Aspiration as a Teacher: a Calling to Teach

Introduction

Being a teacher has been a long-standing aspiration for me. I have always valued both the academic and tacit knowledge that I gained during my school years. I was surrounded by a group of fascinating teachers who only wished for my success. They made sure that I worked towards my goals and felt happiness every time I achieved them. I take their attitude towards my dreams as an example of how I would like to be as a teacher and my aspiration as a teacher. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to do substitute teaching in my high school for two years. I was trusted with teaching English to 8th and 9th grade (14 to 15 years old), while I was in my final years of high school (18 to 19 years old). This experience only solidified my decision to pursue a career in teaching.

Academic Background: Language and Linguistics

Currently, I am in my fourth year at the University of Aberdeen due to graduate in June with a Master of Arts Degree in Language and Linguistics. Initially, my degree was in English with Creative Writing. Unfortunately, after a couple of years, I realized that I am unhappy with the material and the way it was presented to us, so I decided to focus primarily on Linguistics. Throughout my University years, I have been interested broadly in Philosophy with courses that reflect on free will and determinism, the mind and body problems, the search for personal identity as well as gender equality (underrepresentation of people of power, objectification of women, injustice, etc.).

Interest in Physics as a Teaching Subject

Something else I have been intrigued by since my high school years in Physics. At the University of Aberdeen, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do two Physics courses. One course covered topics from mechanics to radioactivity such as properties of matter, heat and molecular kinetic theory, capillary action, diffusion and osmosis, electricity, and optics. The other one was an introduction to Astronomy and Meteorology. Physics as a subject is something I am generally interested in as a hobby, but I would also love the idea of teaching it in the future.

Benefit of Linguistics to My Aspiration as a Teacher

I believe my linguistic background is an advantage when it comes to my teaching aspirations. I have learned in great detail the fundamentals of English linguistics. For instance, studied topics varied from Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, and Pragmatics to how languages come into contact and change. I have an in-depth understanding of first and second language acquisition and more specifically how children and adults develop their language abilities in specific learning contexts as well as how every piece of language is learned (phonology, morphology, Alexis, and syntax). I have gained an understanding of several language teaching approaches such as Grammar-Translation, Communicative language teaching (CLT), Task-Based language learning, etc. What is more, I have implemented this knowledge by creating and developing lesson plans as a part of my assignments. Last but not least, having been to university already, I am aware of the basic university requirements and standards.

Conclusion

In conclusion, with the possibility of sounding cliché, I must say that being a teacher is my calling. I love the idea of being the person that inspires young children (and not only) to be better and seek knowledge and success. I can teach them kindness and compassion, but I am certain there will be a lot for me to learn from them.