I love teaching high school.
High schoolers are nuts. Think about it, they have exponentially more hormones and energy than they know what to do with, and we're asking them to sit in a classroom for 90 minutes with 25--28 of their peers (who are also nuts) and chill out while they learn. Ha! Right. I teach Spanish I, so in addition to having the normal craziness of high schoolers, I have a lot of students who are there only to fulfill their language requirement, not necessarily because they are dying to learn Spanish. And I have a lot of freshmen/sophomores. Essentially, calling the range of maturity and motivation in my classes broad is an understatement.
But finding a way to make it work is challenging, and I'm always up for a good challenge. My goal for this year is that the ~180 students I teach leave my class prepared for Spanish II--and that their education will not reflect that I am a first year teacher. So far, I have learned quickly and constantly, things like having "sponge" activities ready for when 2nd period inevitably finishes the lesson 15 minutes before all my other classes. Or how much note-taking the kids can take before they zone out. And how much they don't enjoy note-taking in general.
I would have to say the most important lesson I have learned in the classroom is to keep it fun. Especially with the variation of motivation among my students, this is vital. But not only for the sake of their learning, but for the sake of my sanity. When my students have fun, I have fun and giggle with them. When I have more fun, I love my job even more. Friday we played a game with vocabulary, and I actually overheard a student say, "This is the most fun game I have ever played in a class before." My day was made by that comment, and I left school Friday energized, despite my lack of rest. Note-taking and grammar are inevitable parts of learning a language, but there has to be something to keep the kids interested. And it will work for some of them more than others, but it will give them a positive view of your class for the effort. And it will let you have fun with them, which is a great way to build a relationship with students.
I'm a rookie, but learning. I love being a teacher. Just watch out when I have on my sombrero...
