Learning
Who I Am
Education is a
part of life. We all have had some sort of influence from an educational stand
point. Education is not just one thing; it is made up of multiple things that
in the end make something big happen. For me education didn’t just happen in
the classroom it happened everywhere around me. Education has allowed me to
discover myself in a whole new way. I never thought I’d want to be a teacher.
It was just something that didn’t feel like me. But, my whole idea on that
changed when I started volunteering. It made me realize that you can’t say you
don’t like something until you try it out on your own. Volunteering has taught
me to follow my dreams, find myself, and embrace new experiences.
Think
about when you were a little kid. Think of all the things you wanted to be and
do. When you were asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” you
probably listed all ten things that came to mind, from being a police officer
to being a superhero. No matter how ridiculous your answers were whoever had
asked you would just smile and nod their head. But that all changes when you
get ready to go off to college. Everyone wants to know what you are going to do
for the rest of your life and being a superhero doesn’t cut it anymore. This was when everyone decides their opinion
of what you should do is your only option. For myself, I had people telling me
to do this and not to do that. I had always known I wanted to help people, but unfortunately
that made my decision even harder. That’s
when I decided I was going to become a nurse.
I had made up my mind and everyone around was thrilled that I was going
into a career that not only was producing jobs, but that was also accompanied
by a pretty hefty paycheck. After
telling everyone that is what I wanted to do I began to feel incomplete. That I
wasn’t really meant to become a nurse that it just wasn’t me. That is when I
began volunteering at Richard Gordon Elementary for an old teacher I had in
first and second grade. I was excited because I knew it’d be fun to work with
all the students and just feel like I was making a difference. Shortly after volunteering
I discovered that nursing wasn’t meant for me and that I could help by making a
difference in education. Knowing that I could make a difference in a way that
made sense to me. I began volunteering every week. This is when the tricky part
occurred; after telling everyone that I was becoming a nurse and how wonderful
it was going I had to tell them the change in plans. Now granted this is my
life and I have the right to become whatever I want; but again people like voicing
their opinion in situations where it doesn’t matter. I still remember the day
that my friend’s mom asked me what I was planning on becoming. When I responded
with, “I want to be a elementary school teacher.” she said right back to me,
“You don’t want to be a teacher!!! They don’t make any money.” This is the
exact moment when I knew I was doing something I was passionate about because I
remember being enraged by the idea that people shouldn’t become teachers
because they “don’t make any money.” I knew that I much rather work with kids
than work with adults that only saw life one-way. Becoming a teacher is my
dream and I will never let anything come in the way of that. Volunteering has
shown me that kids are eager to learn; but they lose that drive when the adults
around them don’t support it.
When
you realize that you can change your mind and idea of what and who you think
you are over one experience it makes you think of your choices. Education isn’t
just black and white; it is the rainbow. It is all around you and has the power
to sway you one-way, rather than the other. I’m happy in the direction it is
taking me. Knowing for certain that you are meant to do something is so empowering.
It has provided me with an understanding of myself and how I value education. That
moment you have when you know that you are doing what you are meant to do
happened to me when I started volunteering. I felt at home in the classroom.
Helping the teacher and the students came to me within a snap of my fingers. It
allowed me to see a different side of myself. Just how I am so calm and eager
to help the students read a book; not only am I excited but they are too. My volunteering
experience provided me with an identity. An identity that fitted me and suited a
future I wanted for myself. I saw myself as someone who knew what they wanted
and nothing could get in their way. I also saw myself making a difference. The
impact I was making on the students was incredible. It was amazing to see how
these six and seven year olds were more eager to learn than my classmates.
Their attitudes towards school hadn’t yet been tainted by the older students
views on school. They wanted to be there
and they most certainly wanted to learn, and from that moment my view changed
about education. Never once have I heard one of my students say, “ I can’t do
this. What’s the point in trying?” instead I heard my classmates in high school
say that. The sad thing is that a six year old and a seventeen year old are two
completely different people. Education is something that we earn; it is
something that we have to want to be successful at. That is what Mrs.Sanman’s
first graders taught me. They taught me to appreciate education and learning.
That without it I would not have learned who I am becoming I’d still traveling
down a road that wasn’t meant for me.
Knowing
the outcome of volunteering had on me now I would never change that experience.
It has made me a better person and to value things that I find important. It
has done that by showing me a different
side of education. What I mean by that is, volunteering has allowed me to see
the art of teaching. It has taught me about myself and what kind of person I
want to be. I now know that I want to be the role model that my students look
up to. I want them to be excited to learn something new and I can share that
with them. Education is what molds us of who we are to become. I’m proud that I
have had the experience that has had such a big impact on my life and also
impacting others. My educational experience isn’t a two way street; it’s more
like a highway. My experience wasn’t just impacted from one direction, but
multiple directions. Everyone has a different experience that has impacted them
in all sorts of ways. For myself, it has changed my views on a lot of things. It
has made me value everything that I have been given and value my education. It
also has made me more independent. I now know what I want and am not afraid to
go out and get it. I have set myself a path, a path that I will follow for the
rest of my life. Knowing that changing your mind isn’t “the end of the world”
is a good lesson to learn. But, one thing is for sure following your heart will
always lead you to where you belong.
After
spending a year volunteering I have learned a lot. I have learned that life isn’t
easy. Something that is a lesson that is better learned earlier rather than
later. It has also taught me to be grateful and to always be the best I can.
Volunteering may have changed me as a person, but I am happy with who I am.
