Personal Narrative: The Journey So Far

Teaching is a demanding profession. So the more experience you have, the better. There are times when students can seem uninterested in learning and very disruptive in the classroom and you are always expected to work magic on them and make them stars.
I took the interest to teach in my second year in school. I wasn’t sure why i opted for the profession. Initially, it was about me consoling myself for attending a College of Education instead of my dream University.
My first teaching experience was exciting. I learned to love people beyond my
family. I didn’t get it all right but it sure improved me as that was the first sincere life feedback i ever got from the younger generation.
My second experience was different. I had a lot of students with behavioral issues. From students that will shame you while teaching, to intimidating looks. I couldn’t handle it so i ran away. I literally did and got myself somewhere with lesser issues. I don’t regret that anyways. Towards the end, i wasn’t proud of myself so i tried to re strategize. One thing i must point out is, using fear to motivate students to achieve great scores in standardized tests is wrong.
A year and half later, I am a full time and dedicated teacher. Hmmm! So many stories untold. From the exhaustion, to the yelling. There’s no tiredness like teacher tiredness and then you find yourself yelling at some young fellows that looks at you like you are a crazy person. From ignoring to indifference.
Sometimes, you can’t always pay attention to what a child does wrong, and then it turns to indifference because you have to stay focused and utilize the little time you have to teach. Not to mention the days you try your best to explain a seemingly ‘abstract’ topic and at the end you get ‘we are still blank’ faces.
I learned that teaching is beyond classroom interaction. You have to make emotional investments. Some kids need love to act ‘normal’ while some others
don’t like you in their personal life no matter what goes wrong. One quality which is essential for every teacher is being a Rapport builder –
recognizing, listening to, respecting and being evenhanded with students, in a professional manner. I created a good rapport with my kids without show of favoritism. It was difficult but I always like to be fair. This helped me meet goals and filling fulfilled. You must also be prepared to answer every kind of question.
This year is my first in handling elementary pupils. I feel it’s tougher than dealing with teenagers. Well, communication has been difficult especially with first and second graders. Unlike teenagers, the younger pupils taught me ‘thorough patience’. I’m not sure I’m done learning that. Their language of communication is very different. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll never notice. You’ll just keep getting frustrated.
Someone once said that the hard part about teaching is “There is never enough time. There are never enough resources. There is never enough you” which is very true. The best thing is, get to know your students/pupils. They will work hard for you and themselves if you can love them and show it.
I can’t deny that the experience is extraordinarily rewarding as there is a whole feeling of fulfillment. I’m still learning, growing and striving to build my kids but i can confidently call myself a coach, a tutor, a disciplinarian and a motivator.
