The Challenges and the Miracles of My First Year Teaching

After 10 years in the classroom, I have been reflecting on my early days in the trenches of education. Recalling these stories and life lessons have given me a new appreciation of this journey.

My first year teaching, I entered the classroom with idealistic dreams. I went through extra training in pedagogy that tempered those lofty goals and gave me many tools I was anxious to use.  I taught 7^th grade science in an inner-city school and saw 120 students a day.  Sadly, within a few weeks, dealing with a multitude of challenges, I quickly slipped into survival mode and questioned my decision to become a teacher.  But, small and sometimes tremendous miracles did happen that kept me moving forward.

Because I had been practicing gratitude and keeping a gratitude list, I still kept a decent attitude through all the challenges of that first year.  A fellow teacher commented that even though my first year was tough and she saw me struggle, I kept the most positive attitude she had ever seen. That positive outlook did help me, but I didn’t see how it could apply with the students yet.

Of all the things I have done in my life, getting through my first year of teaching was by far my most challenging undertaking. And yes, during that first year, I would reach those transcendent moments where I did connect with the student and felt the magic that happens when the classroom unites in learning.

Angel

During my first week of teaching, one day I came across one of my student, Angel, sitting in the hallway with some sheet music. I asked, “Are you a musician?”

 She said, “No, but I love to sing and I am learning a new song.” I asked her if she would sing for me, but Angel said, “No, Mr. Griffith, I am too shy.”

As I walked away I said, “Someday, when you are ready, you will sing for me.”

Then, a month later, Angel saw me in hallway and said, “Mr. Griffith, I am ready today.” I tried to think about what she meant. Through the tornado of activity that first month, I forgot about that previous interaction. But, she brought out the sheet music, and I remembered it all. I realized that she had been working for a month on the song and getting her courage up just for this day. I asked her if she would perform for the class, but she said, “No, I will sing just for you.”

When the students all exited the classroom, she closed her eyes, and a voice came out of her that fit her name. It truly seemed like an angel had entered the classroom as she sang. I closed my eyes and enjoyed connecting with her on a different level.

As I listened, I also realized the power to inspire we have as teachers, and that when we challenge our students, they will often respond positively. In addition, she inspired me to bring my guitar into the classroom and share music with my students, integrating it into class. While she grew in her courage through this interaction, I grew in my ability to connect with my students by seeing that there are many ways to reach students outside the traditional paradigms.

As the year progressed, I kept doing the things that worked, but classroom management was getting in the way of my lessons. This was a tough school, and I was breaking up fights in my classroom, as well as dealing with students who had given up on life by the 7^th grade. I wanted to reach all these students so much, but I could only connect from time to time with a small fraction of them.

Many nights, I would wake up at 3 AM, haunted by all the things going wrong with my teaching. This is when I would do a personal gratitude list and still find the good things happening among all the apparent problems. This kept me going through those darkest hours. Just when I thought of quitting and going back to my old career, a major miracle happened.

Robert

Robert was a tough 7^th grader who didn’t seem to care about school or anything else. By his own admission, he was on the brink of joining a gang and failing every subject. When I would pass out the science assignment for the day, he would say, “Mr. G., science doesn’t mean anything in my life.” Then, he would ceremoniously crumple up the assignment and throw it in the trash saying, “I’ll take an “F” for the day.” This bothered me tremendously, and I tried different things to reach him, but didn’t seem to get through.

Then after Christmas Break, one day I handed out a new assignment about the scientific method. Surprisingly, Robert looked intently at the page and said, “Will you help me with this Mr. G?” After what he said registered in my brain, I quickly went to his desk and guided him through the scientific method. On the way home that night, I found myself smiling and wondering what happened to Robert. The next thing that ran through my mind was, “Will this change last, or was it a one day anomaly?”

The next day, we delved further into the scientific method, and Robert asked more questions. Even more shocking, he started helping some of his fellow students who used to throw the papers away right along with Robert. Robert’s turn around came at my darkest hour in the classroom. I don’t know if I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for this minor miracle.

But I realized it wasn’t just a minor miracle. When a student who was thinking about joining a gang and failing every subject turned around and not only got straight A’s in my science class but also got straight A’s in every subject by the end of the year, helped other students in academics, and stayed out of trouble, I realized I was a small part of a major mireacle. When I had one award to give at the end of the year, I gave it to Robert and felt overwhelmed with joy as he walked across the stage at the assembly to receive his award. His parents came to the ceremony and were beaming with the same joy we all shared that day.

Astonished and encouraged by this student’s turn around, I asked my mentor if she had a student like this every year, and she said that she has not had any students like this in her seven years of teaching. I examined Robert’s dramatic about face with his other teachers, but we could not locate that specific instance that changed him and got him on a positive track. When I asked Robert what had happened, he said, “You never gave up on me and kept trying with me Mr.G.” I was reminded of a saying from a pedagogy course that said, “All it takes to change a student’s life is the appropriate adult at the appropriate time.”