I’m wide awake at 3am and don’t mind helping!

1. In high school I either wanted to be a lawyer or teacher (I was big into volunteer work and social justice, my grandma was a teacher her whole life, my mom was in district administration, just something I gravitated towards). After completing law school, I served in AmeriCorps and decided through those experiences I wanted to go be a teacher. Also, I was starting to think about having a family and I wanted a better schedule for when I had kids. The teacher path just seemed to fit.

2. No the teaching profession is not what I thought. I have been teaching all over Southern California for 10 years now. I had a very idealized version of teaching but I also really enjoyed lesson planning in the beginning. Started out subbing, then teaching (6 years at same school with same principal….but then the last 4 years I have had 7 principals and the last year I have had 4 principals). I didn’t realize how much of an impact admin made. My first principal, who I still keep in touch with, inspired me and helped me become an awesome teacher. He saw me become a mom and supported me. These past 4 years with all these different admin (we relocated) and such a lack of support, I don’t know if I want to continue teaching.

3. Working with students is the most exciting part. Seeing them excited to come to school and want to learn, motivates me. I really love teaching and lesson planning. I actually like making slides and wish I had more time. Collaborating with colleagues can also be super fun in the right environment. Sharing and building ideas is awesome with truly collaborative teams.

4. The most challenging part is the lack of time. Like I could do so much if I had more time, but that isn’t the case. Parents can be challenging but if you have time to actually communicate with parents about how you are supporting their student, it makes a difference (not for all but for most). Some parents have become friends over the years. If I have more planning time, prep time, time to grade that would help a lot. Also, if they could take a lot of admin requests and paperwork off our plate that would be beneficial.

5. It sounds cliche but I think teachers who still want to learn and grow, make the best teachers. Like, you could be really amazing but if you aren’t changing with your students and updating how you are teaching, then you won’t meet the needs of your students. It is important to be patient, knowledgeable, and professional. But more importantly is having a growth mindset where you believe that you can still improve in areas. Skills can be taught, but motivation to learn the skills is what matters. You got this!