Nothing Excites Me More than Teaching! :: College Admissions Essays

Nothing excites me more than teaching. For years, I wanted to be a pediatrician so I could work with children. Throughout my high school years, however, I have discovered that making people feel better is a job not only for doctors. My experiences in high school have helped me prepare for a career in teaching. Since sophomore year, I have worked at an elementary school at the extended day program. Almost every day after school I play outside with the children, set up crafts, and help them with their homework. While some of their assignments may seem trivial to me, I realize that it can be a struggle for them. Helping the children with any kind of homework makes me smile, knowing that I can increase their esteem and confidence. I help them discover different techniques for certain math problems or easy ways to search for information in a story. I love bringing myself back to the mind of the third grader to help them understand their work. Teaching to a mind of my own age, on the other hand, is not always easier. For a few years, I have been a math tutor during school. For 20 minutes a day, before or after lunch, a few other tutors and I help any students who need extra help. Usually we emphasize techniques for a lesson, explain certain points for a homework assignment, or review formulas for a unit test. As an individual tutor, sometimes my one explanation doesn't register with our peers. We often group together to help the students discover many different ways for solving a problem so they can find one technique that they can easily understand. The students often feel comfortable working with one of their peers, learning from someone who is at the same level as they are. After every tutoring session, both the students and I are proud of a job well done. My teaching experience has extended out of the classroom during the summer. This summer will be my fourth year working at NHOM Camp Gottalikachallenge. At these camps, however, my position as a teacher is modified to a "coach." Camp Gottalikachallenge is a week-long day camp for children entering grades 4 through 8. Throughout the week, the children split into groups of 8 to 10 and work on a long-term challenge, creating props and a play for their presentation at the end of the week.