Sara DeCuir's Interview with a Fifth Grade Teacher

Kathy, a fifth grade teacher with 26 years of experience, is an energetic and humorous teacher who is committed to her students’ progress. The majority of her teaching career has been at the fifth grade level. She has taught two years at the third grade level and a year of first grade. Thirty-nine percent of the student population at her school is English language learners, and 74% low income students. Her current class consists of 14 boys, 15 girls, and nine of whom are English language learners.

Kathy is a Cal State University graduate. She majored in liberal arts and was drawn to the teaching profession through her exposure to tutoring school children during her undergraduate years. Kathy recalls her experience as a student teacher. After her first observation, the college of teaching recommended that she drop the program because they felt she was unfit to be a teacher. I was very surprised to learn this. Kathy said that even though she had a negative student teaching experience, this is the profession she wanted to pursue.

When asked what her philosophy of teaching was, she was taken aback for a moment and had to think about what it was. Finally, she said it was very simple, that every child has something to offer the world, and it is her calling to help each student realize his or her own potential. Every child has something special about them, and they all have a contribution to make to the world. Kathy feels that it is her responsibility to guide children to what that special something is.

According to Kathy, the purpose of public education is the opportunity for every citizen to receive an education regardless of race, sex, or economic status. Public education is to give everyone a chance to be successful. She believes that public education is to make sure every citizen is literate. Kathy felt that without public education, certain minority groups would be even more disadvantaged. She believes that every citizen has the ability and right to read and understand their rights and liberties as a citizen of the United States, and to be able to simple everyday tasks, such as reading a medicine label, or how to cook a meal.

Kathy’s pedagogy is to teach to the high students and reinforce the low students. She allows for lots of work in groups and pairs, in order that the stronger students are learning from their teaching efforts and the lower achieving students feel more comfortable and are receiving more one-on-one assistance then Kathy could ever provide. Much of Kathy’s teaching pedagogy is influenced by the climate of standardized testing and still meeting the needs of her diverse student population. Kathy explained along with the other fifth grade teachers, they group students according to their test scores and by also providing low scoring students with peer tutors. Kathy also explained that though she stays with the curriculum pacing guide, she would interject other activities or examples that she felt would be more appropriate for her diverse classroom.

Kathy always starts class with a smile on her face. She non-verbally communicates to her students that she wants to be there. What keeps her so enthusiastic after teaching for almost three decades? Simple, it’s the kids. The student’s personalities and energy keeps her going. Kathy says that there is always something new to learn. Kathy tries to have a sense of humor about things. If she gets up tight the students sense that, but if she is smiling and having fun, it creates a more productive learning environment. And of course, she has more fun too. Lastly, trying different things in her classroom also keeps her enthusiastic about teaching. Kathy goes out of her way to read different novels, try different art projects, and learns new ways of doing math. That way it is like a new year for her too.

One rewarding thing about teaching for Kathy is when a child gets a concept and they realize they are really smart. Kathy feels rewarded when a child feels like what they have to say is valued and their opinion matters. Also, when a child starts to gain more social skills and they realize it’s okay to be nice and it’s not scary anymore, they can let down their defenses and be kind. What Kathy finds most rewarding about teaching is when a child realizes that they make a difference in the world. Looking back on her 26 years of teaching and all the lives she has touched, she is glad that she chose the profession of teaching.