Sam, Julie, and Tina put together a blogging initiative to encourage more math teachers to share their experiences, their struggles, and their classrooms. I'm behind schedule, so this is my Week 1 post.
As I've mentioned plenty of times before, I'm not in the classroom anymore, which is tough from time to time. It gets even harder when I go back to the site I taught at for a semester. One simple semester was all it took for me to make a connection with my students, and it's apparent every time I step foot on that campus. Nevertheless, I love what I do, knowing that I can make a difference in the lives of more students than the 175 I would see on an annual basis. Still, this tweet from Michael Pershan got to me a little:
Has anyone else noticed this thing where people who aren't exactly what you'd call classroom teachers call themselves "teachers" on twitter?
— Michael Pershan (@mpershan) January 10, 2016
I first read the tweet in a defensive tone, but quickly started rummaging through my mental rolodex of meetings with teachers.
No, my students aren't under the age of 18; in fact, many are over the age of 40.
No, my students aren't in one consolidated classroom for me to teach; they are across 10 high schools that span 30 miles.
No, my students don't have standards that need to be taught; they do have a need to improve their workflow, ease stress, and take risks
No, my students' parents won't come knocking on my door with a complaint; they do it themselves, making teaching even more rewarding and challenging.
No, I don't fit the typical description of a teacher.
Yes, I am a teacher, and I love my students and my job.
Happy "One Good Thing" Fishing
- Taught D.R. how to create a spinning wheel in which his students can use to win prizes in class
- Showed D.F. how to use Socrative as a way of quickly assessing her students and giving better feedback
- Taught J.C. how to create a Google Form to survey students and get quality feedback in a timely manner
- Taught C.D. how to create unique math journals for students and append them with the next day's prompts
- Many others
No, my students aren't under the age of 18; in fact, many are over the age of 40.
No, my students aren't in one consolidated classroom for me to teach; they are across 10 high schools that span 30 miles.
No, my students don't have standards that need to be taught; they do have a need to improve their workflow, ease stress, and take risks
No, my students' parents won't come knocking on my door with a complaint; they do it themselves, making teaching even more rewarding and challenging.
No, I don't fit the typical description of a teacher.
Yes, I am a teacher, and I love my students and my job.
Happy "One Good Thing" Fishing
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