For my professional interview, I spoke with Angie Lee, a Cross-Categorical teacher at Booker T. Washington School in Champaign, Illinois. Ms. Lee is twenty-eight years old and has been teaching for the past three years. Ms. Lee first encountered people with special needs when she worked as a peer buddy during high school. “I enjoyed it very much.” However, when she went to college she decided to major in costume design. After graduation, she accepted as job as a paraprofessional and was once again working with children with special needs. “It was through this job that I remembered how much I enjoyed working with people with special needs. When I applied to grad school, all the doors seemed to open, so I saw it as a sign that I was doing the right thing!” As a Cross-Categorical teacher, Ms. Lee’s lesson plans are a ‘buffet’ of different subjects. “In a typical day, I could go from teaching toileting and tooth-brushing to phonemic awareness to social skills.” Thus, her subject is reliant on the skills her students possess. As one can imagine, such variety while teaching takes a lot of energy. “Oh my goodness, it is so exhausting! The students crave so much attention and require energy and enthusiasm.” Ms. Lee goes on to add that when she feels exhausted, “the kids know and feel it.” Thus, it is imperative, in her experience, to come in each day with “passion and enthusiasm.” Also, teaching, in her opinion, is not a profession that one leaves at the workplace. “Teaching is one of those professions where you bring the work home-even if it’s not actual work, you mentally bring it home.”
As with most teachers, Ms. Lee had to start somewhere. That is to say, she too was once a novice teacher. When asked if she was prepared for her first year of teaching, Ms. Lee responded “yes and no.” She goes on to say, “I had three semesters of practicum and one semester of student teaching. Also, I was well versed in the theoretical components of teaching. However, I don’t think I knew what I didn’t know.” As with most professionals starting out, she had certain expectations about her job. “I had a very rosy picture of what teaching would be like…I imagined myself to be in a colorful classroom with stickers and posters and cheesy decorations galore!” However, Ms. Lee was given quite a shock when the reality of her profession hardly compared to her expectations. “You know the expression, ‘Chicken with its head cut off’?” “I was that chicken!” Her duties extended beyond what she had previously expected. “I didn’t realize all the paperwork and administrative tasks that I would be faced with on a daily basis. My classroom is not very decorative or colorful!” For Ms. Lee, it was this adjustment that posed the greatest challenge in her first year. “There was so much I had to learn…curriculum and deadlines, procedures for this, laws for that, legal mandates required, etc. Also I was not prepared to work with such a diverse group of students, not just racially, but kids in poverty, ELLs, and various special needs.”
Since her first year, Ms. Lee had learned a lot in regards to her job. This knowledge has not only affected her work expectations but also her teaching style. “I think my first year my goal was to survive and to make sure that I was abiding by the rules and laws. Now I am still that chicken with its head cut off at times, but I am more focused on instruction and lifelong teaching.” However, even an experienced teacher still faces issues. For Ms. Lee one of her current challenges is time. “For the amount you feel that kids need, we could afford an extra two to three hours a day with them.” There also exists the issue of standardized testing such as the ISAT. In the beginning of her career, Ms. Lee was unaware of the importance of these tests. “I didn’t realize all the demands and pressure to make certain scores.” She agrees that standards are necessary; however, “teaching to the test” isn’t always beneficial in her view. “I would want them to be well-rounded and global, life-long learners. I am not sure if ISATs really elicit that type of instruction.” The consequences of low scores also seems hypocritical to her. “I find it very backwards that the schools who are struggling are the ones that have added pressure with the threat of getting resources taken away. Aren’t those the schools that need more resources?” In her opinion, these problems are outweighed by the intrinsic rewards she receives from her students. “The greatest reward is seeing the light-bulb turn on…the moment when the kid gets something.” This “A-ha moment” is achieved through relevant and meaningful activities. For Ms. Lee, environment is also an important part of the learning equation. For her students, positive reinforcement, trust, and safety are integral ingredients in her classroom.
For Ms. Lee, teaching was not her initial ambition. “Before I went into teaching, I was offered a costume design job in New York for Conan O’Brien.” However, this job paled in comparison to her commitment to society. “I know that I would not be as happy or fulfilled doing something that didn’t make a lasting impact on humanity.” For the dedicated teacher, her profession is not merely one of a lecturer. “(Teachers) serve as role models for social skills and are accountable for teaching character.” Her philosophy of teaching reflects her motivation and is quite inspiring. “Every child deserves to be taught excellently. Every child can learn. Every child can be a productive, contributing member of society.” As a young teacher Ms. Lee has yet to see the fruits of her devotion to her students. However, this delay of gratification doesn’t deter her. “I have not taught long enough to see a kid finish high school or go off to college, but I will later be satisfied knowing that I was an integral part in making it happen.”
