Teaching is one of those professions that is definitely not for everyone. Having qualities such as patience, organization, and the ability to multi-task are all vital aspects that many successful teachers possess. Being able to roll with the punches, so to speak, and utilize flexibility is another important thing that comes in handy quite a bit. Take my day today for example...
At EdVenture, I team teach with another teacher,Carly. She is the other Language Arts teacher and her and I get a long really well. We compliment each other very nicely and this helps make for a smooth day filled with lots of laughter and memorable moments. We tend to switch off classes and in turn end up teaching about three classes a day each. This helps to save our vocal cords and nerves as our students can be a bit trying at times. It's definitely a great trade off and I'm learning a lot every day.
However, things were thrown for a bit of a loop today when I got to school. I was informed upon my arrival that Carly was sick and was not going to be at school. A tiny bit of panic set in as I've never taught all day by myself yet, but luckily we had the entire week planned out (we're discussing personal hygiene and proper laundry technique - something I feel every high school student should learn about!), so I wasn't worried about the lesson itself. The thing that had me a bit worried was the students themselves.
Carly has been at the school for about 6 years now and has developed some close relationships with many of the students. I'm still rather new on the job (many of students are still learning my name, referring to me as "Sir" or "Mister" or "Dude over there") and am still getting to know the students and their tendencies. Also, new students are being added to classes daily and other changes are being made as well, so cohesiveness hasn't quite set in yet among all of the classes. So being in front of all the classes by myself caused a small spat of nerves to set in.
Since I'm an AmeriCorps member and not a salaried employee, I am not allowed to be alone in the classroom with the students at any time. Due to the nature of EdVenture, there really aren't substitutes that can be called on like the rest of the school district to fill in when a teacher is sick. To compensate for this, the other staff members will step in and provide coverage when needed. So I knew that I wasn't going to be the only one in the classroom - I just knew that I was going to be large and in charge.
Turns out the day ended up being one of the most successful and rewarding ones that I've had at the school to date. The students were amazingly receptive and participated in our class discussions and activity. I was expecting some of them to push boundaries because Carly wasn't there, but I was treated with a high level of respect that most of the time is lacking amongst our student population. Heck, I even made a few of the "hard and tough" kids laugh and smile. That is considered a win in my book!
I received multiple praises and thanks from other staff members for the job that I did today. For me, it wasn't the outside praise that mattered - it was the fact that I was able to make it through the day without wanting to pull my hair out (too bad). I also realized that I have made more progress with some of my students than I didn't thought I had to the point. Today's experience has further solidified the fact that being in front of a classroom full of students is where I'm meant to be. So in hindsight, Carly's absence, which could've been a negative, stress inducing experience, turned out to be a positive, confidence boosting one.
Let's just hope that she's at school tomorrow...
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On a side note, I've realized that I never passed along the fact that my address has changed. I moved apartments and have just neglected to share my new place of residence. If you are in the mood to send me mail of any kind (care packages and hand written notes are always welcomed and appreciated!), they can be directed to the following address:
Michael Owen
377 E Woolbright Road
Boynton Beach, FL 33435
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