Discovering Teaching as a Profession

To learn more about life as a new teacher, I interviewed my mentor about what being a beginner teacher is like. She shared past experiences of her first years and provided tips for starting a teaching career off strong. Below are my questions, her answers, and my responses:

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Q: What was the best lesson you learned in your first year of teaching?

A: "Honestly, the first year of teaching I was in survival mode. I got my first job immediately after finishing my student teaching in December. It was difficult to take over another person’s class in the middle of the year as a new teacher. I think that I was just going through the motions           and trying to look like I kind of, sort of knew what was going on. That was before you had to be “highly qualified”, so they made me teach a             social studies class in addition to my math classes. I couldn’t really even fake that I knew what was going on in social studies. I shudder when I       think about the disservice I did to those kids. So, I was in a sink or swim kind of situation and when you’re so focused on keeping your head           above the water it’s not really the time to be learning a lot of lessons. Though, I did learn a few things that first year. I learned that to avoid           spitballs, I shouldn’t turn my back on the students. I learned the hard way that I shouldn’t participate in faculty/student ball games. I learned to       spend time with the colleagues who would inspire and encourage me rather than the ones who wanted someone with whom they could                 complain. Most importantly I learned to prepare. I found that it was much easier to NOT drown when I was well prepared." 

R: It must have been terrifying to be thrown into a teaching job during the middle of the year, especially when you are forced to teach a subject     that you are not prepared for. However, that sink or swim moment that Mrs. Brooksher had was probably one of the reasons why she is such an amazing and caring teacher now. It seems very important to surround yourself with the right colleagues who are great role models rather       than ones that complain all the time. Being prepared also seems very important. Teachers always have a lot of work to do and being prepared     is a good way to lessen the stress of a first year as a teacher.

 

Q: What did you wish you knew about being a teacher before your first year?

A: "I wish that I had known better how to balance love and discipline. It took me a while to figure that out. I suppose becoming a parent helped. I think in the beginning of my career, I forgot to lay the groundwork of a respectful, caring relationship first. I didn’t know to never show fear! Sometimes when you first start teaching you can feel like maybe, just maybe, this is more than you can handle. That’s when teachers FREAK OUT. Never, ever, show fear! Even if you feel like a tornado is in your gut, you must keep a calm exterior. Repeat to yourself, “I am in control. I am in control…” I think I was so scared to lose control of the class that I may have yelled at them. That’s disrespectful. Who wants to be yelled at??? Now I understand that disciplining students is a form of compassion for them. More importantly, I’ve mastered the skill of making sure that the students know that even when I’m disciplining them, I care about them. I make that part of my first day of school speech. “I love you already. I love 7thgraders! I think you’re awesome!!! I’m GLAD you’re here. Don’t get me wrong, though. I will not tolerate misbehavior. I can’t because I love you so much that I want to make sure you’re learning and making good choices.” I respect them Every. Single. Day. (even when they are being twerps). I understand that life in middle school can really, really suck and I have empathy for them. I think they know that, so when I have to discipline them for whatever reason, it’s kind of easy. They listen because they know that I care. I can whisper to them, “I hate to see you making such bad decisions. Can you do better?” Most of the time, they just nod and then… they do better! Sometimes, I may quietly say, “It seems like you’re having a problem. Can you fix it by yourself or do you need my help?” That may be it all it takes. Obviously, sometimes more extreme measures must be taken but even then, teachers can be respectful by saying something like “I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to stay in my classroom today. Let me call an administrator to come walk you to the office. I hope tomorrow will be a better day for you”. Be calm and be kind…remembering that YOUare in control. So, it’s not about being nice or being mean, it’s about genuinely caring, showing them respect, and wanting what’s best for them. I think a lot of new teachers don’t want to appear too “nice” or too “mean”. Don’t worry with all of that. All you have to do is care and make sure they know that you do."

R: I know that classroom control is an important skill of teaching but I have never thought about the best way to treat students. Students and teachers should have a relationship and the type of one that my mentor describes is key to being an effective teacher. I know that I like it more when my teachers respect and understand me. I never truly realized that the relationships that Mrs. Brooksher creates with her students is the reason why she stands out as one of the best teachers I have ever had.

 

Q: What do you think makes your teaching style different from other teachers'?

A: "I try to have high expectations and not take myself too seriously at the same time. I think it’s important to remember that if I’m bored with what’s going on in class, the students surly will be too. I love math, and it’s important to me that I help the students gain an appreciation for it. If I ever start feeling like I’m not enjoying teaching, then I know it’s time to change things up in the classroom. I think that life should be fun and relaxing every chance we get, so I try to make math that way."

R: One thing that I've always noticed about Mrs. Brooksher is that she tries to make math fun for everyone. This is probably the main reason that I want to become a teacher. Its because I want to be able to develop an appreciation inside of others about a subject that I love. I think it is very important for any good teacher, especially a math teacher because math can be frustrating and boring to a lot of students, to be able to make the subject that they are teaching fun for their students.

 

Q: What is your strongest trait as a teacher?

A: "According to my most recent student surveys, a positive learning environment and a challenging learning environment are my strengths."

R: I like the idea of student surveys. I think they are the best way to find out how to improve on as a teacher. I feel that these strong traits could also be strong traits for me as well. From the teaching experience I have been given this year, I feel like I have been able to make a healthy learning environment for my students with my brain teasers. They force the kids to really think and want to learn while having fun doing it.

 

Q: What about teaching do you feel that you still need to work on?

A: "I have a lot of work to do when it comes to using technology to enhance my instruction. I also need to work on communicating better with parents. My student surveys suggest that I am weakest in varied instructional strategies and closing my lessons."

R: I feel like these weak skills are not crucially important. Students should can learn just as well with little technology as with a lot of technology. It depends on how effective the teacher is. It is the same way with varied instructional strategies. Teachers should use varied strategies, but too many may not be effective on the students. Closing lessons, however, are very important. After observing Mrs. Brooksher, I find that I like the way she closes lessons. She teaches notes with a PowerPoint and class discussion, and then jumps straight into worksheets for students to practice what they have just learned.

 

Q: Did you struggle in any way during your first year of teaching? If so, what got you through it?

A: "Ha! (see #1…) I struggled in a lot of ways my first year. Good colleagues and perseverance got me through it. Someone told me that it takes three years before you start to “sail a little easier”. I held onto that and waited for it to happen."

R: I like knowing that teaching will be very hard the first three years. It will help me prepare for the stress of the beginning of my teaching career. Perseverance and good friends are the best way to make it easier.

 

Q: What surprised you about teaching the most that you were not expecting?

A: "Teaching is like laundry. If you ever get caught up, it doesn’t last long. There is always something to be done. It takes more than “a village” to run a school – it takes a village, some super heroes and lots of caffeine. My advice would be to NOT try to be one of the super heroes your first few years. There will be plenty of time for that later. (The super heroes are the ones who do a whole lot of extra stuff…). You have to really prioritize. It can be easy to get bogged down with paper work and other things. It’s important to remember that above all else, you are there to serve the students. If students are in your room, they must be the top priority. Everything else can wait. Another thing that may surprise you is that teachers sometimes complain. A LOT. Make an effort to surround yourself with the ones who don’t. It’s exhausting to listen to someone whine all the time. Plus, attitudes truly are contagious. Remember your place. You can’t fix bad parenting, dwindling resources, or politics. And… it’s not your place to. As a beginning teacher, your place is to teach students and that’s HUGE. Do the best you can with that and go home happy."

R: I like the advice of not being a superhero. Getting into a lot of extra stuff it something that I probably would really want to do, but its good to wait until I have been teaching for a few years. It is also important to remember what your job is. A teacher should focus on teaching, especially for the beginning years, and not the politics.

 

Q: How different is the way you teach now different from your first year?

A: "The way I teach now is entirely different from how I taught when I started, and hopefully it will be somewhat different next year too. That’s one of the great things about this career. We always have an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. I love that! I always keep a list of new things I want to try or things I want to do differently. I also take a survey of my students at the end of each school year to find out what things they enjoyed and what they didn’t. I appreciate the fact that I get a new start each year."

R: I'm not sure I would be a teacher that would like to try different things every year. Of course I would make any changes that would make me a more successful and effective teacher and I would always want to improve, but I don't think that I would want to try things in a different way. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. However, I may want to change a lot about my teaching style when I actually become a teacher.

 

Q: How difficult is it to continually obtain more qualifications?

A: "It’s not easy, but it is necessary. We are in the business of learning, so it makes sense that we continue learning ourselves. I enjoy that part – the learning. Finding a balance between teaching school, going to school, having a family and a life can be tricky though. There are certain things that aren’t optional, like PLU’s (professional learning units). You have to have so many of those to renew your teaching certificate every several years. But if you decide to go back to school for another degree, timing is important. You wouldn’t want to do that at the same time that you have other major things going on (like getting married, having children, etc.)."

R: Like Mrs. Brooksher, I am a person who loves to learn. I like the outlook on staying in school that she has about continuing to learn because we are in the business of learning. I think that if I can have that same perspective, then the necessity of obtaining more qualifications would be easier.

 

Q: What was the deciding factor that made you want to be a teacher and when did you realize it?

A: "For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher. The only time I have ever doubted that was once during my junior year of college when I decided that maybe I would be an accountant instead. One of my education professors quickly redirected me! I’m so glad that she did. I love being a teacher. I still get excited about open house and the first day of school. Don’t get me wrong. This job is not easy. It is exhausting. It can be thankless at times. Teachers aren’t always respected, and the pay isn’t great. And absolutely none of that matters when you realize that you have made a difference for a student. It sounds cliché, but there truly is nothing like it. Sometimes when I’m teaching, I will recognize influences from my past. Mrs. O’Kelley is in my persistence to teach basic facts to those students who just can’t get it. She had little race cars on the wall with our names on them that would move as we learned our multiplication facts. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Davis, had the most beautiful hand writing in the whole wide world, and I think of her every time I write notes on the board. Sometimes when I’m explaining a problem, I realize how much I sound like Mrs. McElwee. She was my very favorite high school math teacher. One of my college math teachers put stickers on our tests if we made an A. I loved seeing those stickers on the paper so much that I decided I would use stickers for my students too. Mrs. Murphy, my high school Spanish teacher, once stopped class to chat with me because she recognized that I was having a rough day. She’s in my head all the time reminding me that sometimes things more important than math are going on with kids and that I should pay attention. I like to think that I am a product of all of those wonderful teachers. So…. Long story long… I knew very early on that I wanted to teach and a million little things along the way have contributed to that decision."

R: I think it is amazing that Mrs. Brooksher is so passionate about what she does. Its inspiring. Its funny that both her and I wanted to become a teacher at a young age. Its also cool to know that Mrs. Brooksher's teaching style is made up of a little of some of her favorite teachers. I know that when I become a teacher, a lot of Mrs. Brooksher's teaching style will show through mine.