Today is the first day back to school for my local public school system. I thought I’d write about my experience as a teacher for the past 5 1/2 years. I never thought I’d be a teacher, it kind of just fell into my lap! I’ll explain more about that below & share how teaching has changed my outlook on life.
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A Little Work History
Let me start by saying I’ve had jobs of all sorts. In my teen years & early twenties I did everything from grading beans to being a waitress. I think having all these different kinds of jobs helped me figure out what I really wanted to do in life. Being a waitress is definitely not an option because I’m way too clumsy!
Anyway, I wound up in the drafting field for about 15 years. In case you don’t know, drafting involves drawing plans, schematics, designs, etc. for production or building. Most people associate it with being an architect or engineer. I worked mostly in architectural & structural drafting.
During this time frame, I would go to advisory meetings at the local college. These meetings are designed to check in with local businesses to make sure the curriculum is up to speed. It was in one of these meetings that I learned the college was looking for an adjunct instructor. This would be one afternoon class at the local high school with the Move on When Ready program.
Needless to say, I expressed an interest & that put the ball in motion for many changes in my future!
My First Day
The first thing I had to do was make sure it was okay to leave work during the afternoon to teach this class. As long as I could still put in 40 hours, my boss was okay with it. I had to fill out all the paperwork as you usually do for a new job & then I just waited for the interview. This whole process only took about a week because they really needed a teacher!
The day finally came for my interview & everything seemed good. I thought they would have to call me back, but they wanted me to meet the students that very day! Talk about pressure! I thought I would pass out from my heart racing so fast on the way over to the high school. Gulp!
As nervous as I was, I managed to introduce myself to the students {all teenage boys} & not do anything too embarrassing. After meeting the class, they asked if I could start the very next day – double gulp! I had no prior teaching experience, I had no idea what the lesson plan was, but I did know drafting. That was a start!
Currently
For the first year of teaching I worked 40 hours a week at my drafting job & about 10 hours a week teaching. The year I started teaching was also the same year I had thyroid cancer & lost my full time job of 13 years. Yeah, it was a stellar year! : D
Currently, I teach classes at the main college campus, which is 45 minutes from me & I teach classes at the high school in the town I live in. Both schools have different schedules & I teach several different courses in the same classroom. This means I really need to stay on top of things if I want to keep up with what’s going on!
I’ve had to learn so much as a teacher! Even though I worked in the field of drafting for 15 years, the classes I teach involve new technology & different aspects of drafting. Between helping students, I usually do research & practice using all the new programs. There’s also grading & accessing the students, which is not always an easy task once you get to know them.
I have to say – I love teaching almost as much as I love making! It can be frustrating sometimes when you’re trying to get a student to understand & think that they are just not listening. But then, there are those moments when you see the light bulb go off, so to say, & you know it was all worth it. Those are my favorite moments!
I’m finding that teaching is very fulfilling. For all the students that come through & just don’t seem interested in learning a thing, there are always those that amaze me. Most students that I meet are just trying to figure out who they are & what they really want to do with their life. I’m happy to be a part of helping them figure that out, even if they decide drafting is not for them.
I really have great respect for teachers of all kinds. The teachers at the high school I work with have 30+/- students per class up to 4 times a day. These are all teenagers too! That’s a lot to keep up with & I can imagine their breaks are well deserved. My classes are not anywhere near that large or that long & I know I really appreciate my breaks!
I’d like to end this by saying a big “Thank You!” to all the teachers I’ve had over the years. I can appreciate all that you did so much more now!
Happy Friday y’all! Hope y’all have a great weekend! : )
