BEING A TEACHER...
After I graduated from university with a bachelor’s honors degree in multimedia technology. The next step was obviously finding work. I had the opportunity to TEACH at a school (Pristine Private School, Dubai) during that time. It was for short periods of time, with different subjects and levels.
I taught CHEMISTRY and COMPUTER SCIENCE at high school level (year 8 to O-levels). On the other hand I also tacked SCIENCE and MATH at primary level (year 3). During that time, I learned and understood a lot of things.
Now, if you are a subject teacher, or a teacher in general, you feel a bit overwhelmed with all the responsibilities – towards your students, your colleagues and the school. Making sure your students learn the curriculum can be exciting and challenging at the same time. I was lucky enough to have my mom working with me in the same school.
These are the top things I learned about being a teacher.
1. Never do teaching for the money
Some people turn towards teaching just for the salary, because they need to make a living. Honestly, I started as a teacher for the same sole purpose as well. but, within that one and half month, I realized that being a teacher is so much more than just waiting for that paycheck to come in. being a teacher means, you are the mentor for the children, they look up to you.
2. Build relationships with your kids
Remember, every student is capable of learning. From the moment they enter the school and exclaim “GOOD MORNING” to you, to the point they leave the school premises…YOU are their point of reference. They look at your clothes, your smile, your attitude and everything else (this is much more at the primary level).
Of course, set some rules and then follow through with them. Believe me, once the students get to know how you operate in the class, those rules will be stuck in their head and they will follow them like machine work.
It took me a while to lay some ground rules for all my different leveled classes. Since I had just graduated, I found that sometimes talking to my students about TV series or movies or games to give them a small break made them so much more productive and attentive.
3. Keep your emotions and thoughts on track to avoid burn out.
Teaching can be huge headache, especially considering point 2. You will be tempted to take those notebooks or tests home for grading so you can deliver fast. But, this is where you need to lay down some non-negotiable rules.
Find balance for yourself, don’t take your work home – unless it’s very urgent. Lesson planning is a good thing to do in order to be prepared for a smoother day classes. BUT that should be the only thing you should be allowed to do at home.
4. STAY CALM, no matter what
Choose where you want to interfere (this applies to any job). You may not always agree with the administration decisions or plans of my fellow teachers, but not everything need to be challenged. Try to put suggestions across in a soft and positive manner, making sure they are realistic and practical.
5. DON’T choose anger, REMEMBER to encourage
This is a BIG one. I have seen a lot of teachers, as a student and a teacher, who lose it in the class. It is okay to raise your voice once in a while when the class is being overly ignorant. But if you are angry and frowning at all times, students either surrender to that and roll with it or they go the other way and be stubborn. This is a nice way to tackle a fussy class.
Instead of being angry at the student who is not paying attention, ask him a question and when they can’t answer, explain to them how this is not good for their learning.
6. Find the tools that will make things easier
In this day and life, there a thousands of tool out there that can make your work as a teachers so much easier. If your school allows electronics, make quizzes online, ask your students to do research online and make them do presentations. I found this to be so much effective and enjoyable than the simple paper and pencil method. Students actually look forward to classes when you incorporate online quizzes. One that I loved to use is: kahoot
7. Give and take praise
This is with regard to student-teachers and teacher-colleagues/admin context. When your students tell you, “you look good today”, make sure you say “thank you” with a smile. Appreciate your student’s efforts, even if they a tiny. Know that they are doing what they think is best at their age and it is your job to correct them.
8. Mistakes are okay, learn from them
INCORPORATE this into your life and TELL your students this as well. Everyone has hard days. If it is one of those days and you gave a wrong answer to a question that your student asked, ITS OKAY. Turn it around the next day. Address the same topic and question and correct yourself with confidence.
9. Have a social life
I learnt this the hard way. I took all my work and lesion planning back home and found that school work literally consumed my entire life. Since I did teaching for small time, I didn’t get the chance to actually implement a good routine with a social like. But if I ever stumble upon teaching again, I need to figure this out.
10. Every job has its down days, and teaching is the same
I think the point says enough. Don’t blame yourself for all the small things that happen at school. Believe in yourself and improve on it. Speak about your teaching experiences, and teacher-student interactions with other teachers, it may help them and you understand things better. Enjoy the ride of your teaching journey. I was lucky enough because I was working with my mom so I could go talk and rant about things to her for suggestions.
You are a teacher, you cannot do everything and that is okay. Be flexible enough to know that some days will be harder than others and some days you will not want to step into the classrooms...
but remember,
but remember,
you are making a difference in a child’s life by making them learn and shaping their personality
Also shout out to my mom and dad who ace at being teachers everyday for years now!
…XOXO…
Comments
Post a Comment