I recently completed my second year of teaching...
Boy, it feels weird to write that because it doesn't seem real! The past two years have been an absolute whirlwind, filled with learning, laughter, trials & errors, a few tears, and relationship building with a lot of amazing kids. Today I'd like to give you a small glimpse into my second year of teaching. I'm excited to share about new things that I tried and lessons that I learned along the way.
1. I taught two grade levels. I taught 7th grade exclusively my first year, but picked up 6th grade this year as well. When I first found out that this was what I'd be teaching, I was admittedly nervous. While the rational part of me knew that these two groups are not inherently different, it felt quite the opposite. In the world of 6th grade I felt a bit like a baby giraffe, as I navigated the needs of a new and younger age group. At times I struggled with guilt. When I was in a good groove with one grade level, I'd ultimately feel like I wasn't doing enough for the other. Over time I learned and allowed myself to accept, however, that the two groups can look different and still be learning and growing. One class doesn't have to be a mirror image of the other, and nobody expects them to be. While there were definitely some challenges along the way, I LOVED getting the opportunity to work with two different groups of students. I got to see the newness of middle school that I often forget about as a 7th grade teacher as my 6th graders were experiencing it. Teaching multiple grade levels stretched my abilities in ways that I didn't expect and I learned a lot about balance and giving myself grace in the process.
2. I found my (teacher) voice. And no, I don't mean the serious voice I use in my classroom when I mean business, LOL. This took shape for me in a couple of different ways. First, I found rich and authentic community through Twitter and this blog. I immersed myself in a digital PLN, a group of people from all walks of education who share ideas with and support each other. This platform enabled me to share my thoughts and experiences, ask questions, and gain valuable insight from people who are passionate about helping kids learn and grow. The second avenue through which I established my voice was through presenting at professional development. In a previous post I detailed my entire presenting experience, which you check out here. It is still a moment that I am both surprised by and proud of!
3. I introduced new projects and learning activities. Something that I've learned about myself these past two years is that I love trying new things in my classroom. I say I've discovered that about myself because I'm usually one who clings to the security of the norm and what's familiar. I play it safe in many areas of my life, but not in teaching. My absolute favorite thing about teaching RLA is getting the opportunity to make literature come to life. I love figuring out ways to make reading real, tangible, and memorable. With every novel we read in my class, I try to incorporate an experiential project that allows my students to step into the life and circumstances of the people that we're reading about. For example, when we read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, I stage our own water walk where students have to fetch water in gallon jugs and carry it for an extended period of time, just as the main character Nya has to fetch water to sustain her family. While I didn't come up with this idea (though I wish I did!), I have helped my students make this project their own and I know that it has made and will continue to make an impact. This experience fosters perspective and empathy for the main character that they may not have otherwise obtained. A NEW tangible learning experience from this year that I'm really proud of is the Titanic Wax Museum that we put on. I'm currently working on a whole separate post detailing this project, as it had many moving parts, but planning it was a new and exciting experience. In short, we read Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson, where we learned about countless Titanic passengers and crew members who experienced the disaster firsthand. After reading about these people, I assigned each student a passenger and they were tasked with bringing that person to life. They researched them, prepared a speech and visual, and then dressed the part, all in the interest of embodying that person and telling their story. It was such a cool project and one that many students told me was their favorite at the end of the year! More on that coming soon. :)
My second year of teaching had its own challenges and successes alike, but more than anything I'm so grateful for another year spent doing what I love at a place that I love. I adore my job and this year only reaffirmed that I'm doing exactly what I was meant to. Year 3 has already got me trying on a new hat--coaching! I cannot wait to see what else it will bring! :)
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Neale Donald Walsch
If you had told me a few years ago that as a second year teacher I'd stand before other educators and talk to them about ways to foster meaningful connections in the online education community, or ANYTHING really, I probably would have laughed.
Scratch that, I undoubtedly would have laughed, turned around to see if you were talking to someone behind me, and probably asked you if you were feeling okay.
In a society that is always encouraging us to be more outspoken, social, and opinionated, being the quiet girl can be tough. If you know me at all, you can attest to the fact that I'm pretty much always looking to avoid situations that require me to speak publicly. By nature, I am a reserved and introverted creature, two traits that I have been defined by for as long as I can remember. With these things in mind, I'm sure you can imagine the fear and anxiety that ultimately set in when the opportunity to share at our district's Professional Learning Summit presented itself. I'm someone whose natural inclination is to reject, resist, and retreat from any situation that might push me out of the safe and warm confines of my comfort zone.
Despite it all, though, I found myself saying yes.
Feeling like the least qualified person to be presenting to other teachers, I was overwhelmed with the seemingly endless directions that my session could go in. Having attended the Tennessee Educational Technology Conference back in November, I knew I wanted to focus in on technology, but...Blogging? Edu websites? Twitter? Something Google related? Digital review games? LITERALLY. SO. MANY. OPTIONS. Considering that I wanted to offer genuine and applicable insight about something that I am passionate about, I needed to take a quick step back to reflect. I asked myself questions like "What's been working for me?" and "What have I learned lately that has impacted my teaching practice?". Then it occurred to me. Over the past couple of months, I have really leaned into the education community on Twitter and have been amazed at the invaluable insight and genuine support that is out there. In a very short amount of time, I've learned so much and connected with educators near and far. Before I knew it, my session began to take shape.
I spent the next couple of weeks tirelessly prepping for and panicking about my first professional development presenting experience, pulling in what I hoped would be helpful information for Twitter newbies.
On the day of the Summit, I'm not sure my acting skills were enough to conceal my feelings of nervousness and doubt. I knew that I had taken my time to adequately prepare, but I struggled to silence that little voice in my head that was telling me I wasn't qualified to be doing something like this. I'd had encouragement every step of the way, from settling on a topic to planning my session to walking into the classroom where I was presenting, but I really struggled to get out of my own head. A few minutes before Session #1 was set to begin, I began readying my slides on my computer (and saying a silent prayer that I wouldn't pass out, or worse, have technical difficulties). The room began to fill with those who had signed up for my session. When I built up the courage to take a peek at who was there, I noticed that each filled chair was occupied by a member of my WMS family, who had so graciously chosen to spend their valuable time with me. I breathed a sigh of relief and was overcome by a feeling of reassurance that, maybe, I was going to be able to pull it off after all. The support I had that day made all the difference in the world and meant more to me than my colleagues will ever know.
The next 45 minutes were a blur as I delivered a crash course in Professional Learning Networks and Twitter basics. We talked about the benefits of making connections in this giant world of education and even had our own mock Twitter chat. I got to talk about something that I've grown to be very passionate about with fellow educators who support and inspire me every day. Something else happened during that session, too... I survived. I did something that day that I never thought I'd do, something that took a lot more fear facing than some may realize. But it ended up being such a great experience, and one that I know enabled me to grow as an educator and as a person.
I learned a couple of things from my experience that day that I'd like to share. First, your voice is valuable. Nobody else sees the world through your eyes. You don't have to wait around until you reach a specific level of worthiness in order to share your perspective and experiences. You're free to choose what this means for you. For us teachers, maybe this looks like being more open to sharing your ideas aloud in PLC meetings, or maybe it means starting your own teacher blog or Twitter account. Regardless of how you choose to share, let your voice be heard! Finally, cliche as is may sound, do more of what scares you. I fully understand that this is easier said than done, but as someone who has recently survived an experience that really challenged me, I can promise you that it's so so worth it. There is beauty to be found and growth to be achieved in trying trying new things.
I guess it really is true what they say about comfort zones. :)
I'd like to say an extra special thank you to each of my colleagues who supported me by coming to my session and to Dr. Mick Shuran for your encouragement along the way!
