"Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold..." - JohnnyCade

The major I chose is early childhood education. This certifies you for grades K-3. The reason I wanted to teach younger grades is because I love kids. I love that they’re innocent still. There’s so much to teach them. Whether teaching them school things, or things about the world, or society, or culture. Everything is new to them.

One of my favorite books is The Outsiders, and one of my favorite passages is when Johnny is explaining his theory about Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” , and saving the little kids from the fire. Johnny explains that kids are innocent and pure. Almost that their naiveté is what keeps them gold.

“Ponyboy, I asked the nurse to give you this book so you could finish it. The doctor came in a while ago but I knew anyway. I keep getting tireder and tireder. Listen, I don't mind dying now. It was worth it. It's worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more than mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it. Tell Dally it was worth it. I'm just going to miss you guys. I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it's a good way to be. I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He'll probably think you're crazy, but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset. And don't be so bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows. Your buddy, Johnny.”

I think not long after I read this book, I decided I wanted to be a teacher. And this book, this passage in particular, always stuck with me.

I had a few good years in elementary school, but there were a couple years where I was truly miserable. I had a teacher that yelled too much, picked on kids (some more than others), threw a desk and chair across the room… he was crazy and I hated having to go to his class everyday.

I want to be a teacher, to make kids’ lives better. To be at least one teacher that they really like. I want kids to want to go to school and know that they aren’t going to get yelled at, and that they’re going to have fun. It’d be nice to keeps the kids I’d be teaching, as gold as possible, for as long as possible. They should have a better time in school than I did, and I want to show them, and myself, that they can.