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Reagan Keel

Ms. Kimball

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow 2 - 3B

2 May 2019

The Inspirations Behind My Future Career in Education

My mother, a teacher of 28 years and counting, first sparked my career interests

and remains my biggest inspiration to this day. From afternoons helping me line up my

baby dolls in makeshift classrooms to dinnertime stories about her days and the kids at

work, I’ve always dreamed of following in her footsteps. Additionally, I have been blessed

tremendously with role models in Virginia Beach City Public Schools – their patience,

guidance, and support paved the foundation for my scholastic success and community

engagement. While collectively, they helped put my career trajectory in motion;

individually, they helped shape my perspective on teaching and my calling to be a

difference maker.

Two of my Kempsville Middle School teachers, Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs. Stafford, stick

out for their education beyond the curriculum. They both had an adaptive learning style

that seemed to cater to each student in his or her own way of learning. They transformed

information into knowledge and introductions into relationships. Mrs. Gilbert and Mrs.

Stafford helped me to recognize teaching goes much further than the lesson plan and

carries a burden of integrating students socially as well as academically. Their advice for

dealing with “mean girls” and other middle school drama afforded me the confidence to

stand up for myself and others. Sure, they epitomize good teaching for their approach

with English and Math; but I owe much of the confidence I developed to become a student
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leader and my compassion for peers and younger children to the personal attention these

role models didn’t have to provide.

My love for children is another inspiration and pull factor drawing me into a career

in education. I have always enjoyed working with children and have focused much of my

volunteer and after-school time with youth ministries and leadership development. I work

my church nursery, coach Upward cheerleading, develop curriculum for Middle School

Leadership Workshop, volunteer for Capernaum YoungLife Surf Camp, and work part

time at Kempsville Child Development Center. This commitment to service is part of my

faith, and the opportunity to make a difference with these community endeavors has only

reinforced my desire to be involved professionally. I cannot think of any better job for

making a positive impact and changing children’s lives than being a teacher.

Believing in my calling to be an educator, I enrolled in Virginia Teachers for

Tomorrow (VTFT) for my junior and senior years at Kempsville High School. Another key

influencer, Ms. Kimball, helped me hone in on elementary education and supported me

through internships at two local schools, Providence Elementary and Kempsville

Elementary. I met Jalen during my junior year VTFT internship. I worked with him daily

as part of individual student breakouts. He struggled with behavior and academic

success but left an incredible mark in my heart. Jalen approached me at a career fair I

volunteered for at the school and said, “Ms. Keel, I know I’m not the best student, but I

don’t have the best of home lives and that sometimes causes me to misbehave.” He went

on to tell me his dad was in prison and has never even met him, and then he said, “I’m

sorry, but thank you for always believing in me and not giving up on me. I love you Ms.

Keel.” Of course I cried and gave him a hug, but later I realized just how impactful and
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inspirational Jalen was in reinforcing me decisions of becoming a teacher. Prior to Jalen,

I wanted to be a teacher because of the influence others had on me; after Jalen, I realized

just how influential I can be.

The confluence of role models, experience, and inspiration has strengthened my

plans for a career in education. I am anxious for the next steps in life - I’m excited to

learn, I’m excited to serve, and I’m stoked to be a teacher.