About becoming a teacher

I was always a teacher, just never knew it...and it took a long while to figure it out. After graduating university, I got my first job at AT&T Canada (Unitel, Alstream, CNCP, etc.) where I moved up through the company to just below middle management. However, with each different position at AT&T, I really enjoyed the training aspect of what I was doing, whether demonstrating how a Microsoft office product worked or doing switch translations.
The job that brought me to Maryland as a Network Operations Manager increased my opportunities to teach (train) my employees. After three years with the company, probably the best possible thing happened...I got laid off. Sweet!

Over the next year, I took care of my daughter while I looked for a job, I found one as a Computer Science paraeducator at Takoma Park Middle School This was great, a chance to work with computers and a chance to teach. At that time, I decided I wanted to teach and to teach mathematics. Love math, always loved math, always will love math!!! For the next two years I went to school getting the math credits I needed, Differential Equations, Number Theory, Statistics, and Non-Euclidean Geometry. Those were actually fun courses, except for the Diff. EQ.

Having completed by math requirements, I was accepted into the Johns Hopkins University ProMAT program. I program designed for career changers and those who want to teach. The cost being two years of your life working for long-term substitute pay. It was tough, but well worth it.

My two years as an intern were at Gaithersburg High School in Gaithersburg, MD. It is an awesome school, with awesome kids, and an outstanding staff. I cannot say enough good things about the students and teachers...OK, and administrators. They all work hard, but I'd like to see the students work harder. While the people inhabiting GHS are great, the building is in rough shape. It has been well used...very, very well used. The time has come for a new building.

My first year as a "real" teacher has been a lot tougher than my two years as an intern. I don't feel like I'm doing anything differently, but the students this year a challenging me more than in the past. I'm dealing well with it, but it is frustrating. I want them to succeed, however, when I don't see the effort, I feel sorry for them. I also think, what is it that I can do to motivate them?What can I do better? I don't know the answers, but I do know that I will keep trying.