I never meant to be a teacher. I watched my mother over the years, and I knew it wasn't for me. Going back to school to learn French and then teach the language, our mother had changed the center of her world when we were pre-teens. I saw how hard our mother worked, the long hours she kept as she graded papers when we went to bed. I knew how worried she could be over her students when they were troubled and how much of their stress she took on herself. What I didn't realize was this life she'd chosen offered her deep rewards. As I grew up, I fell in love with a French-speaking Swiss man who asked me to marry him and move to Switzerland. Years later, when I found myself back in my hometown with a small child and a love of my second language, a chance arose for me to join my mother's world of education, and I accepted. I landed in a primary school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. From the first week, I knew I'd stick with teaching. This is the most challenging experience I've ever had, and absolutely the best. I teach French, and I have never felt so much excitement as when I receive smiles from children, or praise from other teachers. Most of my students have not traveled outside the town where they live, and for some, a trip to the city museum proves the most adventurous experience in their lives.If I could somehow open the world to these children, and if I could push them a bit, to dream of living in a bigger world, they may work harder and maybe one day venture beyond their neighborhood. I work late into each night creating lessons and activities for the following day, trying to come up with ways to attract my students and connect them to the larger world. I also plan to go back to school for further study so that I can also teach science, math, social studies, reading and writing.