A Look Into the Classroom from a New Teacher
With teacher appreciation week coming up in May, I wanted to take the time to gain some insights from a new teacher who started in January. I will be sharing the struggles that a new teacher faces, how she has managed to conquer them, and what makes teaching so rewarding. Stephani Szlozek, an elementary school teacher aide, will be sharing her thoughts on dealing with tough children, keeping them entertained, and what works for her.
Meet Stephani Szlozek
Stephani Slozek is an APLS-ALS aide which means she assists the main special education teacher at her school manage the children. The students in her class range from 1st to 5th grade, and have a range of disabilities. She is present in the special education classroom as well as in the general education classrooms to help specific students. She started this position in January and has fallen in love with it, although she hopes to eventually teach 2nd grade.
How Does She Deal With Tough Kids? Stephani explains that her toughest experience at her job is “learning what’s in the kids’ package,” which she explains as their motor skills and abilities. “Some of the students are non-verbal and learning what they mean when they make grunts or don’t grunt was a big challenge,” she says. As she spends more time with the children, she is able to determine what challenges and assignments each student can take on.
When dealing with kids that are acting up, she finds that talking through the situation with them is very helpful. She also uses what she calls a “penny system” in which children get pennies for good behavior and get pennies taken away for when they act badly. When the children reach a certain number of pennies in their jar, they are able to choose a prize. Stephani says, “the penny system is great because when a kid acts up and you threaten to take away a penny, it can change their whole attitude.” Reward systems are an amazing way to make kids want to be on their best behavior.
Stephani says that kids, especially at the elementary school age, have extremely short attention spans. When she sees that the attention span of the class is lagging, she says “it’s important to have other activities to switch to, including teaching life skills such as using shoe-lace boards, matching socks and learning how to fold. We also have a dishwasher in the room to teach them how to do dishes.” These skills will help the kids build their learning blocks of life, but she also has puzzles and books to keep the kiddos entertained.
When she feels the kids need to get some energy out, she says that “GoNoodle.com is a lifesaver. It gets them up and moving and they have a fun time doing it.” This website was created by child development experts and is available for free to anyone. When she can see that the children are getting tired, she turns on Magic School Bus because it is educational, but also helps the kids rest their brains.
Why is Teaching Rewarding?
Stephani guesses that almost 9 times out of 10, teachers don’t feel appreciated throughout the school year. On teacher appreciation week, Stephani states that teachers do not get as much recognition as they should. Since students act differently at home and in the classroom, it can be a battle to talk to parents about bad behavior because it can cause conflict. However, when people do recognize you, it’s nice to see that many people do appreciate your hard work.
“What makes teaching so rewarding is seeing a kid who didn’t have confidence in themselves get that light bulb look in their eyes where you know something clicked with them,” she says. “It’s so rewarding when you can know that you taught them something new.” For a lot of teachers, including Stephani, it’s all about seeing kids grow and mature and see the impact that you made on them from start to finish.
Stephani said she would never change what she does because she “loves her kids and loves seeing them every day.” The relationships she has built with her students is something she never wants to give up. “It’s all worth it when I come in and they give me hugs, growl at me, get mad at me, and especially when they say that I’m the best.”
Yes, teachers are out here doing God’s work and never get enough recognition for it. Teachers help shape the people of the future, and although it is hard, you always have to remember that the good parts of it outweigh the bad.
