Part time stint

In addition to teaching full time, I am also attending the Teacher's College of Columbia University, where I am working toward a Masters Degree for the Teaching of English. (There are way too many prepositional phrases in that sentence). While going to class a couple of nights each week was initially daunting and incredibly tiresome, I have grown to love the commute into NYC, the excitement of the Big Apple, and the invaluable lessons/experience I'm gaining in my classes.

As a working teacher (most of the students in my program are working toward their initial certification) I am participating in a small seminar in which a group of teachers gather every so often to discuss current issues in the classroom, share experiences and gripes, and come together in a safe and supportive environment. This has been a wonderful venue through which I have met some amazing teachers, the kind who you really remember long after you've graduated and moved on from their class. This small cohort has offered much advice for a novice teacher and I truly thankful that we've been put together. I am hoping that we will continue this seminar throughout the next semester with the same group of teachers (we're currently petitioning to do so).

For each of our class sessions, we have a reading that coincides with the topic. I recently read the article "To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher" by William Ayers. I fell in love. The sort of teaching he describes is quite predominantly a pillar of my educational philosophy. He does not portray his work as a teacher as some magical and life changing experience (you know, the kind where Hillary Swank saves a group of underprivileged students by having them read more books). He does, however, honor the small victories of teaching, and looks to the future of students who have accomplished something great in his class. "No one lived happily ever after--there was no sudden or perfect turnaround for [my student]--but a moment of possibility, a glimmer of what could be for him has remained in my mind" (3). These are the victories I care about as well. The ones where I think to myself, 'perhaps this day will be the day that my student looks back and remember feeling great about what they accomplished.'

Another quote from Ayers reminds me so much of my role(s) as a teacher. I've often described the position as necessitating an ability to wear a number of hats, but Ayers has struck gold with his present progressive laundry list of what teaching is. "Teaching is instructing, advising, counseling, organizing, assessing, guiding, goading, showing, managing, modeling, coaching, disciplining, prodding, preaching, persuading, proselytizing, listening, interacting, nursing, and inspiring" (5). I'd also like to add learning and discovering to the list. Fortunately, I've faced the challenge to do all of these things head on and while my practical experience has been limited, it has certainly been phenomenal.