First Year Teacher Experience

 

Club members

Here is an interview one of my Education Profession did. I’m posting to give you a little insight into what teacher’s do,think or feel. 

First year teacher, Economics

1) Why did you choose teaching as a professional career?

In my case, I have wanted to be a teacher for a very long time (since 2nd Grade). The only other thing I ever wanted to be was a Power Ranger. At a young age, I just always appreciated what teachers did for students and the lengths they went to in order to see their students succeed. I appreciated it so much that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for others. I am very thankful that I get to live my dream.

2) Did you feel prepared to teach when you first started? What would you do differently if you were to start your preparation now?

Well this is my first year and I am going on my fourth week so I am still fairly new. At this point, I would have put all classes into a seating chart sooner, instead of waiting for my classes to shrink. This would have helped me get to know my students names faster.

3) How long have you been teaching? How long have you known this is what you wanted to do for your life’s work?

This is my first year. I have known I have wanted to do this since Second Grade.

4) What are the most difficult challenges you are facing right now? How can I avoid them?

The biggest struggle I am facing is keeping that boundary between teacher and student. Since I am not much older than my students, it is very important that I reiterate where that border is. Unfortunately for you, I do not think you can avoid that. You will be a young teacher someday as well. If you teach junior high or elementary it will be easier, but if you teach high school, this is kind of the way it is when you are young.

5) Do you have a mentor? Are you a mentor? If you are, how is this working out?

My mentor is Mr. Franz. He mentors all teachers within their first three years. It is going quite well at this point, he is always quick to compliment and offer constructive criticism to help myself and the other new teachers do our jobs better. I am not a mentor to any other teachers right now since I am new, but I do mentor/sponsor the freshman class. Right now, it is going well and I am very excited to see what those kids can do.

6) What types of professional development have you participated in as a teacher? Please describe your involvement in each of the following:

1. a) professional organizations – I was a member of Kappa Delta Pi in college, an honor society for teachers. We met monthly and discussed issues in education and planned campus events for those interested in the field of education.
2. b) teacher research – I have not done much research at this point-in-time other than researching my subject to present it better to students. I did a lot of research in college though on different educational theories that are out there.
3. c) team teaching – I have never been in a team teaching situation. I did take an integrated Honors History and Honors English class in high school though during my sophomore and junior years. Sophomore year the team that I had teaching me worked phenomenally together. They knew what they were doing and did a lot of collaborating for the success of the classroom. Junior year, the team teachers were not nearly as close knit but still very qualified and really enjoyed their work.

7) What advice do you have for me as I think about becoming a teacher?

Always take mental notes on things your teachers do that you like and do not like. Also, always be gracious and observant to the teachers that welcome you into their classroom while you are working on your education degree. And never be afraid to use another teacher’s lesson plan in your classroom. The biggest thieves in the world are teachers as we believe you do not need to recreate the wheel. If the resources are out there and another teacher is willing to share USE IT!!!!

You are going to be wild and crazy!

First year of college

My parents sent me off to college with twenty dollars, a rice basket, food and some linens for my bed. I remember sitting there in my dorm thinking to myself, ” What do I do now?” My dorm mate would not arrive until a couple of days later since I was early. I had no friends there yet.Actually nobody was there in the dorms yet except the Resident Hall Assistants who was getting everything ready for the influx of students. Since my brother was the Resident Hall Assistant at Lincoln Hall, an all boys dorm next door to my dorm I was able to get into my dorm a day or two before the others.

On that first day of college I really did not know what I should do first because I was so used to following my parents’ order. So there I was all alone, with nobody telling me what to do and when to do things. It was exciting but frightening at the same time because I didn’t want to make the wrong choices or decisions that would effect my education efforts. Also I didn’t want to fulfill my friends and co-workers prediction that I was going to go wild and crazy in college and become a rabid sex fiend like they thought I would. You have to understand that I grew up in a very controlling, traditional Laotian household where dating was off limits, where interactions with boys were monitored and discouraged by my parents. My mom in particular was known in the community for her strict treatment of us girls. So because I grew up in a strict environment, my friends and co-workers always joked that I was going to let lose in college and party it up. Ironically, their “predictions” became of motivation for me to stay on course. Yes I did go to parties, dances and sporting events but I didn’t have the desire to act wild and crazy like said. I had fun without drinking or sleeping around or doing anything too outrageous.

Here’s several advice I have for a first year college student:
1. Surround yourself with the right kinds of friends and participate in activities that the college has to offer. For example intramurals sports, clubs, and sporting events.
2. Take at least 12 credit hours the first semester but no more than that to test out your ability to time manage.
3. Print out your degree plan so you can use that as a guide and to do list. This will save you so much time in the long run because it will stop you from taking random classes that does not count toward a degree. At the end of every semester I would highlight the classes that I completed.
4. Don’t sit in your dorm room studying all the time. Go out and have fun hanging out with people or explore the campus and town.
5. Go to parties with people whom you trust know for certain will not abandon you there.
6. If you qualify, do workstudy. There are plenty of jobs on campus. I worked at he museum on campus and at the boys dorms which was so easy.
7. Be careful about putting your job before your education. Yes, I know some of you will have to work to pay for your tuition but if it interferes in your studies, then you should reconsider. Get a student loan if you have to.

How you do during your freshmen depends on you making the right choices. My first semester I had four C’s not because I was not focus but because the classes I had was a little challenging except for music appreciation and slimnastic. Once I figure out how to balance my time, how to communicate with the professor and how to manage myself as a on independent young adult, my grades improved by the second semester. The bottom line is it is a trial and error. You will learn quickly what works and what don’t. Just hang in there and stay focus.

First year college transcript