Essay # 1 Revised and Edited

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.