Why Teach? - Lilli Massey

Why teach?

For my whole life, I struggled to find a path that I thought really spoke to me. Sure, I would find hobbies, and spark new interests, but nothing I could really see myself doing long term. Looking back on my childhood, I really should have known I loved teaching from the start, considering I always tried to “play school” with my younger brother, which involved me writing out mini lessons or practice problems for my very unwilling student.🙈 Not to mention I come from at least two generations of teachers from both sides of my family. I finally realized that I wanted to teach when I got to Highschool. I was a member of the band, and it was one of the first organizations I felt truly accepted in. By my senior year, I had collected nearly every leadership position in the program short of drum major, because I loved being the person who people would look to for help or guidance. My directors often asked why I wasn’t interested in drum major, and I never really had much of an answer; I think it was because I didn’t enjoy the solo spotlight at all. Because of this, I was often very indecisive about pursuing a career in education; that was until I became a coach my sophomore year of high school. I applied for a volunteer position as an “i-coach” on my summer swim team that I had been a part of since Kindergarten. It was my job to help younger kids across the pool during practice, providing instruction and encouragement. This is when I realized that I loved working with kids, and it felt amazing to see MY kids grow and progress over the years. I am still a coach for the team, though I have moved up in positions quite a bit, and I no longer compete myself, and I have also begun to work for the YMCA in their afterschool program everyday at Tobias Elementary school in Kyle, where I have a group of 16 kids ages 4-6. While they drive me absolutely crazy every day, I absolutely love those kids, and they make it so worth it when I see their eyes light up when they see me when they come in, always asking what project I had for them today.


I started my college experience at Texas A&M Galveston pursuing a degree in Marine Biology. I have always LOVED science and it has always been a leading part of my life. I grew up fishing in Galveston with my dad, so the ocean was always calling. I love nature, and my goal is to share that passion with others. I transferred to Texas State because I had heard that it was the school for education. While I am not fully settled on the level I wish to teach, I am currently slated to work as a middle school science teacher, as I thought I enjoyed teaching that age the most from my experience as a coach. Upon my employment with the YMCA, I quickly realized that the requirements for a traditional teacher would be very different than a coach, and I am starting to consider an elementary career, now that I feel confident working with young children. I wanted to teach middle school science, because I thoroughly enjoyed my 7th grade science curriculum and would love to try and instill the same love for the subject in the future students that my teachers gave me. 


Comments

  1. Praxis Place/Julia MerittJanuary 17, 2023 at 7:26 AM

    Welcome to you, Lilli! I love this photo of you fishing. Great shot. It is wonderful to read about your journey to choosing teaching; especially, the thought you have given to exactly what teaching might be like for you and the fact that you are tying your personal interests to teaching, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lilli MasseyJanuary 20, 2023 at 6:43 PM

    Thank you for your feedback! I am very excited for what the future holds!

    ReplyDelete

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