Those Who Doubt Me Can't Stop Me

Throughout my life, I've had people look down upon me for wanting to be a high school teacher. I’ve been put down and laughed at. I’ve gotten the sarcastic, "Good Luck". Or, "Wow, you're brave". The classic, "You know they barely make any money, right?" Or, "Have you ever considered nursing?"

But the thing is, all these people see is a classroom full of disobedient, disrespectful, disruptive teenagers ready to graduate and move on with life. Or they see a salary that is not up to par. But that's not what I see. I see a classroom full of lost souls, going through some of the hardest times of their life, who desperately need to know they are loved. I see an opportunity to reach kids in a way that maybe no one else can. I see students with broken homes and broken hearts putting up a facade, so no one knows how bad they are actually hurting inside. I see a chance for healing.

Because teachers don't just stand in front of a classroom going over long division or parts of a sentence. They mentor when a child needs advice. They listen when a child needs an ear. They are close by when a child needs a friend. They're the helping hand when a child has fallen off their path. They're there for comfort when a child feels alone. And they love oh so selflessly. Because in today's world, a teacher is also the one standing between a child and a bullet when danger strikes.

I have known I wanted to be a teacher for 11 years now, it's always been my dream, but I've struggled for a long time trying to figure out what subject I'd like to teach. And with everything that has happened in schools so far in 2018, I have concluded that I am going to teach love. No matter where I am, or who is in my class, I will teach love. Too many kids hearts are filled with hatred, so in my classroom, they will learn how to love, how to accept, how to treat others with respect and kindness. We will celebrate our differences instead of casting them out. We will care for one another instead of hurting those who wronged us. We will live every day with a purpose and never forget our place in this world - because that is what I am going to teach.

And shall I ever be in a position that the teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School found themselves in, I will remember this - Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

 I have never understood why people put down others’ dreams, but I do know that I will not let it deter me from pursuing mine. So whether you have a clear idea of what you want, or are still uncertain, don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are unrealistic or “not good enough”. Be encouraged, be brilliant, and never settle for less.