A new 30 day TeachThought challenge started this weekend, but I left my iPad at school and didn’t get the notification until today. The last challenge was excellent, so I’m excited to participate in another one! Let’s play catch-up, shall we?
Day 1: What are the best aspects of being a teacher?
This is definitely something I need to think about on a Monday, so I guess it’s a good thing I’m getting a late start!
There are so many great things! I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I love summer and Christmas breaks. By the time we get to the middle and end of the school year, I need a break. Who doesn’t?! But it’s not all laying by the pool or drinking hot cider, these times are important planning and reflecting times for me. Without these breaks to give me some extra time to recharge and, especially, do some long-term planning, I’d never be ready for most of my units!
I love getting to know all my students. As the only foreign language teacher at my school, I get to keep the same students year after year, some for all 4 years even! I love the relationships that I get to form with them, the inside jokes we create, and all the little things we learn about each other. It’s so easy to form lasting relationships when you have a particular student not just for 1 or 2 years, but for 3 or 4. These kids mean a lot to me, and watching them grow from scared, irresponsible, timid freshmen, into real adults who are learning to make big decisions and leaving the nest is so rewarding. As one of the few (maybe the only) teachers in my school to have my students for up to 3 or 4 years in a row, I feel partially responsible for how they turn out. Did they learn responsibility in my class? Did they learn respect? Did they learn to match their language to their situation? Certainly they can do that in any setting and any classroom, but I love getting to see such a huge portion of their growing up.
I’ll probably be moving on to a different school soon. The idea of teaching in a school with other Spanish teachers is exciting to me! To have someone here, in the building, with whom to collaborate is an incredible opportunity! But I’ll miss hoarding my students.
I could go on and write about a-ha moments and those days when lesson plans go exactly as I wanted them to, or even better, and a hundred other things that I love about teaching, but none of them compares with the relationships I get to form with my students. I am truly blessed.
Las clases de Stilson 