Ever since I was a young girl, I have always dreamed of being a teacher. I grew up with my mom being a teacher, and knew then it was something I wanted to do. In my playroom, there was an old chalkboard on the wall, on which I taught math and English lessons to a row of American Girl dolls. As the years have gone on, my desire to be a teacher has increased. When I got to State High, I was ecstatic that there were classes that focused on working with children and would prepare me for going into an education major in the future.

My freshman year, I jumped on the opportunity to take the course Understanding Young Children. This course is a prerequisite to the course Early Childhood Education 1, and a class that informs students on parenting, development of infants, and the fundamentals of working with children.

Each month, a few group members and I would design an activity to complete with preschoolers. At first, I couldn’t believe that I would be working with actual children, not the dolls I had taught before. Through the year, I learned about children and their development and became more interested in it. I never realized I could come out of a course not only to have learned something about children, but something about myself too.

This year, my sophomore year, I am taking the class Early Childhood Education 1. Each week I get to work with preschoolers.

I cannot begin to express how amazing this course is. I’ve gained knowledge about the development of young children, such as their tendencies, behaviors, and actions. I’ve also learned skills that I can use in the workforce, such as writing lesson plans, being organized with weekly plans, and developing art, music, and developmental activities for children ages 3-5.

When I heard that there were talks about taking the Early Childhood program away, I was shocked. It is hard for me to fathom what my high school career would be without this opportunity. It has helped me to learn more about who I am and helped me to develop strong friendships with my fellow teachers, which is something needed in high school with all the hustle, bustle and stress.

This experience has only furthered my love for teaching and working with children. It has helped to confirm that in the future I want to pursue a career in a field where I interact with kids. Without this course there is the possibility that I could have decided to go into an education major in college and then decided that it wasn’t for me. I am now prepared for my future and am equipped to go into college knowing what I want to do.

I plan to take Early Childhood Education 2 my junior year and then senior year I plan to take the course Cooperative Work Experience, where I have the opportunity to go out into the elementary schools, spread my love for teaching, and work in different classrooms.

I hope this program is kept in the future years for the kids who, like me, have played school with their dolls and stuffed animals. Angela Schwindt wrote a quote that sums up my feelings pretty well: “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”