Why I want to teach.

I have told you that I am going back to school in order to become a teacher, but I have not told you why. Some people think it is because we get our summers off while other believes that those who can do and that those who cannot, teach. That is not why want to teach. The reason I want to teach is my children’s experience in kindergarten. Both my children had difficulty reading in kindergarten. However, with early detection and appropriate intervention they were both quickly reading on grade level. I cannot say enough about the importance of being able to read on grade level. A student cannot learn anything if they cannot read. They cannot learn social studies, history, science, math or any other subject if they cannot read the textbook and understand what is written. How can a sixth grader understand the lessons if they are reading at a third grade level and their textbook is at a sixth grade level? Did you know that the average newspaper is written at the sixth grade level and yet vey large majorities of Americans are unable to read it? That is unacceptable. I want to be able to make a difference for the children who are struggling with the written word. I want to bring them up to speed so they can fully participate in and understand what is going on in the classroom. In order to accomplish that I will need to become a reading specialist. I understand that I will not be able to do that right out of school but that I will need to spend a year or so in a classroom while I earn a masters degree in reading and then I can become a reading specialist and help those children who are lagging behind their classmates. Not only is being able to read absolutely necessary in order to learn it is with out a doubt vitally important so that we can make sure that the people who elect our government officials are doing so after they are as informed about the candidates and issues as possible. We all know that if your only source of information is the media you are going to be getting a very biased message, as the media will only tell you what they want you to know. In order to learn what you need to know you need to be able to read and read well so you can tell the difference between fact and opinion and are able decide for your self. In m y opinion an uneducated, illiterate voters is very scary and just the kind of voter the Democrats are looking for.