It's the start of my third year teaching at my old high school, Irvington High,in Fremont, CA. The best way I can describe how I feel now is as though my different pasts have come together. The past of my high school self melds with my Yale student self and my first and second year teacher self... to become the teacher I am today.
I have always been focused on self-improvement and each year I grow more aware of how to best support student learning. The three most prominent changes taking place as I start third year are:
1.) I now truly do Backwards Planning. I have in mind the essay question the students will respond to, unlike my first two years. Starting with the Great Gatsby, I would like students to contemplate how the novel is a commentary on the American Dream; and how characters and symbols further the meaning. Every scene I guide the students through, each activity we explore, is better focused on supporting students in writing this essay.
2.) I feel greater urgency in what I do because I see how the skills students learn will directly enhance their lives later on. Before, as a new teacher, my goal was for students to follow directions and turn in assignments. Now, the purpose is for students to prove they know why they are learning what I teach; and to believe in its importance. Again, with Great Gatsby, the students must thoroughly understand the American Dream because of our current political climate: now more than ever we must study the roots of racism, sexism, and class division - first in literature then in life.
I've also internalized the urgency of teaching public speaking skills: it is an ability that can lead to better professional, social, and internal environments.
3.) Lastly, I am realizing the importance of knowing myself/my teacher self. Why do I teach is a question I can better answer - because I believe knowledge generates deep and true happiness and therefore it ought to be promoted. My past must also be probed: how did I really feel about being at an Ivy League school, as a low-income Asian American woman? How do my race, gender, and age affect me now, in my personal and professional relationships? To what extent do I respect myself, and how much respect do I expect from others?
I hope to continue this blog and to write it mainly for myself, for self-growth. If it is shared, then it could be a great jumping-off point for discussing the experience of teaching with colleagues and friends.
