Personal Statement: A Career In Elementary Education

My desire to be an elementary education teacher began at an early age and has continued throughout my life. In both my summer job and volunteer experiences I have sought opportunities where I can teach and impact others. I want to combine the skills I have learned in these opportunities to teach elementary education students, while also encouraging them to embrace their potential and realize their goals.
Growing up school was very hard for me. I always struggled with reading, writing, and math and because of this I lacked confidence in myself. I had many great educators who helped me push through my learning disabilities and become the confident student I am today. The struggles I faced in school have made me realize how important a positive and thriving classroom is. This experience made me want to be an elementary education teacher because I believe that instilling confidence, and helping students learn to grow and never give up on themselves, is fundamental at a young age. My passion for children continued as I found ways to volunteer in classrooms.

In high school, I had the opportunity to job shadow and intern at my old elementary school. During these experiences I learned that elementary education was the career for me. I worked with a variety of different students and through this experience I learned first hand the many challenges teachers face. I worked with many different students who had different academic needs including some that had minor learning disabilities and some who were performing above their grade level. I also learned how to work with students with anger management issues. I was very fortunate to intern in a classroom that had such a wide variety of students, as this helped me understand the importance of patience and how important it is as an educator to consistently strive to improve each student regarding their academic