Identity: Which Stage am I right now?

By Amanda

College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
September , 2010

Today’s class made me wonder a lot about myself. I have always known what I wanted to do. I always wanted to be a math teacher, with no questions asked. The only time I thought of changing my career was in my junior year in high school. Everyone told me I was really smart and with my grades and work ethic I should be something more than a teacher. I thought of becoming a pediatrician, but it was more to please everyone around me. I took an Anatomy and physical science class, which reassured us if we wanted to do something in the medicine field, this class was perfect. Thankfully I took that class, because I absolutely hated it. I did well in the class but the material we learned was boring and I could not picture myself studying the parts of the body for the rest of my life. So I decided teaching was and always will be the perfect career choice for me.

In college I have taken about every education class I needed so far, and I have enjoyed each and every one of them. I struggled more with my math classes than my education classes, but I still enjoy doing math problems. There are many mathematical concepts that I don’t understand which makes me wonder if math is the best subject area for me to teach, but I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

When we went through the stages in class, at one point I thought I was in the diffusion stage because I am extremely sensitive to others. Then I thought I was in the foreclosure stage because I am committed to teach and I don’t feel like I have a crisis in my life. However that stage reminded me of my cousin who is very arrogant and hard headed. I don’t think I’m arrogant or close-minded. How do I know the difference between foreclose and Achieved? I am very comfortable in my skin and am gradually accepting the views of others on me. I don’t plan on changing for anyone but I am still very sensitive to what others think of me, and sometimes want to fit in, but I don’t make much of an effort to fit in. what does that say about me? Am I between Achieved and foreclosure? Just because you know what career path you want, does that mean you know who you are? What stage am I in?