Guest Post: “Why Do you Want to Become a Teacher?”

By: chelsea Gomez, UNLV Undergraduate Elementary Education Major

My biggest motivation to pursue a career in education was myself and my experiences in school. I grew up in a low to middle class community where I attended zoned schools with a diverse group of students. I saw that so many kids my age didn’t have the support and motivation to learn in school. Many of these students came from Spanish-speaking homes where their parents couldn’t help them with homework, much like my parents. Other kids came from broken homes where they experienced violence and financial hardships. As I got older, I realized that so many of my peers had lost their way in their academics and resorted to dropping out, making me wonder why I didn’t do the same. The reason was because of the support I had from many teachers and my parents. This made me want to pursue a career in education, because I want to help motivate students that may be struggling in their personal life to go ahead with their education. I want students to know that someone believes in them and supports them every step of the way, regardless of their daily struggles.