i've just reached my two month mark as a teacher. being a teacher was something i was thinking about doing for a while being that i adored working at summer camp for many many years. however after i had chosen my major of hospitality management i kind of thought that idea had run its course. but here i am, two months into my first year as a middle school english teacher. some of my thoughts so far:
- i think it is really strange that i am not allowed to give my students homework. you heard right, people .. no homework allowed mandated by the administration. therefore i have to finish my lessons and finish the "homework" i want to give during my class time. i constantly find myself being that teacher saying "when i was in 8th grade..." but its true! when i was in 7th and 8th grade, homework was a given!
- writing on a whiteboard is no easy task. i'm not kidding. my handwriting has definitely improved over the past two months but writing in a straight line? i fear it may take me the whole year to master that one. i'll take a step back after writing a sentence on the board and it will be going straight up towards the top. then i'll overcompensate and take another step back and realize i have two sentences that look like an alligator's mouth.
- my coworkers have been lifesavers. not only am i a new teacher at the school this year, but it is my absolute first year as a teacher .. anywhere. yes i was a teacher's assistant last year in spain, but that was a whole other country and a completely different job. this year i have all the lesson plans, all the tests, quizzes, and projects to make and grade, not to mention i have to deal with all the parents of my students as well. but my coworkers have been fabulous mentors. i think they practically expect me to seek them out every day and say "i just have a little question for you...". lifesavers i tell you.
- and finally, yes there have been many days where i have left my classroom thinking, "good lord, what did i do to deserve this??" but then there are those days where i cant help but smile. when my students say "thank you, teacher" after i help them with a question. or "oh nooo tomorrow is the day we don't have english!" those days when my lessons went just as planned and my students don't feel like they want to race out of the classroom for recess. those are the days that make it worth it.
p.s. how cool are all those apple cupcakes i found on pinterest??? if only i had an oven...
2 comments:
I would totally want to be a teacher if it paid better! But I don't think I could handle middle school, I would be way better at little kids..like 1st & 2nd grade. I'm sure there are plenty of days that you want to pull your hair out though! And at least you have friendly coworkers that don't mind helping you out. Oh & I would die if I didn't have an oven! :p
xo,
jessie
That is so cool that you teach middle school English! I was there for 2 months as a long-term sub, which was long enough for me! Ha ha, I don't know if it's what I'm cut out for long-term, but who knows where I'll end up? I can't believe you can't give homework! That is just stupid to me. If we survived it, they can too! And those cupcakes are adorable.
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