The year of a teacher

we are usually the bad guys...like cops...we can never do right and have to constantly prove ourselves to students, parents and administration. The percs? Well, sometimes our students tell us things about ourselves that help us learn more. I just got done teaching a math intensive for summer and today, being the last day, I asked my students to evaluate me anonymously. As a teacher, my students' views are the most important so I like to hear their opinions of me, my teaching style, and the class.

I passed! so I am celebrating. It's like passing a hard exam. Basically, they told me I was a hard working and caring person. They said I made learning math fun and that they learned alot. My faults...they said I talked too much! Interestingly, I just secured a new job for the 2011-2012 school year, and during the interview, they asked me what my weakness was...I said I talked too much!

I will add that my recent assignment was teaching Korean students. They are a teacher's dream. The worst kid (ability wise) is generally about average with the American public school population. It has given me much insight into the way mathematics is taught in the USA.

Cool deal. I admire anyone who wants to teach, because it's a tough job!

Cheers.

Berzerker wrote:

Cool deal. I admire anyone who wants to teach, because it's a tough job!

Cheers.

Well I'm a tough lady!

But I cried today...as tough as I think I am. I had to let go of some very smart kids. Some of them are going back to Korea, I'll never see them again.

Teaching is hard...but it's very rewarding. Those notes the kids wrote anonymously today are worth more to me than the money I made teaching them.
I think it's a profession...if you're in it for the holidays or the pay, you're not going to make it. I'm in it cos I care....they're gonna solve all our problems when we're old people Berz....lol....so I have to teach them how to think instead of what to think?

damn right el!!

I come from a family of teachers myself. Therefore teaching always seemed like a natural choice to me – we'll see – maybe after I have my masters degree. I myself had a Montessori education during primary and secondary school – it was fun! My sister now wants to teach in a school with progressive education too. I like that school. The kids there are treated like actual human beeings

Haunz wrote:

The kids there are treated like actual human beeings

WHAT? Dude, once you start treating them like humans, what's next? No more spankings or what?




EL, I'm really happy for you and I hope my future students will feel the same about my teaching. Despite the spankings, etc.

El - that's a truly fabulous thread - thanks for sharing with us - I feel so happy for you!

My brother in law is a teacher. I'd suggest he do the same, but he 'teaches' introductory year kids - little kids, aged 4/5 - first time away from Mum n Dad and into a school environment. His likens his role more to being a play-mate, confidant, and facilitator - enjoying the kids to learn, to question whatever they see and hear, and keep them curious of the world around them. He says there's way too much bureaucracy involved, tests, statistics, reports, etc. But mostly he really enjoys it



Funny, when I was a child I always wanted to be an English Teacher ....

Well we are all learning from each other. But everyone remembers the teachers that really cared.

I'm very bad at math, until I was graduating high school. I had not passed math or gym since 7th grade - they waved the credits to get me the fuck outta there, let the town cops go eat doughnuts instead visiting with me after school lunch. But, my senior math teacher came up to me one rare day I was in class and seriously asked me if I even knew fractions and any other higher skill than addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Did I want help, because if I wanted to balance a checkbook or know how much money I could save at a sale with a percentage off he could help. Yes, I've always wondered at the percentages off items and not knowing how to figure out how much it really was. I was a Mall-Rat for fucks sake! These things were everywhere. These....sales. Short of the long - he taught me masses of basic and business math skills - this is how I got to be an accounts payable office bitch. Rebuilding our house I come across so many measurement formulas that I struggle with - makes me kick myself a wee for not showing up to learn. *bows* I won the highest math grade average that year - 4.0.

I so wanted to go to college for physics and a masters as well - the math has fucked me again. Same happen to me in chemistry - couldn't pursue biology majors Why did all those other teachers just let me slide through? They didn't give a fuck about educating me they wanted their salary or retirement plan or something.....

ELs good at conveying or bending an explanation for something so it can be understood by the individual. Those kids are lucky to have you. Congrats sounds fantastic.