Jennifer Hauser

I first became aware of my hero, my mom, Jennifer Hauser, when I was starting school. My mother is a teacher at Bathgate Elementary School in Mission Viejo. I knew my mom was a teacher, I just didn't know exactly what a teacher was when I was little. On my first day of preschool, I went home saying that I loved my teacher because she was so nice. I told my mom I wanted to be just like her and my preschool teacher. I like how my mom works really hard for what she loves to do, and that she strives to become a better teacher every day. She comes home from work talking about her students and what she can do to help them become better students. I still want to be like my mom because she inspires her kids to be and do the very best they can do. My mom is my role model because she teaches me the greatest things in life: understanding and personally connecting with family and students. She connects on an emotional and on a personal level with her students and her family. My mother once told me, ''Believe in yourself, and have confidence, and things will go your way." This is an important quote that I look back on because this always keeps me motivated to be myself, and to have confidence in who I am becoming.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook website states that a teacher's job-related tasks include taking attendance, grading papers, or monitoring your students around the school. An elementary school teacher must have a bachelor's degree and they must have a state-issued certification or license for the state they want to teach in. On average, elementary school teachers make $53,000 a year. Private school teachers are paid approximately $36,000 per year. With a master's degree, you can earn an extra stipend. Some similar related careers include principals, special education teachers, or librarians. The OOH also states that employment of kindergarten and elementary school teachers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations. I am hoping to get my bachelors and master's degree so I can be all prepared to become a teacher.

When Jennifer was younger, she liked to share her opinion and ideas with everyone, and be fully prepared for teaching. She also liked to teach people how to do activities different ways by acting stories out or comparing real life situations with a problem while making it relatable and understandable to first and second graders. My hero did very well in school, and took her work very seriously. She graduated high school at Southwest High School in Texas with a very good GPA. Then she headed off to go to San Diego State University. She took Liberal Art classes, and did very well in those. She graduated in 1992 and has been teaching for 20 years. Jennifer got her first teaching job at Foster Elementary School in Texas, and from there, she came to California to teach and start a family. My hero continues to successfully teach second grade.

My mom is involved with the community by teaching her students how to read and write. She teaches them about new ideas and new ways of doing things. She helps young children first start to shape their lives. She had the opportunity to win teacher of the year, and she did, and she has also had the opportunity to change kids' lives, and she has done that as well. When my hero has the opportunity to give, she does. She has given many items to goodwill, and we have given new clothing items to the children that need it. After viewing Jennifer in her classroom a few times I said, "You really change how people can view themselves in a positive way." Her students are beyond ecstatic when they get a compliment from her. She makes each day special with a little kindness. "All the hard work that she puts in can teach you that hard work does pay off." My father told me about this quote about my mother and how hard she works, and in the end it pays off. I strive to do that as well.

I plan to take AP classes, and to get all A's. I want to have above a 4.0 GPA one time in my high school years. I also plan to be involved in voluntary work outside of school. I want to be involved in a drive where you get many pairs of shoes and send them off to orphanages where kids don't have shoes. I want to graduate with the best grades possible, and I want to get into a school that has a good liberal arts program. I want to major in liberal arts, and I'm not sure what I want to master in yet. I was inspired to go into teaching by the way my mom's students were inspired by her. I want to remain in California to live and to teach. My hero, Jennifer Hauser, is my role model because she motivates me to be the best I can be, and to do what I love. I love to give and to teach.