Looking from the Inside Out!

Looking from the Inside Out!

By Liz Falcone

I have had a unique opportunity these past five months… the chance to look at Terraset from the inside… out! I have been a long term substitute teacher in a 2^nd grade classroom. Boy, did I learn a thing or two!

1. Kids melt my heart
2. Teachers are TOTALLY over worked
3. Time is indeed the greatest gift you can give your own child
4. Life-long-learning is no cliché

Those of you who have had the opportunity to spend seven hours a day with 20 or more kids know what a challenge it can be. First off, it is impossible to work out which child to speak to while making sure everyone gets a turn. Then, you can’t speak because you lose your voice by the second week. Next, you need to remember to stop speaking so you don’t use up all the kids’ work time! Kids love to “do” -- Mrs. Falcone loves to talk!

Lesson Number One: Mini-lesson means just that! You don’t have to share all your thoughts with the class. Kids have much more fun discovering what you want them to understand.

Of course, you can re-discover so much through their discovery too. The joy of spelling “update” all by yourself; the fun of writing a story with a friend about a mad giant; the pride in simply reading and being able to read to a friend. It takes a lot of patience to allow this type of learning to unfold. It also takes so much more preparation than I imagined! I have worked in a number of different positions in my “illustrious” career, but somehow… the responsibility of guiding the ongoing development of 21 young lives seems so much more important than making sure some software development project is completed on time. Their little faces invade your sleep as you think about how best to help each comprehend double digit addition – you are driven to spend every minute available to make sure every day provides just the right learning opportunity for at least one “somebody” in the class.

Oh, and can I let you in on a little secret? In elementary schools, teachers do not sit around in the staff lounge drinking coffee (unlike my experience in both secondary schools and universities!) Indeed, it can be difficult for many of them to even get a bathroom break! The kids arrive and the teacher is on deck! Even when the class has a special, teachers participate in planning meetings. I promise you, there is no down time! Many of the teachers arrive at 7am… many of them go home at 7pm! I know… I was there too! It’s the only way you can get your room ready for another day of… well, the full day of learning the next day brings.

Lesson Number Two: elementary school teaching is not necessarily a job that lets you be at home with your kids – not during the school year anyway!

And that reminds me, teachers’ families put up with a lot! For five months I was not home in time to prepare dinner, my husband did all the shopping, and my daughter got out of bed an hour earlier than she needed to just because she wanted to spend some time with me. Now, I know that much of this can be attributed to my “First Year Teacher” status, but I honestly had no idea just how much out-of-hours time teachers put into their career.

Lesson Number Three: If you are able to give a teacher a small gift of time that allows them to go home a little earlier, they can pay it forward by giving that gift of time to their own family.

So, where has this unique experience landed me? Wide-eyed and bushy-tailed… eager to learn more and understand what drives individuals to want to teach! It is draining. It is challenging. It is amazing to feel that you can make a positive difference in a child’s life! It is wonderful to be in an evironment where everyone is striving to learn more… to learn more about the curriculum, to learn more about how to teach well, to learn more about how to foster a real love of learning in each child.

Lesson Number Four: Life long learning is the key to my happiness. To know that I can continue to grow and discover new things about the world, just like the seven to eight year olds I was fortunate enough to spend the last five months with, keeps me young and keeps me happy!