William Ware III wanted to pursue a career that would directly make a positive change in the world and through the lives of others. For him, that career will be elementary education.

Ware is a first-year elementary education major at the IU School of Education. He came to Bloomington for the opportunity to go to a nationally-ranked school recognized as one of the top in the nation, saying, “I truly believe that I can become the educator that I am meant to by coming through this program. What makes it special is that I am a Black male and there are not many male teachers, let alone Black males that want to teach elementary education.” 

As he becomes a teacher, Ware will change lives simply by being himself.

“Becoming a teacher is important to me because I know that one of my future students will be like I was. They will want to have a Black role model in the classroom. I know that I wanted one,” he said. “Research also shows that having a Black male teacher has positive effects on everyone, not just Black students.”

When Ware envisions his future classroom, he hopes to create a safe space for students to be able to share whatever they need to at the time: “I want my students to feel connected to what they are learning, connected to the world, and connected to each other.”

Ware’s drive to make the world a better place through education. 

“You do not have to be an educator to do (make a difference), but I don’t think that people realize how big of an impact that educators have on the world,” he said. 

That impact can be felt in big ways, especially through the diversity of teachers.

“People who don’t look like you, have the same culture as you, or grow up the same as you can give you valuable insight. You may not get to know the culture of everywhere in the world, but at least you can know the culture of the world around you,” Ware said.