"I'm going either way, I have permission---just go ask her!" I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as Mrs. Rosen stormed out of the study hall room. It was the only time I had ever talked to a teacher like that, but I wasn't about to miss a day of doing something I had been doing all year, something I loved.

I remember that moment. It was when I realized what I had wanted to do. I wanted to teach. I wanted to all along but hadn’t realized it. Even though everyday, throughout eight grade, I gave up my two study halls to go into the library. I would sit at one of the round wooden tables and help other students with their homework. It doesn’t sound like much but it brought a smile to my face everyday.

One week; however, I had lost my voice for a week. I could barely whisper, and doing so ripped layers off of the back of my throat. I was deciding on whether or not I was still going to go to the library to help the student I had been working with at the moment: Andy. He was a few years younger than me and he desperately needed math help. I didn’t see how I could help him without talking, but I decided to go anyway.

I walked in the library, and sat down next to Andy. I wrote down that I had lost my voice, and that it hurt to talk. He understood but wanted my help anyway. He started working through his math equations and eventually got stuck. “How do I do this one?” Andy questioned. I looked at the problem and tried explaining it to him but it felt like I was swallowing burrs. So I began to use whatever hand gestures I could think of, mouthing things, and writing whatever I could down; hoping he would understand it. To my surprise, he did! I was able to help him get through that whole week without using my voice at all.

Seeing that I made a difference all of the kids I helped has taken part in my decision to teach as a career. Fighting Mrs. Rosen to get myself into the library to help others, finding ways to help Andy the week I didn’t have a voice, and all the people who have told me that teaching is what I was meant to do has set my mind to teaching. I will become a teacher. That is my goal, and I plan to do everything to get there.