Random Thoughts About Teaching

A lot of things have changed since I walked down the street I had lived on for a year, waving goodbye to my host family and my life in Freiburg. A lot has changed since I got on the train to head to the airport, waving at David and saying goodbye to him for nearly half a year.

Until recently, I was going to other people for advice. Now, they're coming to me. You'd be surprised how many crises kids choose to share with their teachers. They see us as these super beings that have all of the answers. They look up at us with their big, innocent eyes, hoping we can help them. And I do; to the best of my ability. Some of them have stories that could make anyone's heart break. But they somehow carry on.

I get notes sometimes. Kids leave notes on the board in German. One boy gave me a sticky note that said, "Frau Rowland ist die beste Lehrerin der Welt." I sort of wonder how he got the sentence to be so grammatically correct, but I was very touched.

I keep forgetting that many of these kids aren't yet able to advocate for themselves. Instead of telling us what they need, they are waiting for us to see that they need it. Today, I finally moved a boy who is always a bit too chatty. A few minutes later he said, "I like this spot better. I can concentrate here." Had I known that was the problem at the beginning of the year, that would've saved me a lot of grief.

I go to a lot of meetings. Meeting after meeting until sometimes I want to pull my hair out. I've been pulled into a world that I knew little about and was told to dive right in. I still don't understand some rules and policies, but take comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one.

It's amazing how some kids change their behavior completely in your classroom once you start doting on them a bit. I would've never thought kids would like to tell me about their day or things that or going on while helping me with something that needs to be done in the classroom. Most kids eat that stuff up.

I never realized how forgiving kids are. I will yell at them, give them extra assignments, correct their behavior, etc. And by the next class, they're telling me how excited they are to be in my room, or how they love my shirt or my new haircut. It's so nice to be able to start fresh everyday.

It's a stressful job, that's for sure. But it's so rewarding. I'm able to combine my love of language, learning, children, and helping others. This isn't where I thought I'd end up, but it's where I belong.