This month I have stepped out of my comfort zone and am teaching 7th, 8th, 9th 10th and 11th grade math and 11th grade physics.
Yupp, not what I ever expected to come out of my mouth…or keyboard.
When we got to school on the first day of ministry one of the administrators came up and asked us if any of us felt comfortable teaching math and physics. Immediately my teammates said: we will leave that to our chemistry person….thanks guys…. but really
Thank you. You gave me insight and confidence in something I never thought I would try.
To any teacher, past, present and future: Thank you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for all that you have done and for all that you do. Also I am so sorry! I never realized how hard your job is while I was going through school, and though I don’t think I was ever bad (hopefully), I’m sure I never made it any easier.
Teaching is one of the hardest and most frustrating things I have ever done (and I graduated with a degree in chemistry-not easy!)
But it is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done!
For those who have never taught, and didn’t ever think of it (like me) let me let you in on some of the things teachers have to go through. (And this is a small list because I’ve only done this for a week and a half)
1. Learn all the names of all the students in your classes
For me that is about 50, which isn’t nearly as many as the teachers from when I was in school, but still, it’s hard (I still can’t say I know them all, but I am trying). Knowing the names of everyone is so important, because knowing someone’s name is a sign of respect and shows the student they are valued. If a student doesn’t feel valued from an authority figure, do you think they are going to care? Do you blame them?
2. Prepare each lesson for each class
The very first day I taught I was given no lesson plan, no page numbers, nothing. It took about 20 minutes, per class (total 40 minutes), to figure out where I was even supposed to start. With no direction I was completely lost in how to teach and even more, what to teach. The second day the teacher I was subbing for left me worksheets for each class period. Thank God! I’m not even doing this one while teaching, but I see the other teachers doing so much of it during their personal time.
3. Teach
Duh right? That’s their job, but do you know how hard it is to teach a class of sixteen seventh graders who don’t want to know anything related to math? (Yes I realize that 16 is a small class but here it’s actually large. And I’m working with a Spanish/English barrier) What’s even harder is teaching in a way that is conducive to learning for all of the students. Some learn better by examples, some by reading, some by listening, etc. It is so important to reach as many of these as possible so that all the kids can understand what is going on. If there are some that are lagging behind, it is the teachers job to either slow down or give one on one help. That isn’t always possible, but I’m sure that no teacher likes seeing their students struggling. For me being in smaller classes I can actually give one on one attention.
4. Grade
To me grading should be easy, either you get it right or wrong… or so I thought. When you are a teacher, you look and see how much effort is going into the problems. Are they trying? Do they mostly understand it? Did they make a little error with calculation? Yes each teacher uses their own judgment while grading, but it’s not always black and white (and it takes a lot longer than you think).
5. Have patience
Sometimes in class I feel like a mom.
Pease be quiet…
How many times do I have to tell you to get your worksheet out?
No talking during the quiz…
I need everyone to listen up…
Why didn’t you bring your worksheet to class?
Please be quiet…
It seems like it’s constant. Teachers have so much patience and give so much grace to all students. It truly is a gift! As a non-teacher, at first I would get frustrated, but that just makes everything worse. When teachers are frustrated, students see it, and it frustrates them, or they act out…which frustrates the teacher even more….not good.
With some of these challenges though, have come great reward. It is an amazing feeling when a student who was struggling for so long finally gets it. It’s the feeling you get when students walk down the hall and say Miss Jamie you are a really good teacher. When the student who never tires in school is finally making an effort, all because you are teaching them, all because you believe in them.
Teachers can have the most influential power in our lives. They can turn our confusion to understanding, our dislike for learning into passion for knowledge, and our feeling of helplessness into empowerment.
Our teachers really are investing in the most important thing of our future, the next generation.
So to all teachers I thank you!
