Five out of seven days of the week, students are in their teachers’ presence, yet they rarely ever spend that time thinking about what goes on behind the scenes for these teachers. The time students spend in school is roughly 10 percent of their life span. Think about how much larger of a percentage teachers spend beyond just classroom instruction. They spend countless hours grading assignments, creating lesson plans to better fit student needs and supporting students not only academically, but personally.
Mrs. Abrell currently teaches ICP in the science department. Before being an ICP teacher, she was a physical education teacher. However, she switched to science based classes later on.
She became a teacher to, “influence the amount of health problems correlating with weight.” She said her favorite part of teaching is being around the kids, creating connections and getting to know them as people, not just students.
One of her stand out moments happened during a unit on nutrition. “One day in nutrition, a student asked if they could start a group to voice the importance of nutrition and to maybe help the kids experiencing these health issues.” This moment made her feel like she had actually made an impact.
Mr. Lacy teaches middle school social studies. His favorite part of being a teacher is the environment, getting to create joy for the kids, and seeing them get excited about the material they are learning.
Mr. Lacy’s special moment in teaching came from an experience that really changed his mindset. During an active shooter situation, he first hand experienced how everybody reacted, which showed him how much perspectives can vary.
He is a teacher who would like to get back to the basics. He said, “Paper and pencil will always be better. We should get rid of chromebooks. No robots could replace teachers.” This speaks volumes about him as a teacher.
Ms. Ferguson teaches English 9 and English 10. She enjoys seeing information and skills click for students and getting to be a full time parent and supporter. She believes that it is possible to work through almost anything except for when a kid just does not care at all, whether it is about grades or discipline. Kids not having motivation and completely shut down when trying to be helped can be one of the hardest things. However, also the most rewarding when change is accomplished.
Her special moment was not just a moment, it was more of a special student. She had a student who did not speak much English and was actively homeless. She helped him establish his life, getting him his license, a job and eventually finding somewhere to stay. Later on, she actually ran into him at the gym, where she found out he had become successful and was doing great. Knowing she really impacted someone’s entire life truly made her feel like she was really accomplishing something important as a teacher.
Listening to these teachers’ stories and hearing what makes them enjoy being a teacher, highlights the deep impact teachers have. They are not just instructors. Many of them change lives in meaningful ways every day.