“Mommy I want to be a doctor,” “Mommy I want to be a police officer,” or even “Mommy I want to be a firefighter” are some of the responses that a mother receives when she asks the famous question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” From a young age, children already know what they want to be when they grow up. However, many times their choices are inconsistent. In the case of Rebecca Dennis, she is an exemption. Rebecca’s choice did not change much throughout her lifetime, and she pursued her dream of becoming an English teacher.
Rebecca Dennis, now in her thirties has been an English teacher for over ten years. Rebecca was a child who was always interested in writing. “My parents were a big part in my interest and continuance of writing. Since I was little they would buy me notebooks and encourages me to write short stories and poems,” she said. However, teaching English was not what she originally wanted to do. Rebecca wanted to become a genetic counselor. She then found out how much mathematics would go into that occupation, and having a personal hatred for math, she soon changed her mind. Rebecca’s love for writing and her parent’s continuous support served as inspiration to become an English teacher. Rebecca wanted to help her students become better writers and even love writing themselves one day. The love of writing for Rebecca was not the only inspiration and influence she had for becoming a teacher. Rebecca looked at the examples she had before her at home. This being because both of Rebecca’s parents were teachers. Ironically, while she attended high school, both her parents taught there also. “It was awkward yet rewarding as I had some privileges because of my parents being teachers that others did not, such a...
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... peers. Rebecca’s love for writing is clear and her techniques are successful. It is true that having a healthy learning environment also causes for greater learning and the fondness of something.
Rebecca enjoys what she does, she enjoys writing and loses herself in books, but what’s most important is helping others. Since the time I had her as a teacher she has had a baby boy named miles who she is writing a book for and about, she will unfortunately not continue teaching. She does however, want to continue to be available and help more as a teacher’s assistance and see students improve their writing. She wishes to see their understanding broadening, and their love for writing grow. Most important is that they find within themselves self-motivation to get to a place where they would like to end. Since writing is everywhere she will be there to help along the way.
In Stevie Cameron’s essay “Our Daughters, Ourselves,” she proclaims “ We tell our bright, shining girls that they can be anything: firefighters, doctors, policewoman, lawyers, scientists, soldiers, athletes, artists. What we don't tell them, yet, is how hard it will be. Maybe, we say to ourselves, by the time they’re older it will be easier for them than it was for us.” My parents raised my sisters and I very congruous with this view. They would always tell us that we could do or be anything we wanted when we got older. However, contrary to Cameron’s apprehension on the matter, my parents always told us how difficult it would be straight from the beginning. They told us how financially strenuous becoming a doctor would be. They told us how
...s, and why he writes them at all. Instead of judging him, she tries to understand and fix it her own way, and it affects how he sees his writing:
A person that influenced Sandra heavily was her mother. Her mother was the type to take her away from the traditional tasks a girl her age does, but to have her read and develop great imagination and intellect. Her mother loved the library, every saturday she would take her kids down there and read. Soon Sandra found a true love for the library too and it became her second home. “I’m a writer because of the Chicago Public Library.”
When we were little, we thought the word “Career” was not a big deal, but as a senior in high school, the word has become our reality as we start to finish our last semester. The question we’ve been asked all these years is, what do you want to be when you grow up? But our answer is simple: we don’t want to grow up. As an innocent kid it seemed like the time would never come, but it has. It’s time to get serious and really ponder this question.
As young child we are all asked what we would like to be when we grow up. Usually the answer is a firefighter, a policeman, or nurse. When I was a child I changed my mind multiple times. At first I wanted to be Minnie Mouse, then a dancer. Then, about two years ago, I wanted to be a crime scene investigator. I had all my plans worked out. I was going to attend the University of Memphis and major in criminal justice. However, one day about a year ago, my mind totally changed. I decided to go in the complete opposite direction. I decided that I wanted to be a cosmetologist.
She specifically mentions in the article that, “Each experience of writing was like standing naked and revealing my imperfection, my “otherness.” And each new assignment was another chance to make myself over in language, reshape myself, make myself “better” in my rapidly changing image of a student in a college composition class.” This reminds me of a new stage of my life making new friends and going down a new path. In high school I had one absolute best friend the rest of the student body was hard to connect with. College gives me a new chance of finding my place and connecting with students going down the same career path. Like Barbara Mellix, I too am go through a language change in college and in my work place. I am doing what I need to succeed and not maintain the same language just to be accepted by my own
Setting her apart from the community is her will to overcome the restrictions that people place on her. She hopes to become a writer and make education something that should be exciting and interesting. With herself being a student she thrives to improve the life of those perusing education.
I think that I have always wanted to be a teacher. Being the eldest of four children, I have always enjoyed being that helping hand and using my talents and abilities to help others. In the remainder of this essay, I will explore how my personal background, development as an individual over time, and how experiences as a student have influenced my attitude towards education and prompted me to choose teaching as a profession.
Her aspiration was to write, but fell in love with teaching along the way. My dream is to teach, but I fell in love with creative writing along the way. I think my strengths play a big part in my determination to do what I love. Growing up, I was determined that I was going to be a doctor because in my mind that was the only way for me to help others and make my family proud. I had no passion for medicine only the drive to do something good, and then in high school I discovered a passion for the English language that makes me never want to stop learning. Julia Alvarez proves that I can still help people in my chosen field. I can still make a difference. I want to use my intellection and my context and the vast archives of information I store because of my input strength to help shape the minds of future doctors or lawyers or writers or artists or world
Naylor assumes the role of an educator in her writing. She assumes a persona of a young girl experiencing a new way of understanding a word. ...
Growing up, I contemplated a future in the education field; I enjoyed my experiences volunteering with children and I have always been intrinsically motivated to learn. When I started college, I decided to delve into the social sciences, but I never forgot about my interest in education. The summer of my freshman year, I joined the education team through the University of Arkansas’ community development program in Belize. I worked with my co-teacher (a senior education major), and education and literature professors to create creative writing lesson plans and methods to improve literacy for underperforming children. In Belize, my co-teacher and I facilitated daily literacy skill small groups for 2nd and 3rd graders and taught creative writing lessons with 4th and 5th graders. This experience not only strengthened my desire to work in education, but also awakened my awareness of how different levels of educational privileges affect students. I recognized, however, that while I was energized by this experience, I still lacked the skills and training that would allow me to most efficiently help
It is well thought out from the beginning to the end. Jennifer started teaching in 1986. Since then, she has written magazine articles, textbook lessons, teacher resource books, reading programs, and picture books. Jacobson is also a literacy coach and an author-in-residence. From reading the introduction, I learned that she has accomplished a lot in the writing field. I think it is helpful to read that she started out as an ordinary teacher. I connected with her experience in the classroom when she was enthusiastic to teach her students about writing while at the same time being enthusiastic to learn from her students about writing. I am excited to teach my future students too. However, with my experience as a daycare worker, I have learned that children can also teach me a thing or two (Jacobson, 2010, p. 1-3).
While the difficulties in teaching students not only to be good writers, but also to enjoy writing are easy to complain about, they are not immediately changeable. Consequently, as a teacher of young writers, one must find a way to make the system work. Ross Borden found a way with me, and I feel I have found a way with many of my students, but not all of them. So I continue to read, and I continue to write, and I continue to teach, though I also continue to struggle with the many problems surrounding the field.
The words reading and writing used to make me cringe. The thought of putting my own ideas down on paper gave me complete anxiety. And worse, the thought of reading 300 plus words made me sick. When assigned papers and reading my stress level would rocket, to the point where I didn’t even want to try. It wasn’t until I realized who my sister was as a writer and reader that, I too, could become half of where she was at. Not only did my sister help me realize who I am as a reader and writer, she made me realize that I could actually enjoy the things I hated most. With the help of my sister and my 12th grade English teacher, I was able to pinpoint what my level as a reader and writer was and helped me learn to question and look into something with a deeper understanding, making these two things seem much easier.
Looking back from this past year to my earlier school days, one of the teachers that boldly stands out in my memory is Mrs. Miner. No one else has named me as her daughter, Joanie Miller. While at Grace Academy, art class at the end of the day with Mrs. Frisk still makes my sides ache from giggling. During the days when there were no art classes, Mr. Peterson’s enthusiasm for hockey brightened the gymnasium, as he and my father practiced rapid-fire slapshots on some unsuspecting ninth grader. But, through all the memories, I was trying to think of one characteristic of teachers that has shown through the many years. I thought about their dedication, patience and guidance but decided that these wouldn’t do.