For six years, I’ve been lucky enough to learn from and work alongside talented educators and facilitators on the Teaching and Learning team at ESU 10. Before my role as a Teaching and Learning Coordinator, I was a secondary English teacher, having taught for four years at Elm Creek and six years at Kearney High. Within those 10 years, I taught 8-12 grade English, Honors English 10, speech, journalism, and was a One Act and Speech coach. I thought I knew a lot about teaching and that I had the route mapped out.
But the last six years at ESU 10 have taught me that I was wrong six years ago. I didn’t know “a lot” about teaching; in fact, I was basing my route off a map that was too small for the journey ahead. And for these last six years, it has been a joy and a privilege to expand my map and learn about literacy, education, and teaching.
As I transition back to the classroom where I’ll teach 9-12 English again at Kearney High, I am blessed to be able to pack these insights for the road ahead. Though not an exhaustive list, what follows encompasses what I know now and how it has changed from what I knew then.
| What I Knew Then |
What I Know Now |
| Vocabulary matters and should be taught even in high school. |
Vocabulary is a critical component to comprehension. Vocabulary knowledge, along with background knowledge, is one of the major difference-makers when it comes to understanding the underpinnings of a text. |
| Background knowledge helps students understand text. |
Background knowledge is how we make sense of the world and how we make sense of a text. Connecting our current knowledge with what we are learning through text is critical and should be explicitly discussed and grown. |
| Nebraska standards exist. |
Standards, like the 2021 Nebraska ELA Standards, comprise grade-level learning, a foundational component to making sure every student is granted the right to have access to instruction and learning worthy of their age and place in school. |
| Classroom management is hard yet essential. |
Classroom management hinges on consistency, routines, respect, and relationships. Setting expectations and helping students find ways to reach them is critical while also showing respect for each student as a person, helping them learn and grow in a safe space. |
| Teaching is hard work. |
Teaching is still hard work. Teachers strive to do the best they can with what they know, and teachers are still human. Teachers put in hours at school, delivering lessons, preparing for instruction, providing feedback, and engaging in professional learning. Teachers also put in hours at home, thinking (and worrying) about their students, pondering ways to improve their craft, sharing stories with family and friends, and thinking about what the next day, week, month, or years will bring. Teachers are constantly “on,” whether they are at home or school, and while it is an exhausting career, it is a worthwhile quest to improve the lives of young people and our future as a whole. |
The road ahead is partly known to me and partly unknown. The classroom and school environment, in some ways, has changed in the last six years. While the road I’ve traveled from 2020 until now has allowed me some insight into a wide range of classroom experiences, I’m looking forward to what the future brings as well as eagerly bringing with me the knowledge I’ve gained from my wonderful experience at ESU 10. The road ahead is partly uncharted, but for the first time, I feel like I have a map worth trusting.