When I was younger, my teachers would always ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always told them something different. One week it would be a firefighter, another week it would be a doctor or a nurse. Of course, no matter the answer, the teacher would always laugh a little and tell us we can do anything we put our minds to. However, my biggest dream was sitting right in front of me, asking me what I wanted to do in my life. Being a teacher became my dream without me even knowing. Realizing that I wanted to be an elementary teacher was something that took a long time to realize. Not only was it my teachers that inspired me, it was my family. My sister is an elementary special education teacher. Seeing my sister teach, and hearing all the stories told me about the experiences she has gained in the classroom is something I can't refuse. Education is so important. Whether it be general or special, education is the most powerful thing to have. My sister had a hard time in college. She was in school for six years before she graduated, but she told me about her experiences and told me the do’s and don'ts. Six years in college is not expected for a bachelor's degree. But, if it wasn’t for my sister going through those six years in college and still living a normal life, neither of us would have the dream of being educators. I owe my dream all to my sister. She has been my number one inspiration for me since the start. She has always pushed me to be the best I can be, and she has always told me I can do whatever I want, and she would be there for me. Not only do I want to follow in her footsteps, I want to educate and have stories to tell of my own. Going into elementary general education is something that takes a lot of will. Children that age are exploring new things and their minds are overflowing with curiosity. Being able to help children find things that they can learn and feeding into their curiosity isn’t an easy task. Of course, special education is a little different from general education, but it is the same. As an educator, you are shaping the students lives by teaching them things they will use forever. Yes, shapes and counting to one hundred are very mundane tasks as an adult, but when I was little, counting to one hundred was something I got excited over. Learning how to add and subtract, learning how to read and write was something I could brag about. Giving children a chance like that is what education is all about. As a senior in high school, I’m reminiscing on all the things I did in elementary school. If it wasn’t for my elementary teachers, I wouldn’t know what I do today. Teaching the basic fundamentals of education is, in my opinion, the most important. It's not just about how I will benefit society, it's about how I will influence individual lives. Thinking about how many students will become educators because of my influence on them is what gives me the drive to push forward and pursue my dream.