My "This is what being a teacher is really all about" moment came this past week during a HOSA meeting. My student officers were conducting the meeting and I was hanging out in the background monitoring things but busy with the list of things I was trying to mentally check off during the busy week of getting grades posted. Suddenly I heard them mention my name, so of course I looked to the front of the room where they were standing and paid closer attention. They were discussing the Fall Leadership Conference we had just attended the previous Thursday and Friday. Now, I know that these three students had really enjoyed themselves but I did not realize just how much. They made sure that they mentioned the wonderful room they had, the other students they met as well as all the fun and new things they experienced. What they really surprised me with was them telling the others how they should listen to me as their teacher and believe it when I say to them that they too “could make a difference in their lives” and to really think about signing up for the Spring Competition Conference. They mentioned how I got them all excited when we were at the conference reviewing the poster and triboard competitions and pulled them aside at one point and said “Hey, we (NCCA HOSA) could “blow the competition out of the water!”. (We are a new chapter and none of the students have ever competed in anything like this.) This motivated them to sign up to compete. Well, this was a “Wow” moment for me. I really never felt like the things I do and say for these students really is taken to heart. Who knew?
This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Friday, November 16, 2012
What was the moment (or moments) this
past week when you felt most connected, engaged, or affirmed as a teacher - the
moment(s) when you said to yourself, "This is what being a teacher is really all
about"?
My "This is what being a teacher is really all about" moment came this past week during a HOSA meeting. My student officers were conducting the meeting and I was hanging out in the background monitoring things but busy with the list of things I was trying to mentally check off during the busy week of getting grades posted. Suddenly I heard them mention my name, so of course I looked to the front of the room where they were standing and paid closer attention. They were discussing the Fall Leadership Conference we had just attended the previous Thursday and Friday. Now, I know that these three students had really enjoyed themselves but I did not realize just how much. They made sure that they mentioned the wonderful room they had, the other students they met as well as all the fun and new things they experienced. What they really surprised me with was them telling the others how they should listen to me as their teacher and believe it when I say to them that they too “could make a difference in their lives” and to really think about signing up for the Spring Competition Conference. They mentioned how I got them all excited when we were at the conference reviewing the poster and triboard competitions and pulled them aside at one point and said “Hey, we (NCCA HOSA) could “blow the competition out of the water!”. (We are a new chapter and none of the students have ever competed in anything like this.) This motivated them to sign up to compete. Well, this was a “Wow” moment for me. I really never felt like the things I do and say for these students really is taken to heart. Who knew?
My "This is what being a teacher is really all about" moment came this past week during a HOSA meeting. My student officers were conducting the meeting and I was hanging out in the background monitoring things but busy with the list of things I was trying to mentally check off during the busy week of getting grades posted. Suddenly I heard them mention my name, so of course I looked to the front of the room where they were standing and paid closer attention. They were discussing the Fall Leadership Conference we had just attended the previous Thursday and Friday. Now, I know that these three students had really enjoyed themselves but I did not realize just how much. They made sure that they mentioned the wonderful room they had, the other students they met as well as all the fun and new things they experienced. What they really surprised me with was them telling the others how they should listen to me as their teacher and believe it when I say to them that they too “could make a difference in their lives” and to really think about signing up for the Spring Competition Conference. They mentioned how I got them all excited when we were at the conference reviewing the poster and triboard competitions and pulled them aside at one point and said “Hey, we (NCCA HOSA) could “blow the competition out of the water!”. (We are a new chapter and none of the students have ever competed in anything like this.) This motivated them to sign up to compete. Well, this was a “Wow” moment for me. I really never felt like the things I do and say for these students really is taken to heart. Who knew?
Hey Theresa,
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to know what teenagers think about things, but in a matter of time. I'm glad you were able to hear this conversation. Since this is the first year, surely this will do a great job getting the momentum going for next year. When they stare at you like you are a knot on a log, it is near impossible to gain an accurate perception of what took place. Hearing them in their own space tells you that they truly enjoyed the experience. That's great!