Motivation.

I can definitely say that I am very motivated to become a teacher.. and a GREAT teacher at that!
I am currently studying at UVU because I received my associate degree while in high school from UVSC, and had a really great experience. I decided to stay at UVU, in spite of being accepted to other universities because of scholarship funding, and also because of the great experience I had at UVU (UVSC at the time).

I started out as a nursing major, and through all of the medical and health classes, I really discovered a love for health and life sciences. When I decided that nursing wasn't for me, teaching seemed like the perfect direction to go. I have always had an interest in teaching, and I felt that I could really make a difference in the future health of students if I could somehow instill the importance of healthy living in them.

I also had one good teacher in health teacher in junior high, but all of my health teachers in high school were coaches whom I perceived didn't care about their health students. I decided that it is high time that our students receive a high quality health education backed up by scientific knowledge and a passion for the subject, rather than just simpsons videos and meaningless assignments out of an outdated textbook. (okay, I might be a little bitter...)

I am motivated because I have always been one to only expect excellence from myself. I enjoy setting goals for myself, and I love the satisfaction I receive when I obtain them. I also get satisfaction from high quality work. If I know I have done my best and all that I can, I can be satisfied with a job well done.

I believe that I succeed because I have been blessed to have a very educationally supportive family. Both of my parents are educators, and have worked hard to provide an atmosphere where I could flourish. This feeling of confidence in myself I believe lingers because of the great influence they have also had in my life. Now that I am older and on my own, this great foundation has allowed me to learn how to push myself to success with confidence.

I believe that when I fail, it is because I haven't done all that I can do. I feel that if I fail, I am the one to blame. Perhaps I need to approach the situation from a different direction, or place it as a higher priorety, or simply just try harder. When I do fail, when my initial feeling of dissappointment fades, it is replaced with an increased determination to try again and succeed this time. I guess I approach things as a contest mainly with myself, always improving with each experience.

I believe that I will need to change some of my motivations to become a great teacher in some ways. I know that many students will choose not to embrace my passion for health and science, and in that case, I will need to perhaps find a way to relate to them and motivate myself to help them in spite of any lack of desire on their part.