Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
Hardest thing I've done in my career FARRELL: Having faith in myself and trusting my own gut. Even today, I can second-guess myself and wonder if I am doing it right. However, when I go with my first instinct , I usually have the best lessons. McDANIEL: Stepping into a classroom midyear after an excellent teacher had to take a leave of absence. The first few days were based on learning the environment and sur- vival. Once I got my sea legs, I ever so slightly started turning the wheel toward my ideal teaching situation. Change is easier to accept when it is done gradually and purposefully. I eventually won over the students and the real learning was able to begin. BROWN: The hardest thing was having to go through my divorce while still showing up to work each day and being a strong teacher. Teaching isn't a job where you can have a bad day and hide in a cubicle — the show must go on! I learned that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and I was able to overcome this challenge with support through therapy and my family, friends and teacher buddies. During this time, I also adopted a Japanese phrase from my maternal grandmother as my personal mantra: "kodomo no tame ni" — "for the sake of the children." When I need to make an important decision at home or at school, I revisit this phrase to think about what would be best for my own children and for my students. Most rewarding thing in my career OXHORN: Three years ago, I started the year teaching kindergarten. [ The following years, including 2018-19, I looped with many of them into the next grade.] I have been given the gift of time with them, allowing me to watch them grow into readers, writers and thinkers. Our classroom truly feels like family. FARRELL: It is easy to forget that at its ver y purest form, teaching is about relationships — with students, colleagues, parents and adminis- tration. Good relationships bring tremendous rewards. The tex t I received from a former student about to leave for deployment saying thank you — those are the kinds of rewards I cherish the most. GARDINER: This is also the hard- est thing I've done: create, maintain and grow my hands-on, minds-on, project-based cross-curricular STEM program that affords our students opportunities to build real-world STEM projects and directly experience sus- tainable practices in our Innovation Labs and beyond. We must have consistent support from our districts to do this work. Public education and public school teachers must have support and funding from our federal government. We must pri- oritize great public education for today and for tomorrow. McDANIEL: The brightest spot was leading my students to a California State Marching Band Championship. They were committed to win and would show up for practice at 5:30 a.m. every morning before school started. They would practice after school until 7 p.m. most nights. Their passion and deter- mination were contagious. Winning that championship transformed our entire community culture and made those students legends! BROWN: Getting to work alongside my former students! We have several generations of teachers at San Diego High, and three of my former students are now my colleagues. 29 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 018 " Being able to brainstorm approaches to a challenging situation has helped me become a better teacher." —Jaime Brown JAIME BROWN, San Diego Education Association, San Diego High School of International Studies KIRSTEN FARRELL, United Teachers Los Angeles, Venice High School GREGORY GARDINER, Huntington Beach UHSD Educators Association, Edison High School BRIAN McDANIEL, Palm Springs Teachers Association, Painted Hills Middle School ERIN OXHORN-GILPIN, Castaic Teachers Association, Northlake Hills Elementary School Class of 2018