A good friend of mine (Amanda C) is a teacher, although she has decided to open her own before-and after-school business to help kids with homework and provide a safe environment for them while parents are at work. She agreed to answer some questions about her teaching career choice and what it means to her.
Q: What is it that you do, specifically?
A: I’ve supply taught Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8, mostly 7/8 though, and oddly enough a LOT of Phys. Ed. (gym). I’ve taught Special Needs classes as well. I prefer teaching the older grades, so that’s great for me!
Q: How long have you worked as a teacher?
A: I graduated spring of ’07, was hired Nov ’07, and had my first day Dec ’07. I really started Feb of ’09 as I took maternity leave mid-April ’08 to Jan ’09. Once I had acquired a few teachers who called me regularly to sub for them, I finally felt like a teacher!
Q: What kind of schooling did you have to do to get into this career?
A: The formal education process when I attended was to earn a Bachelor’s
Degree and a certificate from Teachers College. I have a BA in Archaeology and History with minors in English and Classics. My teachable for the intermediate level is history, but I could also have used English.
Q: What can you tell me about the “culture” of teaching? Are there any personality types you think tend to be drawn to that kind of job?
A: I find all teachers have a similar story of starting child care early. I began caring for my siblings, branched out to family friends, camps, life guarding, and working in a child care centre at a gym. I’ve heard of lots of coaching experience in coworkers, too.
Q: Do you think there is a discrepancy between what is expected you teach in school and what happens in real life when you start working as a teacher? If so, why do you think that is?
A: I do to a degree, but I alter the way it’s taught to be applicable if possible. For example, my students were struggling with taxes in math, so we had a budget assignment where they used flyers to plan a party. They were also struggling with angles so we got up and did orienteering. When there’s a lot of curriculum to cover a skillset or topic, it can be overwhelming, and behaviors can limit creativity – but sometimes those behaviors go away when the student is engaged, and moving.
Thanks to Amanda for answering my questions!