The First Year

My decision to become a teacher was a relatively recent one. Growing up I had various ideas about what I wanted to do with my life, but it wasn't until entering college that I truly start to think about what career path I would head down. After a couple of semesters here at Goshen College, I realized that some of my most meaningful and memorable educational experiences have come in language classrooms. I've always enjoyed reading English literature and practicing my writing. However, I also studied German for four years in high school and had the opportunity to travel to Germany for one month the summer after my junior year of high school. This experience made me aware of the connective power of language. Although I had very limited German skills, I was still able to communicate and develop meaningful friendships. 

As I began studying Spanish at GC, I realized how much I simply enjoy the study of different languages as well. There is something about understanding the inner-workings of grammar and of language structure that really appeals to me. In becoming an English as a New Language teacher, I'm hoping to learn to pass on this understanding of language to others. At the same time, my overall goal is to help English-language learners begin to communicate and express themselves in the English language.

Despite the passion that I have for my subject area, I am still aware that teaching is not the profession that I always envisioned myself pursuing. So I still have my hesitations about what teaching will really entail. I've been thinking about the reality of teaching lately, and found a very intriguing movie entitled The First Year, that looks at what education is like for brand new teachers. The First Year chronicles the first school year of five teachers in Los Angeles, all teaching in poorer school districts, and the difficulties and triumphs that they encounter during this year.

One of the biggest struggles that all five teachers in this documentary face is the reality of not being able to connect will every student. A female middle school teacher, Genevieve DeBose, has a particularly hard time motivating a young boy in her class. He does not participate in class, seems to be unhappy a lot of the time, and often acts out in class. It is very difficult for the teacher to connect with him, and she even meets with the boy and his parents a couple of times to talk about some of the issues he is facing. While it seems that Genevieve will not be able to successfully connect with this student, as the semester continues she grows closer and closer to him. Eventually she make a genuine connection with him and he seems more interested in class, but she had to sacrifice her free time to fully understand his family situation and where he was coming from.

The First Year also looks at some of the political realities of education. I was especially interested in the story of George Acosta, a high school ESL teacher. George worked with students from many different nationalities, and not only helped them learn English but pushed them to think critically at the same time. She presented issues to her class that would affect them, like an increase in bus fares and potential budget cuts for scholastic programs such as ESL. Her students were very interested in the latter subject, and they wrote letters about why their ESL program should not be cut. The students joined their teacher in speaking out about this issue to their district's school board, and triumphantly convinced them to keep the ESL program.

While The First Year reminded me of some of the difficulties of education like bureaucracy, funding issues, problem students, long hours, etc., it also inspired me in my journey to become a teacher. Though it may be hard, education offers a way to connect with young people in a meaningful way, open up their minds to new ideas, and instill in them an interest in education. Though I realize that teaching will be tough, I am greatly looking forward to the challenge of connecting to students in this way.

Click here for more information about The First Year.

(Action #3 Take Your Education Seriously)