Wilfredo Reina: What Brings Me to Teaching

            My passion to become a teacher largely stems from my drive to help others when possible and, in general, to have a positive impact on the lives of other people. This is something that is deeply important to me and has been a part of me ever since I was in middle school. In middle school, my younger brother often struggled with his math homework, and I was tasked to help him with it. I brought a patient and positive attitude when helping my brother with his homework, and it was deeply satisfying to me to see him learn a concept he previously struggled to grasp. This is what this first picture is about:

I interpret this image as meaning that, in order to be an effective and influential teacher, one must be passionate about this profession and genuinely enjoy teaching others. In my case, this was first relevant to me when I began helping my brother with his homework in middle school. This concept was further highlighted through my experience volunteering at my elementary school as part of service learning hours for my high school, Lane Tech. As part of volunteering at the elementary school I attended, I read to students and assisted them with classwork in various subject areas. Just like with helping my brother, I greatly enjoyed helping these young students learn, which further cemented my passion to become a teacher.

The final experience that inspired me to become a teacher were the great teachers I had a privilege of being a student of during my time at Lane Tech. These teachers were truly passionate in the subject areas they taught, which made it easier to become engaged in learning as a student. The one teacher in particular that stands out to me is Mr. Fine, an AP English Language teacher. Although I was initially nervous and unsure of whether I would succeed in this class given how difficult I thought this subject would be, Mr. Fine’s methods of teaching and the environment he created in his classroom greatly facilitated learning. He, like many other teachers at Lane, genuinely cared about his students and wanted to see them succeed. Because of his positive and compassionate energy, I was able to pass the class, as well as the AP test. I emerged from this class not only being proud of myself for passing a subject I believed I would struggle in, but also being pleasantly surprised at the profound impact a teacher can have on their students’ learning, regardless of the subject area. I graduated Lane Tech with an even greater passion to teach, knowing that if I become knowledgeable in the subject areas that I want to teach, bring a positive attitude to the classroom, and teach in a way that is inclusive to a variety of learners, I can truly have a positive impact on the learning experience and lives of the students I teach, something that is immensely rewarding to me in of itself.

This image includes various quotes that are part of my philosophy of teaching. I believe these photos as a whole reflect the idea that teachers can have a significant impact on their students, that of which extends outside the classroom and, potentially, carries on with them throughout their lives

 This picture shows me and some friends I have made through Lane Tech shortly before graduating. Lane Tech, as described earlier, was an amazing experience for me and largely influenced why I want to become a teacher.