Where to begin? That has always seemed to be the most difficult part for me, the beginning. I want to come up with something amazing but all that comes to mind is the very cliché, "Hi my name is Jackie and I want to be an English teacher" I guess that will have to do for now.

I have worked for the past 3.5 years to achieve my goals (getting my teaching credential and BA in English) and after the long hard road I can finally see the end- graduation in MAY! And after that eventful day passes I will be thrown into the world, expected to fend for myself-- I will only be 22. I suppose that is what scares me the most about teaching- the beginning: writing my first resume, going on my first real job interview, waiting to see who will take me and what is available. Once I start teaching I'm confident that I will be able to figure out whatever comes my way because I will be in control of my actions, my response to a given situation, and my choices; but the path to getting there is filled with uncertainties that I have no control over. Oddly enough, however, the uncertainties that come with teaching, the juggling of 200 different personalities throughout the course of any given school day, the technological breakdowns, the weird bell schedules, are what excite me the most about my choice of profession. I believe, ironically enough, that the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences in life are those that present the greatest challenges. I believe that through teaching, through helping the students in my class grow and see their own potential-- or (to be less ideological) at least learn that they can make it, that they can get by, that I will continue to grow as well, and hopeful one day become a capable and strong adult.