After returning from Boston, I think that I was most excited to be able to substitute teach at the local schools. I have been a registered substitute teacher since the summer of 2011. Ever since, I haven’t been in Fredericksburg at the same time that public schools are in session. On Monday and Tuesday, I would be, so I decided to keep an eye out for the calling system to give me a ring and ask me to come in. Sunday night, while at dinner, I got a ring from the system and ended up logging in to accept a job substituting for all levels of high school math at Mountain View High School. I had never been to MVHS, so I was excited, as I learned that their school colors were maroon and orange. Nuff said.
I do have to say, though, I loved working with these children. Seeing them understand the concepts that were simply eft for me to communicate from a lesson plan was nice. I understand why people experience such job from being a teacher. But, to allude to Nevitt Sanford‘s Challenge & Support Theory (one of my favorite student development theories of ALL time), the amount of support that you need to provide younger students is insane. Which is ironic for me to feel, personally, beacuse I love the amount of suppor tthat you need to provide to little 7-year-old 1st graders. But for them, it’s expected. And they are striving to be independent simultaneously, and eager to learn more.
You can’t describe all teenagers, for the sake of their development, in the same way. Some are working eagerly to move forward and some are perfectly happy being stagnant. Working with those more challenging situations woul dbe hard for me, I’ll admit, if I was ever a high school teacher. At the university level, there is that innate sense of “I want to be here,” my most students. Not all, but most. And I think that is what can help navigate many challenges in higher education administration. So, essentially, this entire experience while unique and rewarding in tis own way, really helped cement the fact that I am in the right field. :)
