory). This gives educators a huge opportunity to make a difference in an extraordinary amount of young lives. If I were to become a teacher, it would most likely be at the primary school level, not for the course material, but because of how much I enjoy being around kids. The past few summers I worked as a counselor at a day-camp for elementary aged children, which really showed me how enjoyable and fulfilling a child-centered job can be. I really like the thought of having a summer break for the rest of my career, as well, and not to mention snow days. Traveling is a passion of mine, therefore another reason I am considering teaching is that I would like to join the Peace Corps, teaching English as a second language in other countries. Though helping people in other countries is my goal, the largest part of why I want to become an educator can be attributed to the teachers who’ve influenced me, positively and negatively. I have been inspired by teachers who had a passion for maki ng a difference in the lives of their students, and I have been motivated to surpass, in skill and influence, the sub-par teachers I have had. There are also a few negative aspects of teaching I’d like to address. First and foremost, there is the issue of a teacher’s income, which is generally somewhat low. Though my career plans are not fiscally centered, paying for a higher education and then receiving a lower income than a garbage man or an air traffic controller is not something I find appealing. With teaching there is also a lot of bureaucracy that comes with the job; a lot of red tape, so to speak. Labor laws, non-performance-reflecting salaries, and standardized testing are just a few examples of this. Part of the bureaucracy within the education system can be attributed to the stigma  involving teachers that goes â€Å"Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach† which suggests, frustrating as it may be, how teaching as a profession is viewed by our society. They are few, but my hesitations regarding teaching are powerful nonetheless.