Jessica Nail's Interview with a K/1 Teacher

When walking into Ms. O’s classroom at E Elementary School I am overwhelmed with color and warmth. Students’ art work lines the walls of the classroom and letters and words fill the room. The school is composed of 582 students of whom 75% are Hispanic, 17% White, 3% Asian, 2.7 % Filipino, and 1.4% African American. For Mrs. O the small, a close knit feel is what drew her to the school in the first place.

Mrs. O has been a teacher for the past 15 years. During those years she has taught kindergarten, K-1 combo, first and second grades. She is a sweet, caring 38 year old women and a delightful person to be around. Her love for teaching really shows through her interactions with the students and her fellow teachers. Mrs. O is still extremely passionate about teaching even through the demanding years of teaching and tough students. Mrs. O received her teaching credential from California State University, Monterey Bay in the first year of the program.

Mrs. O’s ability to stay motivated despite the difficult demands is due to her ability focus on the little amazing moments instead of dwelling on challenging ones. One factor in her success is that every night when she is at home she reflects on the day and thinks about how she could have done better. “Some days I go home and feel rotten because I had to yell or raise my voice to the kids, but then I try to think about how I can turn it into a positive note” Mrs. O stated. She claims that by reflecting on each day, it allows her to see the positive changes she is making in each students lives. She also knows that for many students the classroom is really the only place that many students feel safe.

At E Elementary, the school abides by the state standards, but does give the teachers some flexibility with the pacing of the book. When asked if this structure bothers her Mrs. O said, “No, not really because it is really helpful so that you, as the teacher, do not have to think of every lesson plan on your own.” However, Mrs. O did say that it does prove to be difficult when some of the students are not progressing with the rest of the class, but they have to move on because of the pacing guide. She does not have to be on the exact page as each kindergarten teacher but they do have to complete the lessons by the designated deadline. To supplement the materials in the teacher handbook, Mrs. O provides the students with fun, interactive opportunities to build on the standards. Such lessons include art, music, and writing journals. Mrs. O is very proud to say that all of her kindergartners are writing by the end of the year.

When spending time in Mrs. O’s classroom you can see her passion for writing and art throughout the classroom. Her passions can be seen in the daily poems that she reads with the class and the multiple forms of way the students are exposed to writing. “I love grammar!” Mrs. O expressed. She organizes the classroom so that the students are able to participate in centers during their language arts instruction. One main reason she does this is so the students are able to engage in a wide range of activities throughout the day. Another reason is to able to work closely with each small group one at a time, allowing for an increased amount of time each students are able to interact with the teacher. The centers increase the student’s independence and ability to work well with other classmates. She also fills the day with books and songs to encourage students’ participation and the use of language.

One of the main things I expressed to Mrs. O that I am apprehensive about when beginning my teaching career is dealing with the parents. Mrs. O’s advice was “not worry too much about what they think about you because it will make you sick. You have to realize that you are doing the best that you can. Also, what I learned from my mistakes was to always call or send a note home if anything out of the ordinary happens to a student.” Mrs. O explained about the importance of keeping the parents involved for the parents’, the students’, and your sake. There are going to be those difficult parents out there but you just have to make sure you keep the communication open.

Through the many years of teaching there have been many difficult situations and students, but Mrs. O still remains enthusiastic about teaching. “You can’t let the students run the classroom. If you let them run the show it will drive you crazy. But they also need to have fun and look forward to coming to school.” It is the little moments where a student does something really sweet, or a student finally figures out how to write their name, that makes it all worth it for Mrs. O. From talking to Mrs. O, I realized that there is going to be so many things that could keep you up all night thinking about, but you just have to let them go and know that you are doing your best you can.