1. Personal Statement on Becoming an Educator from Shelby L. Carbaugh
Crossroads in the span of a human life are numerous. Each one of us finds
ourselves at junctures along the way. And, we must always ask that fundamental
question… “Do I take the path of least resistance? Or, should I travel the bumpier path,
that which has more sacrifices along the way? Although a bit cliché, all the same that is
our human condition. Teaching is to me that inevitable destination that I have finally
reached as I approach my personal crossroads. Why become an educator? Who is a
teacher? Why should I take that clichéd bumpier path at this juncture in my life? If I
break those simple questions down to their most basic level the answer I come up with is
that the happiest people I know are teachers, or educators in some capacity. These
individuals not unlike me myself have a basic need and drive to help others. They desire
that human connection that helping brings to all parties involved. The path down which I
have traveled and has led me to this place has made me realize a talent to connect with
people on perhaps a deeper level than most. The process of this realization has
awakened a natural way of connecting intuitively with teenagers. I have had this
experienced both personally and professionally. I have been able to relate as a mentor
and trainer to young people in a corporate setting, the teenagers in my employee as a
manager in a previous career, and most intensely as a stepmother to four teenagers.
In further asking myself that question “Why be an educator in the formal sense of
the word?” I have drawn only one conclusion. Those individuals in my thirty four years
that have been the most influential are not my corporate “heroes,” but rather those I have
encountered in an academic setting, specifically as a high school student. The way as an
adult I analyze or look at the world is because of these individuals. I feel they instilled in
me, or rather awakened in me a desire to know more, to strive to understand more, and to
question all with which I encounter. What a gift! What a tremendous honor to these great
people than to join in their ranks and bring that gift to the next generation. More
importantly to strive to be a good teacher and continuously work at being the best I can
be as an educator and individual. Being a part of those crucial years where that seed is
planted and foundation laid is where I want to be. In merely recognizing it I become a
part of it, we all do. This to me explains to a great degree why those that teach share that
sense of happiness that I have recognized, a greater satisfaction than most are able to
experience. I guess for me the question rather would be “Why not teach?”
In summary my approachability coupled with an empathic nature I feel are
characteristics mandatory to fill this role. When you marry those with my passion and
drive to continuously learn and stretch you have the makings of a great teacher, the kind I
strive to be! Being in a culture and climate of young people and their youthful spirit and
minds can only be beneficial to us all. So, with all that being said I hope to finally
become a certified teacher and be a part of our educational system as it adapts to our
ever-changing society and fast paced lives, which affect both our students and we as
teachers.