Falling in love with teaching again
Teaching has always been something I knew I was meant to do. I like to think I'm pretty patient, loving, and dedicated. In church, I had my first opportunity to be in a classroom as a teacher figure. I was a Sunday School teacher for young children, and it was something I liked doing. Teaching material that opened the minds of those little kids was magical to me. I went to college, not knowing what to major in, and after my sophomore year I was privileged to intern with an amazing organization called Freedom School Partners.
I wasn't a "teacher" but a teacher figure. To be more specific, I was a Student Leader Intern. I had no idea how much being an SLI would impact my life. I went into that internship expecting to have a good time, and get paid. We started off the internship with some "in town training" we got to know our fellow interns, and learn the daily routine, songs, and activities. After about a week we went to Tennessee for another week of training. Now, keep in mind it was my first year with this organization. We got there and it was a whole different ball park. There was so much energy from the trainers, other interns, and coordinators. Our days were long and tiring but filled with knowledge, love, and education. I learned that to be a good SLI I had to be active, loving, and creative. I learned how to decorate an entire classroom with just Butcher Paper. We were taught how to ask Blooms Taxonomy Questions and make reading something fun to do. I also learned how to be vulnerable and open with my scholars. We learned that some of our scholars were going to have difficult backgrounds, and we needed to be honest and caring to them to be able to succeed like we knew they could.
Freedom School Partners helped me realize my calling. I was meant to be a teacher. Not just any teacher but one that loved her students and had the passion to teach, not only teach the material I had to, but most importantly to teach them that they mattered. Most of the scholars we worked with in Freedom Schools were scholars that had been pushed to the side. They were told negative things from their teachers, like "your not going to be anything." It sounds horrible, but that was their reality. I wanted to be that teacher that cared for them, and made them fall in love with learning again. I interned for Freedom School Partners for 3 amazing summers. After that last summer I didn't know if I would be able to be in a classroom again. I was DACAmented, and in North Carolina it was difficult to teach with DACA.
Thankfully, I was able to get a job as a Spanish teacher at the high school I graduated from. It was one of the best years of my life. I had the ability to become that teacher I wanted. I didn't just teach Spanish, I made bonds with my students, and made sure they knew how much I cared for them. I taught them about the world, and how to make educational arguments and defend what they believed. I never told them they couldn't do anything and helped them find their creativity again. They were high school students who thought that they were too cool to do arts and crafts, yet I got them out of their comfort zones and try new things. I will always love and cherish each one of them. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and that year was over. I didn't have a contract renewal because that chapter of my life was over. I left the US and moved to Mexico.
I wanted to continue being that teacher I dreamed of, but the school systems in Mexico are not the same as they are in the US. I had the opportunity to become a 5th grade English teacher, but I wasn't the teacher I once was. Instead of being the motivating, loving, and creative teacher I thought I was, I became a robot. Teaching from the book that was given to me, and felt trapped when I wanted to do something different and was told I should just follow the book and finish it. I felt my own creativity dying. How could I be that teacher I once was, when I didn't have what I wanted to teach? After a few months, I quit. I hated who I was becoming, and my mental health was at risk. It was a tough decision to make, but it had to be done.
I'm still teaching, but not in a classroom. I began to offer private classes and tutoring lessons. At first, I didn't have many students, but after a few months, I now have 7 students. I am still not the teacher I once was, but I am slowly getting there. I am teaching with my own material, and with activities I actually enjoy. I am motivating my students to keep up the good work because let's face it, English is a difficult language to learn, and I am finding my creativity again. I teach at different locations and not in a classroom. My students range from 7 to 63 years old, and I love every second of it. They are falling in love with English, and I'm falling in love with teaching once again.
I wasn't a "teacher" but a teacher figure. To be more specific, I was a Student Leader Intern. I had no idea how much being an SLI would impact my life. I went into that internship expecting to have a good time, and get paid. We started off the internship with some "in town training" we got to know our fellow interns, and learn the daily routine, songs, and activities. After about a week we went to Tennessee for another week of training. Now, keep in mind it was my first year with this organization. We got there and it was a whole different ball park. There was so much energy from the trainers, other interns, and coordinators. Our days were long and tiring but filled with knowledge, love, and education. I learned that to be a good SLI I had to be active, loving, and creative. I learned how to decorate an entire classroom with just Butcher Paper. We were taught how to ask Blooms Taxonomy Questions and make reading something fun to do. I also learned how to be vulnerable and open with my scholars. We learned that some of our scholars were going to have difficult backgrounds, and we needed to be honest and caring to them to be able to succeed like we knew they could.
Freedom School Partners helped me realize my calling. I was meant to be a teacher. Not just any teacher but one that loved her students and had the passion to teach, not only teach the material I had to, but most importantly to teach them that they mattered. Most of the scholars we worked with in Freedom Schools were scholars that had been pushed to the side. They were told negative things from their teachers, like "your not going to be anything." It sounds horrible, but that was their reality. I wanted to be that teacher that cared for them, and made them fall in love with learning again. I interned for Freedom School Partners for 3 amazing summers. After that last summer I didn't know if I would be able to be in a classroom again. I was DACAmented, and in North Carolina it was difficult to teach with DACA.
Thankfully, I was able to get a job as a Spanish teacher at the high school I graduated from. It was one of the best years of my life. I had the ability to become that teacher I wanted. I didn't just teach Spanish, I made bonds with my students, and made sure they knew how much I cared for them. I taught them about the world, and how to make educational arguments and defend what they believed. I never told them they couldn't do anything and helped them find their creativity again. They were high school students who thought that they were too cool to do arts and crafts, yet I got them out of their comfort zones and try new things. I will always love and cherish each one of them. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and that year was over. I didn't have a contract renewal because that chapter of my life was over. I left the US and moved to Mexico.
I wanted to continue being that teacher I dreamed of, but the school systems in Mexico are not the same as they are in the US. I had the opportunity to become a 5th grade English teacher, but I wasn't the teacher I once was. Instead of being the motivating, loving, and creative teacher I thought I was, I became a robot. Teaching from the book that was given to me, and felt trapped when I wanted to do something different and was told I should just follow the book and finish it. I felt my own creativity dying. How could I be that teacher I once was, when I didn't have what I wanted to teach? After a few months, I quit. I hated who I was becoming, and my mental health was at risk. It was a tough decision to make, but it had to be done.
I'm still teaching, but not in a classroom. I began to offer private classes and tutoring lessons. At first, I didn't have many students, but after a few months, I now have 7 students. I am still not the teacher I once was, but I am slowly getting there. I am teaching with my own material, and with activities I actually enjoy. I am motivating my students to keep up the good work because let's face it, English is a difficult language to learn, and I am finding my creativity again. I teach at different locations and not in a classroom. My students range from 7 to 63 years old, and I love every second of it. They are falling in love with English, and I'm falling in love with teaching once again.
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