Janaye at Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes is having a linky.
I started wanting to be a teacher in 2nd grade.
I had teachery leanings.
As early as 11 I was volunteering with the Education Department at Marine World Africa USA. I worked with their summer camp and some of the smaller animals and got to teach about the animals and learn a bit about managing a group of children.
I spent most of my childhood and teenage years studying a form of Martial Arts called Kaju Kenbo. (I am woefully out of shape and not studying now.) I spent a lot of time helping to teach the children’s classes as I advanced through belts. I remember once being left alone to lead an adult class thinking how weird it was that I was a 16 year old getting a group of 20-50 people to do whatever I told them.
Somehow, by the time I went to college, I’d changed my mind and decided to major in Psychology. I loved it. If I had an unlimited budget, I might have gone after my PHD, but I knew I’d need to get to work sooner than that. I remember taking a class that combined Psychology, Education, and Technology that really hooked me. I was able to work with a group called Barrios Unidos that helped children learn how to use a computer. As the trimesters changed, the class became part of the Education Department rather than the Psych department. I loved working with the kids and a stat from a psych class kept haunting me. Some study showed that anyone that goes to therapy has a 10% improvement no matter what kind of therapy or who their therapist was. I wanted to matter and I felt like I mattered to the children I was working with.
Soon after graduation I started subbing. After a few days in a very challenging classroom, I got a phone call from the person that booked subs. Since I hadn’t gone running and screaming, she wanted to see if I’d try a long term sub position in 4th grade for a class that didn’t have a teacher. The teacher had quit. They had had 4 subs that agreed to be long term subs but changed their mind after one day. Looking back on it now, I had no idea what I was doing, but no fear. A week into subbing, no credential, no training, no experience, and my own class. What was wrong with me?
I swear walking into that class was like a scene in a movie. The kids were literally throwing things at me. Crayons. Pencils. Handfuls of glitter. Yes. Handfuls of glitter. Sigh.
I think they wanted me to yell and scream so they could laugh at me have a fit. But I looked at these little kids, who had been abandoned, and the psych major in me understood why they were acting like that. I told them that I could understand why they were angry but I wasn’t the one they should be angry at. I told them I wouldn’t be treated like that. I said that I knew they didn’t trust me but that after the way they acted I didn’t trust them either. (I think they were in shock. I must have been the first person to react calmly.) I told them they just showed me that they couldn’t handle having things in their desk. I went around and collected all their pencils and crayons. After school I found the stash of giant bottles of glitter that had been hidden under the sink and got rid of those. I don’t remember what subjects we learned that day, if any. But, I learned that I could handle anything. I was with that class for the 30 classroom days my lack of credential allowed. I felt bad leaving them. They never did get a full time teacher that year. But, when the next teacher came in, nothing was thrown.
I had made a difference. However small. And I was hooked.
And on another note…
S. Webb says
Wow! So glad you stuck it out! I teach fourth grade too, but I avoid glitter…. You helped those students learn more than any subject that day, but a life lesson that could not be replaced. Awesome job!
Mercedes Hutchens says
Thanks! I've had a zero tolerance policy on glitter since then. 🙂 I bought paint with glitter once to make parent gifts and had to stop and convince myself it wasn't really glitter. I'd find glitter on my clothiers for months after that!
Janaye says
Wow, what a touching story!! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Janaye
Tales of Frogs and Cupcakes