I am 35 years old and currently hold a master’s degree in TESOL. By the middle of this school year, I will be a Level Three teacher in New Mexico. I have taught third grade at the same school for the past ten years, and I absolutely love what I do. When I first began teaching in 2016, I worked alongside a veteran teacher. I was full of excitement and eager to bring new ideas into my classroom. She told me she couldn’t wait until I lost my motivation—because, in her words, I would lose it soon. Instead, that moment sparked a fire in me. Since then, I have made a promise to myself that I would never lose my passion for teaching.