How Hiking Made Me Want to be a Teacher

Brasstown Falls

24 years ago my journey began in the foothills of South Carolina, near Clemson University. Growing up my parents instilled in me a love for learning. My mother, who is an author (click here to go to her blog), and my father read to me and my sister. They told us stories of their childhoods and connected them to history. In the bedroom my sister and I shared we had a "library" that consisted of 3 shelves with all kinds of children's books. We often went to the library and my parents tirelessly read and reread the same books over and over as we asked to hear about the elephant story just one more time. Nature was also a huge part of my education. With the mountains being so close hiking adventures and antique shopping were a part of my weekly life. The picture attached is a favorite waterfall we visited frequently on those hiking trips. I learned about different cultures as I grew up and we moved from place to place. My passion for learning just kept growing. As I came into my adult life though, I was very unsure what I wanted to do. I really just wanted to do a little of everything. Unfortunately due to life circumstances, I needed to take time off from school and started working. In everyone of my jobs I saw on the job training was much more effective than computerized or video training. People needed the experiences to learn and really understand a new concept. I also observed that those who had an education had many more options and were often in the higher paid positions in the companies in which I worked. One thing I often did was to help train the new hires. I realized I was pretty good at facilitating that experiential learning. Given this talent, my love for learning, and my strong belief in the power of education, I started to realize my calling. I should be a teacher. From there it did not take long to realize I wanted to teach children, the future of tomorrow. Not to mention the other perk of teaching children means I don't have to pick a subject area. I will get to teach them all!Now, I look forward to becoming a great teacher that instills the same drive for learning in my students as my parents did for me. My most sincere desire is that my students will grow up to have amazing lives full of happiness, and they will make a difference in their homes, communities, states, country, and maybe even the world.