My Educational Journey (Part I. I almost quit...)

Fourteen years ago this month I was gearing up for my first year teaching 8th grade at St. John the Baptist in Philadelphia (Manayunk), PA. I remember feeling nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. I never taught a lesson to anyone older than a 5th grader and that was in Oxford, PA which was much different than what I was about to get myself into. I had a grade partner who was brand new as well but I had a mentor who showed me the ropes and  a principal who believed in me.

That being said I was ready to say goodbye to teaching by December of that year. I knew I couldn't quit but there was no way I was going to do this for more than one year. Law school was always an option so maybe I would try that. Why was i going to quit? I had 29 students in my classroom, I had zero classroom management, I taught the subjects (I think) but students weren't learning and they definitely were not engaged. Each day I went home feeling defeated. I started taking LSAT prep classes and figured I'll enroll somewhere in the fall, being a lawyer was always something that was in the back of my mind so I was content in my decision.

I remember coming back from Christmas break and feeling at peace and looking forward to doing my best to get my students ready for high school. Then something started happening, each day got better and better. Classroom discussions were highly intensive, my management techniques (albeit horrible thinking about it now) improved, and I started feeling like they were truly learning something. By May I decided to postpone law school until the following fall and I signed on to teach for another year.

So what changed?

1. I made a connection with my students. Trust is not something that happens overnight, my students began to see that I cared for them and I was doing my best to prepare them for high school. I knew their hobbies/interests, if it was drawing, music, or sports I showed genuine interest in each of them as INDIVIDUALS.
2. I made learning relevant. I used Sixers box scores to teach math, I referenced their favorite music artists, in short... i threw away the teacher manuals from 1974 and focused on the standards/guidelines 
3. I began to believe in myself. My mentor was a huge help all year, many times she would talk me "off the ledge" and give practical advice that I was able to use immediately and my grade level partner and I grew together. Above all though Sister Angela, the principal who believed in me when she took a chance and hired me, made me realize that I was in the right place. I would never be where I am today without her taking a chance.