Lopez 1

Marissa Lopez

Dr. Bennett

EDUC 10, Spring 2021

31 January 2021

Reflection #1

Teachers have impacted my life from elementary school throughout high school.

Growing up, I felt like I didn’t have a role model or anyone to look up to. I turned to certain

teachers for guidance or if I just needed someone to talk to. I admired how some teachers were

so dedicated to their work by creating engaging activities for the class. Personally, I feel like

some of my teachers helped me be a better student and person because of the qualities that I

admired in them. I always felt that they truly cared which motivated me to want to perform

better. Even when the subject matter was challenging, I have had teachers make that extra effort

to ensure that the lesson was clearly understood. At the time, I did not think twice about what

the teacher was doing, however, as I reflect on those instances where I struggled, having a

teacher take the time to teach me personally, I realize how dedicated they were to their

profession. I admire this dedication and I can see that my teachers have impacted and shaped me

into the person I am now. Additionally, a lot of teenagers feel the same; “nearly 3 out of 5

teenagers surveyed had mentioned teachers when asked by researchers who or what influenced

them to become the kinds of people they are” (6). What my teachers have done for me inspires

me and drives me to want to do the same. I know that through teaching I can have a positive

impact on students.

However, I feel like it goes deeper than that; “Teaching is a vocation. Built into teaching

is the idea of contributing to the lives of others”(23). This idea inspires me to teach because I feel
 Lopez 2

like this career will help me obtain a satisfying lifestyle. Being able to mentor and motivate

students to perform well should be every teacher's goal. However, I want to provide them with

skills to not only be successful in the classroom but also be successful in all aspects of their

future. One particular teacher of mine explained to me not to take everything so seriously and

that it’s ok to make mistakes. I try to remember this advice when dealing with obstacles today. I

want to be someone that my students trust and confide in because building a relationship is key if

you really want to impact students' lives.