Anthony J. D’Angelo once said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” I have such a strong passion for becoming a teacher because I thrive to learn more and to educate people about things they may not know. It is my hope to use this passion to achieve academic and personal success at Eastern Illinois.

Teaching kids is more than just a career to me; it’s giving back what I learned throughout my years in school. All my life I have always dreamt about becoming a Special Education teacher. I always told myself that I would push through whatever obstacles I had to so I would be able to have my dream career. To become a teacher to me is becoming someone I have always wanted to be. I love being around little kids and showing them new and exciting things they never knew. The expressions a child makes when they found out something new just warms my heart and makes me feel so accomplished because I was the person that taught them that. I want to become a teacher because I want the chance to be able to educate kids and teach them things they will need in the future as adults. One person who really inspired me to become a teacher was my Family Consumer Science teacher, Mrs. Cryan. She was really passionate about what she taught. She always knew how to grab the class’s attention though her lessons. Her personality would jump out whenever she was teaching and that made the class be able to express themselves without having the fear of being made fun of by their classmates. She would tell us every day that when we grow up we need to find a career that we have passion for and we would love to do for the rest of our lives. Also she would say, don’t choose a career because of how much money you will make but for how much drive and compassion you have for it. Another person that inspired me to become a teacher was my Child Development lab and Independent Studies teacher, Ms. Shekleton. Ms. Shekleton was a very outgoing and strong person. She would always allow us to express how we were feeling and let us know that it’s okay to feel like that sometimes. She would always tell us to follow our hearts and never give up on our dreams. She motivated the class to do their best all the time no matter what the situation was and to keep striving for more, never settle for less. I have a very strong passion for becoming a Special Education teacher because I thrive to learn more and I have the heart to educate people as I was educated.

Passion is one of the many qualities I plan to activate at Eastern Illinois. I know that success is built upon a foundation of organization and time management. I am always reflecting to insure I am reaching my fullest potential in each of these areas and that my foundation is strong. Eastern Illinois will be the opportunity to build upon the foundation of Caitlyn S.

Attending Eastern Illinois would be a once in a life time opportunity for me and it would take me one step closer to my dreams of becoming a teacher.