Why Teaching?

When I first went into college, I wanted  to become a lawyer.  That all changed after just a few months on the job  at my local YMCA. You see, I was a swimming instructor.

I enjoyed helping others overcome their fears and helping others learn something new.  I  came to look forward to the excited looks on my students' faces when they first went underwater, swam across the pool by themselves, or  became a certified lifeguard.  It didn't matter the age of the student  or the task, I got great pleasure from helping others accomplish  something new.
 
I also discovered I have an ability to break difficult tasks into  smaller, more manageable steps.  To a child, going underwater can be  extremely frightening.  To also have to breathe out while underwater  just serves to make the whole process more difficult.  However, the  process can be broken down into steps such as: getting in the water and  becoming accustomed to just being in the water, holding on the  edge of the pool and dipping the chin in the water, holding on the edge  and letting the water cover the mouth, blowing bubbles in the water,  and so on. 

After working at the YMCA several months, I changed my college major to education.