Some Background Info

Okay so I'm going to give you some details about my background and then talk about my first day of teaching. For starters, I originally was a Communications major specializing in Broadcast Journalism. I loved it, however, while in college I had to take a "stupid" science class as a general ed requirement. I decided to sign up for Geology 101. It was that class that eventually changed my direction in life.

I had always enjoyed science growing up and as I look back in time I realize that the only teachers I ever had a crush on were my science teachers, so maybe it was fate that someday I would end up becoming one. Either way I am glad that I became a teacher.

I didn't officially decide on Earth Science Education until I was about half way through my Broadcast Journalism program. I made the switch and transferred schools while I was at it and had to go back and fulfill some more general eds from switching schools. It was a major pain, but I was able to work with some of the best professors in the Geological world.

I went through my education program and loved every minute of it. I then went into student teaching. Now I had always been shy growing up and over the course of the years that shyness has gradually gone away. I served a mission for my church before my student teaching and that helped a lot. While on my mission I learned what it was like for people to be angry with me, to yell at me, and to slam the door in my face. I also learned that people like being respected and if you show them respect they will be a lot more willing to listen to your opinion or to at least be nice to you. The yelling and the slamming of doors helped build up a nice hard exterior that has helped me a ton with being able to handle what kids throw at you. So needless to say student teaching was amazing! I loved it a ton. I had also been placed in a school where most students had parents who made a higher than average income and the school was 95% caucasian.

I never really had any problems during student teaching, just a few here and there, but they were easily taken care of, mostly because the parents in that school were very involved. If I didn't update grades at least 2 times a week or more I would get tons of phone calls or emails asking what was wrong. I was told from my student teaching that I was very professional and that I was very good at teaching at the secondary level, yet I had the love and caring of an elementary school teacher.

With that in mind, I decided that the best place for me would be in a school that had a higher percentage of lower income, minority students. I really wanted to feel like I was being useful and helping out the kids that don't always get the best of the best. I wanted to help the kids that have to struggle more and that might be the first kids in their family who will one day go to college. I knew that I would most likely have more disciplinary problems with kids from lower income families, but I was willing to face that because I just wanted to help.
What I wasn't prepared for was a classroom that had been completely demolished the previous year when they had had a first year math teacher in the room. The room was originally a science classroom so it still had all of the sinks, gas valves, lab counters, etc. However, out of the 5 sinks in the classroom only one worked. The others had been completely destroyed. The faucets were broken, one of the glass cabinets I had was missing a panel, and I had no tables/desks in the classroom. I found out that the teacher before me had been a 7th grade Math teacher, which meant that since I was starting as an 8th grade Science teacher, I would be getting a lot of her previous students. As I went through the year I found out that the previous teacher had been too afraid to discipline and because of that she had let the students destroy the room. When I got them they felt like they could do the same things as before, but they eventually found out that they couldn't.

Well that is all I will write today, it is amazing how long this got, but let me tell you, there is a lot more in store and you will find out just exactly how much damage I had to face from the previous teacher and the students.

Reflecting on my first year

I want to use this blog to talk about my first year of teaching. I had a rather interesting year last school year and I have been told my numerous co-workers and friends that I should write about my first year because it was one of the craziest first years they ever heard about. So for the first posts that I do it will be about my first year of teaching and the many things I learned that I wish someone had told me during my education program. I hope the advice I give is helpful to first year teachers who are having difficulties adjusting to teaching.