Why I Want to Become a Teacher

For the past two years, I have worked in the classroom as an emergency-certified, limited-term English teacher at George Washington High School. The island’s dire need of teachers remains large as individuals with their Bachelor’s degree are able to teach in the classroom for one complete school year even without proper training or legitimate certification credentials. I am one of them. I am taking this course because I want to become a fully certified teacher. This class is one of the many required courses that I need in order to become fully certified.

For a long time, I wanted to be a filmmaker, a screenwriter, and maybe do a little acting in between. I’ve always envisioned myself heading off to film school in the mainland, preferably New York City, and getting an education as well as experience in the film industry. That, however, did not work out. After graduating from high school, I was given the Merit Award scholarship here at UOG, and since the only schools that accepted me for college were in Hawaii and Colorado, I felt that it would be ridiculous to turn the scholarship down. Why pay double for an education off-island when I can get a college education for free without having to leave the island?

I considered teaching when I first entered college, but I was intimidated by the idea of having to face a roomful of people. What if they didn’t listen to me? Would I be able to control them? Can I really pull this off? Those types of questions were running through my mind, and for a while I was stunted by such fears. I ended up finishing college with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, and was eager to gain experience in the media world.

I, however, never realized how weak and limited the media industry is here on Guam. I was left unemployed for several months, after countless employment applications and resume submissions. I ended up settling for the first job opportunity that came calling, and that was working as a cameraman, or in fancier terms, a videographer for a Japanese wedding company. But, I didn’t enjoy it. So, I had to reevaluate my situation. By doing so, I realized that I wanted to do something fulfilling with my life.

Many of my friends ended up being teachers, and hearing their “horror” stories stirred up an interest within me. I decided to try it out, and after two years of teaching, I have grown to love it. That is why I am working on getting fully certified as a teacher because it is a profession that I have fallen in love with. Every day, as I walk into the classroom with a cup of coffee on tow, I walked in with eager anticipation and a sense of curiosity to what this day will bring.