Becoming an educator, is not the time to relax.
Hello Everyone,
I remember "way back", when I was taking my first undergraduate classes and how I thought how easy professors had it. All they had to do is sit back, "act" like they were grading papers, and just enjoying the good life.
Needless to say, I have learned how utterly wrong my thinking was. I view each class as a new practice, a new chapter in life. The more I go over the material, the more effort I put into that days class plan, the better my presentation will be. I am not teaching to sit back and enjoy easy street, it is my duty as an educator to ensure the students will take away the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in life.
Tommy,
I am right with you. I had the opportunity to be a "substitute/guest lecturer" prior to my current position. It was extremely easy to look at a pre-prepared powerpoint or lesson plan, think a little bit about what I wanted to say, and then offer a few quiz/test questions to the course instructor.
Now, that the course is mine, I see how incredibly short-sighted I was to think it would still be "easy." I do spend at least twice as much time in the preparation phase as I do in the teaching phase, and even then I find holes in my delivery. Luckily, I love the process and enjoy doing better at it!
Familiarity with ones material allows one to relax, to be a better listener, to be flexible in meeting student needs.
Sharon,
Thank you for these comments in relation to instructional preparation. You are right it is a never ending job and that is what makes it so challenging and informative. We get to grow along with our students as we expand our knowledge base and increase our abilities to communicate with our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It continues to amaze me when I think of the time we spend preparing for our classes. Each time I end a course, I think, "Next time, it will take much less time for the preparation aspect since I have it ready to go - yeah!" Then the next course is about to begin and once again I am gathering more material, looking for new information, seeking new ways of presenting things. This is definitely not a job that is ever finished. Frankly, if it was, I would probably not be doing what I am doing.
William,
This is the challenge for all us as we start our teaching careers. Effort like that you are putting in will pay off as you gain experience and expertise in your delivery style.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have been putting a great deal of time preparing for my first class. I am expert in the subject, but not yet in my presentation. I am working hard on this .
Daniel,
You are on the right track with your efforts. You are striving to be the learning leader and that should be the goal of every instructor. I wish you continued success with all of your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I know exactly what you mean about those early impressions. I have had the same thoughts about some instructors and felt very sorry for others that seemed to be incredibly stressed out and overworked.
Now that I'm wearing the teacher's hat, I wonder what my students will think of me. All I know is that I will try my best to always be prepared and give them the experience in class that they deserve.
Karlsen,
You are doing a great job if you are spending this amount of time in preparation. Often it takes more prep time than does the actual presentation just as you mention. I like your way of using your previous experiences with instructors, both good and bad as ways to improve your own instructional delivery. Keep up the good work as it will pay big dividends in terms of student success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Over the course of my previous career being a student I noticed how my teachers and professors effort was incredibly noticeable. Not only their effort in keeping the students entertained but their effort in organizing a clear, concise lecture.
I try and learn from this and pass it down to my current students. I use my previous experiences with unenthusiastic educators as motivation to keep constantly improving myself and my lecture. I find myself almost spending as much time preparing for my lecture and reflecting on it as my actual lecture takes.
Cynthia,
Thank you for sharing this story with us. It reflect a common mis-perception that many people have of educators. It does take a lot of time to plan and prepare for classes if we are going to deliver content that is well developed and has value to students. When we see how they respond then every hour we invested is worth it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I remember a fellow instructor saying that he thought that teachers were overpaid. I laughed and said that he probably was overpaid.
Lately, I had company at my house, my visitor asked me how many hours a day that I teach. The reply was "That isn't too bad." Then my visitor starting seeing the amount of time that I spent everyday preparing for the next class. The next question was "Do all teachers spend this much time outside of class on school work?"
Of course, I don't know the answer to this question. I just know that I love to teach and try to make each lesson that I teach better than it was before. This requires a lot of reflection, research, and planning.
Tommy,
As you say being a teacher is an ongoing process for the duration of one's career. We need to be life long learners not only in our field but also in instructional planning and delivery. This is how we will become instructors of merit for our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
