Want to know what one of my favorite topics of discussion is?
Teaching.
I have always wanted to be a teacher.
That has never changed.
Some of my earliest memories are of me standing in front of a neatly sat row of stuffed animals and baby dolls, teaching my pretend students or forcing my little brother to sit still and quiet and listen to me teach him his ABCs :)
And now, I have a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and what started as a few more classes to renew my teaching certificate is looking more like a second Master's in my somewhat near future.
Over the past 10 years, I've taught 100+ kids, having taught General Ed. (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th), ESL (1st - 12th), Inclusion-based Special Education (1st - 5th), and Self-Contained Special Education (5th-10th).
I've taught under 8 principals in 3 schools in 2 countries, in 2 public schools in Alabama and in a Christian International school in West Africa.
And along the way, I've learned a LOT.
There are so many things I wish I would've known before becoming a teacher.
Things (in no specific order) like...
1) Set Boundaries and Prioritize
The To Do List will continually grow. You need to set boundaries for yourself by learning it's okay to say "no" sometimes. It's also okay to occasionally let things go and pick them up the next day. Prioritize that To Do List. What absolutely 100% must get done first? Second? And so on...
2) The Hours
Teaching.
I have always wanted to be a teacher.
That has never changed.
Some of my earliest memories are of me standing in front of a neatly sat row of stuffed animals and baby dolls, teaching my pretend students or forcing my little brother to sit still and quiet and listen to me teach him his ABCs :)
And now, I have a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and what started as a few more classes to renew my teaching certificate is looking more like a second Master's in my somewhat near future.
Over the past 10 years, I've taught 100+ kids, having taught General Ed. (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th), ESL (1st - 12th), Inclusion-based Special Education (1st - 5th), and Self-Contained Special Education (5th-10th).
I've taught under 8 principals in 3 schools in 2 countries, in 2 public schools in Alabama and in a Christian International school in West Africa.
And along the way, I've learned a LOT.
There are so many things I wish I would've known before becoming a teacher.
Things (in no specific order) like...
1) Set Boundaries and Prioritize
The To Do List will continually grow. You need to set boundaries for yourself by learning it's okay to say "no" sometimes. It's also okay to occasionally let things go and pick them up the next day. Prioritize that To Do List. What absolutely 100% must get done first? Second? And so on...
2) The Hours
People will make stupid (yes, I said stupid) assumptions in response to the amount of time (hours) teachers spend working.
Teachers are so lucky.
They only work from 7 to 3 every day.
Teachers have all summers and holidays completely free.
Blah, blah, blah.
I made some of those same assumptions myself before becoming a teacher. I had no idea the extra hours I'd put in. Almost every teacher I know either comes in early or leaves late every day (sometimes both) and works some on the weekends as well. During school holidays and summers, teachers are prepping for the next year, out buying supplies for their students, attending workshops/seminars/conferences, earning professional development (CEU) hours, studying, etc. They might be on their school campus working or they might be working from home. But I guarantee you, they're working.
Now, with that said...
Not every teacher does this. There are the rare teachers who refuse to work extra hours. They literally put in the required amount of time and no more. I really do not see how this is possible. But hey, if they can do that, great. But I'd say that would definitely be extremely rare.
3) Lesson Planning is hard y'all.
Oh my word, y'all... Good lesson plans are not quick writes.
And when you're like me and teach students in 3 different grades (working at a wide range of ability levels) for multiple subjects a day... Well, it's like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to get all the pieces to fit together just so. And it's hard. I literally (yes, literally) plan 18-20 lessons a day, depending on the day.
And if done well, lesson planning is more than simply writing down a page number or copying a worksheet. You're working through a set of standards that tell you what each student needs to learn each year. You have your school's "mapping" which shows the ideal time frame for each topic/standard to be covered throughout the year. You have a stack of textbooks and other materials to use. And if you have students receiving ESL and/or Special Education services, you also have a plan, you must follow to provide them with appropriate modifications and/or accommodations to the "normal" curriculum.
And this doesn't factor in changes to the schedules, which you may or may not know about ahead of time, days when half of your class is absent, times when technology doesn't cooperate forcing you to go to Plan B, and so on and so forth.
So while it gets more routine over time, truly good lesson planning is never, ever a quick process.
Teachers are so lucky.
They only work from 7 to 3 every day.
Teachers have all summers and holidays completely free.
Blah, blah, blah.
I made some of those same assumptions myself before becoming a teacher. I had no idea the extra hours I'd put in. Almost every teacher I know either comes in early or leaves late every day (sometimes both) and works some on the weekends as well. During school holidays and summers, teachers are prepping for the next year, out buying supplies for their students, attending workshops/seminars/conferences, earning professional development (CEU) hours, studying, etc. They might be on their school campus working or they might be working from home. But I guarantee you, they're working.
Now, with that said...
Not every teacher does this. There are the rare teachers who refuse to work extra hours. They literally put in the required amount of time and no more. I really do not see how this is possible. But hey, if they can do that, great. But I'd say that would definitely be extremely rare.
3) Lesson Planning is hard y'all.
Oh my word, y'all... Good lesson plans are not quick writes.
And when you're like me and teach students in 3 different grades (working at a wide range of ability levels) for multiple subjects a day... Well, it's like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to get all the pieces to fit together just so. And it's hard. I literally (yes, literally) plan 18-20 lessons a day, depending on the day.
And if done well, lesson planning is more than simply writing down a page number or copying a worksheet. You're working through a set of standards that tell you what each student needs to learn each year. You have your school's "mapping" which shows the ideal time frame for each topic/standard to be covered throughout the year. You have a stack of textbooks and other materials to use. And if you have students receiving ESL and/or Special Education services, you also have a plan, you must follow to provide them with appropriate modifications and/or accommodations to the "normal" curriculum.
And this doesn't factor in changes to the schedules, which you may or may not know about ahead of time, days when half of your class is absent, times when technology doesn't cooperate forcing you to go to Plan B, and so on and so forth.
So while it gets more routine over time, truly good lesson planning is never, ever a quick process.
4) The paperwork can be unreal.
If teachers could just teach their students and not deal with paperwork, well life would be absolutely amazing. But alas, that's not the case.
There is a LOT of paperwork.
And if you're a Special Education Teacher, there's a zillion times more.
And it feels as if it's never ending.
5) You have to be "on" all day long.
Y'all, I didn't realize how exhausting it is to teach all day. And it's more than just teaching... You're playing the role of counselor and nurse, confidant and protector, nurturer and guide, coach and computer technician, and sometimes, you even have to play the role of surrogate mom and dad. And it's hard.
As a teacher, you can't really have an "off" day. If you do, trust me. Your students will know and feed off of that "off-ness." And then your day just kind of goes downhill. And yes... I do realize that no one is perfect. Sometimes those "off" days happen in life. But as a teacher, it's far more difficult.
If teachers could just teach their students and not deal with paperwork, well life would be absolutely amazing. But alas, that's not the case.
There is a LOT of paperwork.
And if you're a Special Education Teacher, there's a zillion times more.
And it feels as if it's never ending.
5) You have to be "on" all day long.
Y'all, I didn't realize how exhausting it is to teach all day. And it's more than just teaching... You're playing the role of counselor and nurse, confidant and protector, nurturer and guide, coach and computer technician, and sometimes, you even have to play the role of surrogate mom and dad. And it's hard.
As a teacher, you can't really have an "off" day. If you do, trust me. Your students will know and feed off of that "off-ness." And then your day just kind of goes downhill. And yes... I do realize that no one is perfect. Sometimes those "off" days happen in life. But as a teacher, it's far more difficult.
6) Teachers NEED help/support.
Teachers NEED help and support from...
* administration * fellow teachers * support staff * parents * society *
* administration * fellow teachers * support staff * parents * society *
7) Flexibility is key.
Nothing ever goes according to plan all the time.
You have to just roll with the punches.
8) Be prepared for anything to happen during school.
I've gotten sick (throwing up) and had to send a sweet little 1st grader running to the principal's office to get help. That was fun... Not.
I've been in school in a room with a glass door, right by the exit, waiting with a class of medically fragile students with severe special needs, as we were on lockdown, waiting for the shooting happening a few feet away from school.
I've taught without electricity and without water.
I've taught in the Hot Season in West Africa, with temp's at or close to 100F with ridiculously high humidity with no A/C.
I've written 20+ worksheets and tests by hand when the copier was broken.
I've had a bus not show up to take us to a field trip, leaving me scrambling to find drivers to transport my 16 students and myself where we needed to go.
I've gotten multiple new students who spoke absolutely no English whatsoever, with no warning and no ability to converse with them.
Teaching is full of all sorts of unexpected things.
And instead of letting it stress you, learn to laugh at the insanity :)
9) Breaks? Ha!
Not every teacher has a lot of free time. I have one break a day, in which I'm supposed to do lesson prep AND eat lunch. And I often am required to have meetings during that time, which means I don't get a break at all.
And I know of teacher friends who have even less than me.
So yeah... Future teachers should know that multiple break times, or even a break time in general, are definitely not guaranteed.
10) Remind yourself of your why.
When times get hard, remember WHY you started in the first place.
You're there for the kids.
And you're there because God placed you there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And then, because why not...
Here are a few "honorable mentions" I thought I'd add to the list.
To get respect from students, a good teacher should show respect.
Finding a job is often difficult.
Sometimes, you feel like a one-man island.
** This is especially often true for Special Education Teachers.
More degrees/experience mean more pay.
** Well, it does in the States. Not where I am now. Ha! ;)
A "thank you" from a student or parent is the BEST.
Getting supplies/materials sometimes (a lot of times, actually) requires teachers to spend their own money.
The internet is a valuable tool.
And so much more...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join the fun
When times get hard, remember WHY you started in the first place.
You're there for the kids.
And you're there because God placed you there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And then, because why not...
Here are a few "honorable mentions" I thought I'd add to the list.
To get respect from students, a good teacher should show respect.
Finding a job is often difficult.
Sometimes, you feel like a one-man island.
** This is especially often true for Special Education Teachers.
More degrees/experience mean more pay.
** Well, it does in the States. Not where I am now. Ha! ;)
A "thank you" from a student or parent is the BEST.
Getting supplies/materials sometimes (a lot of times, actually) requires teachers to spend their own money.
The internet is a valuable tool.
And so much more...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join the fun
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