Learning To Be A Teacher

Hello all. Or no one [yet]. I am a college student going through school to become a Middle School Math and Science teacher. I have a passion for working with middle school students and a love for that moment when you've explained something to someone and they get it.

I have just started a class related to content literacy which I have just now learned about. In the best way that I can possibly explain it as a math-minded person, it is this: People talk about how math is a different language (because it is, and it is beautiful). Content literacy is learning how to read that language of math. I hope that makes as much sense to you as it does in my head. Like I said, I'm becoming a teacher which includes learning how to fully explain my thoughts on a subject and not having to constantly say, "Does that make sense?" After reading a few articles on the subject of content literacy, I've gotten at least a good idea of what the topic covers. One of the points that an article made was that literacy in a content (or language) includes the ability to speak, write, read, and communicate in that language. This means that I will be walking with my students as they begin to speak the language of math and numbers; write, configure, and translate the difficult problems; read the confusing, but well-meaning textbooks; and communicate to students, parents, teachers, and siblings what they have learned. It looks like I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Feel free to help me build a greater understanding of this topic or put it in different words!

Through this blog, I hope to build a network of fellow educators who I can communicate with and learn from. I am not too far from having my own classroom and the idea both excites and terrifies me. It would be so incredibly encouraging to go into my classroom my first year with a network of educators whose brains I can pick and get ideas from. I already have a small teacher crush on a few blogs, so get excited. You could already be or become one of them!

Now why have I made a decision to spend the rest of my life in school? Well... Like many other women, as a little girl I would gather my collection of dolls together and teach them simple math concepts. Of course, all of my students were brilliant and thought that I was "Teacher of the Year" material. That was a just a game for me. Or so I thought. Then as I got older, I discovered a love of cooking and baking. My plan then was to go to a culinary school and become an amazing chef. (Side note: I still love cooking and baking and use it as my relaxation and de-stressor from school.) When going through middle school, I was involved in the ministry at my church and became very close with most of the staff. Then, when I graduated from middle school and moved into high school, I did not want to lose those relationships, so I began volunteering with that same ministry. I found a love for the middle school age group and continued to volunteer with that ministry all throughout high school as well as college when I could. This passion for middle school aged students put together with my love for math and science resulted in my decision to become a middle school math and/or science teacher. It just made sense.

[Sassy]