Is Teaching Hard??

This is the number one question that I was asked, and even grappled with myself during my first few years of teaching. I began teaching in 2010 while completing my teaching certification through an alternate route teacher certification program. I must admit, it was an eye opening experience. I can remember clearly saying to myself, "Did I make the wrong career choice?". Now reflecting on my experience thus far, (and yes I have had some experiences that would have made me throw in the towel), I have come to learn that teaching is not hard, it is challenging. A challenge is defined as a call to take part in something or a situation that test's someone's abilities. The words "challenge"and "hard" are sometimes used interchangeably, however they are not really interchangeable. Something that is "hard" is difficult to bear, causes suffering, mental stress, and is harsh to the senses. While I have found that teaching can be taxing on me mentally, overall it is more of a challenge of my personal abilities and strengths, rather than difficult to bear.

For the first 2 years of teaching I prayed and asked God why he set the path for me to be a teacher. I felt unqualified, inadequate, and many times I wanted to give up. It wasn't until I got to the point where I was about to give up when He began to show me the bigger picture. God invested a lot in me: I'm smart, have a great personality and sense of humor, and most of all I have a relationship with Him. Does that mean that I was placed in my position to preach to my students? No! But my lifestyle is a witness and testimony of what God can do when you develop a relationship with Him. Furthermore, I can be an example to my students of what it means to have a balanced life: having fun, enjoying life, being smart and strong academically, and having a strong relationship with God where you are not doing things to compromise that relationship.

Prior to this realization, I thought teaching was really hard! But now, I teach from a different perspective. I teach with the mindset that I am always teaching. I prepare with the mindset that I have to give my best because regardless of what I do, my students are learning from it. I am the example. Yes, the pressure it on, but God has not given me more than I can handle.

This blog is all about how I have learned to teach smarter and not harder. Using tricks, strategies and materials (either from online websites, or some that I have made up on my own), I have learned that most of my time should not be devoted to what the students can produce for me, but rather what they can produce for themselves. I already know what they will be learning. My job is not to regurgitate information or even have them regurgitate it to me, but to teach them life skills that allow them to think and operate successfully in any situation, both in and out of the classroom.