The document is a personal statement from a student applying to become an elementary school teacher. In 3 sentences, the summary is: The student wants to become a teacher to make a difference in children's lives by teaching important subjects and life skills, to nurture strong relationships with students, and to inspire students' excitement for learning as they gain new knowledge and skills each year. The student believes the foundation of education starts in elementary school, and aims to instill a love of learning and work ethic in students to help them succeed. The flexibility of the teaching schedule would also allow the student to balance a teaching career with raising a family.

1. Personal Statement
Why I want to become an elementary school
teacher
A teacher takes a hand, opens a
mind, and touches a heart.
By, Lauren Bonaldo

2. 1. I want to make a
difference.
I want to to be an elementary school teacher so that I can make a difference in
young kids lives. As an elementary school teacher, you not only have to teach
students key subjects such as math, reading, writing, and science, but you also
get to teach them important life skills and valuable information that they will carry
with them the rest of their lives. Teacher’s spend many hours with their students
each day, allowing them to get to know each other personally and create strong
relationships. Students learn to trust their teacher and share personal information
from outside the classroom, and often stay connected years later. In Dr.
Redman’s book Don’t Smile Until December she tells us a story of how her mom’s
“three former students from her seventh-grade class, taught in the 1940’s,
planned and coordinated her retirement party. One is a principal, another is a
teacher, and the third played an active role in the education of children at his
church” (Redman pg. 6). I feel that there is no better reward to being a teacher
than knowing that you created a special bond with students in your classroom and
have made an impact in their lives.

4. 2. I love that young students have so
much to learn.
As an elementary school teacher working with young kids there are always
new things for them to learn. There are so many new concepts that young
students have not yet been exposed to that teacher’s can introduce to them
for the first time. At such a young age students have so much room for growth,
improvement, and new accomplishments. At the beginning of the year a
student may not know the alphabet or their multiplication tables and by the end
of the year they are spelling words and have mastered multiplication. Their
energy and excitement to learn is inspiring and creates a fun and positive
learning environment. I believe growth in a classroom is a very rewarding
experience to be a part of.

5. 3. I believe education is very
important.
I feel that elementary school is where the foundation of
education starts. As an elementary school teacher you can
help students create positive learning habits, instill a love
and importance for school and create a fun learning
environment where students will find it exciting and
enjoyable to come to school. I believe teaching young
students to have a strong work ethic, to work hard, and give
their best effort in everything they do will help them have
bigger and brighter futures.

6. 4. I love all subjects.
Being an elementary school teacher, I love that you get the
opportunity to teach a variety of subjects such as math, reading,
and science. This makes teaching more exciting and fun than
repeating the same lesson plan all day. This also allows the
teacher to see the strengths and weaknesses of their students. If
a student is not so great at math but excels in science then you
can reward the student for their accomplishments in science, but
still work on strengthening their math skills. Teaching multiple
subjects will also allow for more creativity in lesson plans and
different activities throughout the day.

7. 5. Teaching allows for a more flexible
lifestyle.
Having a family is something I greatly value, and I feel
that being a teacher will allow for the perfect balance
between being a mom and still having a job. Although
teachers get weekends, summer’s, and holidays off,
“work doesn’t stop at the classroom door. There are
papers to grade, lessons to plan, parents to call, all
done after the teacher is off the clock” (Redman pg.
10). However, teaching allows for a more flexible
schedule and allows the teacher to plan and get their
grading done when they choose. Teaching is perfect
for raising a family because you typically get out of
school at the same time as your kids, you can attend
sporting events, and plan family vacations. Growing
up my mom was always a stay at home mom, and I
know that I am who I am today because she was there
to guide and support me through everything I did. I
hope to be there for my kids like my mom was for me.

8. Redman, P. D. (2006). In Zucker F., Rabanera G.,
Reese J. and McBrien J. L. (Eds.), Don't smile until
december: And other myths about classroom
teaching. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.
Works Cited