My name is Brianne Dugan and this is the story of how I came to be a student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. According to the Career Resource Center (CRC) the average person changes career
s six or seven times during their career lifetime. With this in mind it may sound cliché or possibly unbelievable, but I have always known that I would someday become a teacher. In grade three, my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My only answer for her was a “teacher”. Now that I am nearly “all grown up,” I am pleased to announce that I am entering into the third year of my four-year degree.
Long before Miss Clarke asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I am sure that I am not the only one out there who used to set up mini classrooms in the basement, a spare bedroom, or even at the kitchen table. I used to force my sister, my cousins, and the unwitting neighbor-kids to sit at the table and learn lessons. I wouldn’t always be the teacher; instead I would sometimes be the principal. I guess either way you look at it; I was always in charge regardless of what role I played. After my declaration to become a teacher, I more or less forgot about this dream until late in my junior high years. By junior high I had developed the awareness to discern between bad, good, and great teachers. Though I only attribute my aspiration to become a teacher to Miss Clarke, I have certainly experienced a number of motivational teachers throughout my student career that nurtured my ambition. Countering those inspiring role models were numerous “bad” teachers who seriously challenged my deep-rooted desires. Miraculously I somehow retained my dream to become a teacher!
While I knew that I would ultimately end up at the U of A, I opted to take a year off after graduation. Realistically speaking, university is not for everyone. Not everyone knows what they want to do with their lives at such a young age like I did, or even as a young adult, eighteen or twenty is even young to make such a decision. Taking a year off allowed me to save some money and make up my mind as to whether or not I could seriously commit the next four years of my life to school. Luckily for me, I had an incredible support system and weighty parental expectations; I registered in early February and was accepted by late May.
Going back to school after graduation was the best decision that I had ever made. Since starting the four-year degree program I have learned a lot about myself and even more about the profession of teaching. I have discovered that being a teacher is certainly not for anyone, let alone the weak. According to some, even though you are constantly surrounded by hundreds of students, teaching is one of the most isolated and lonely professions. High stress, long hours, continuous conflict and tremendous emotional investment are just some of the characteristics of the daily life of a teacher; and I couldn’t be more excited. I find it to be incredibly rewarding to sit at the front of the classroom, looking out on a classroom full of students as they diligently work away. It is even more satisfying to be able to see and feel the trust and love growing within the classroom.
I truthfully cannot imagine anything more fulfilling to do with my life. If I was not pursuing this career, I do not know what else I would do. I implore you all, do not allow yourself to be dissuaded by the claim of “no jobs” in Alberta now or in the near future. If you honestly want to be a teacher above everything else, then there should be nothing standing in your way. So what if you have to commute to work for the first year or so after graduation – you’re just expanding your professional network! So what if you can only substitute for a little while – you can do two things you love: whether that is party non-stop, wait tables, or volunteer several times a week, subbing will give you the flex time to fit it all in. So what if you have to leave the province to gain some experience – haven’t you always wanted to see China, Japan, or Thailand, just a few of the countless international teaching opportunities? The University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education is an amazing program that gives you the essential personal and professional tools you need to become a teacher. The atmosphere both on campus and within the Faculty itself combined with U of A instructors offer something that no other school has. Whether you decided when you were eight years old or forty-two, don’t wait any longer: apply today!
