Teaching Has Taught Me: My Teaching Journey

Hello, welcome to my blog today 💖

I’ve been reflecting on my teaching journey recently, and I’d love to talk about it here.

When I started, I thought teaching was just “know the subject, explain it, done.” Ah, I was wrong. Teaching has stretched me, softened me, and honestly, given me more grace than I ever knew I needed. I get to understand that every student is different. Walk into one class and you’ll meet different brains, different speeds, different stories. Some catch it the first time you explain. Some need you to draw it, sing it, act it. Some are distracted because they didn’t eat breakfast. Some are quiet because home wasn’t peaceful last night. And it’s always stressful. Because in some days, as the teacher, I don’t feel like talking too much or acting to explain for the students to understand, I just want to go straight to the point. But it’s always obvious to note the one that didn’t understand a thing from what you just explained. 🤦‍♀️

So you learn quickly; One method cannot feed everybody. With Class A, I have to break everything into bite-sized pieces and use plenty examples. With Class B, I can throw a question and they’ll run with it. One student learns better when she writes, another when he talks it through, another when you turn it into a game. If I’m not patient, if I don’t adjust, I’ll lose them. That’s when it hit me that at the end of the day, teaching is not about me talking, it’s about them understanding. And to get them there, I have to extend grace. Over and over again.

Picture of students receiving lecture in my PPA

One other thing that this journey has taught me is that; I finally understand my secondary teachers and why they behaved the way they did, their teaching method and why they stay past the given time. I am now a mix of my teachers hehehe. Sometimes I stay longer than the time because I need everybody to understand at least, sometimes I skip my lessons, sometimes I don’t spend much times in class, overall, I’m that teacher the students calls to rescue them from the hands of their mathematics and History teachers; that’s the best side of me that I even enjoy 😂 you know that feeling Ehen teenagers likes your vibe, exactly!
So now, I understand why my teachers acted the way they did, because now, I’m on this side of the chalkboard, I get it.

Teaching made me see my old teachers with new eyes. They weren’t wicked. They were human. Doing their best with what they had. And now, I have so much mercy for them, I appreciate them even more.

Teaching has made me softer, generally. Because if I can give my students grace to be slow, to be distracted, to try again, then why can’t I give grace to myself? To my siblings? To my friends? I’ve learned to pause and ask: “What don’t I see? What method does this person need from me?” Sometimes people don’t need correction. They need compassion. They need you to try a different approach.

So yes, teaching changed me. It taught me patience I didn’t know I had, because boy! I can be impatient. And it taught me that everybody, including me, is a student in this life and we’re still learning, growing, and still needing grace.

Well, if you’ve taught a younger person; your sibling or just a younger person in an outreach, organization or even in school, I feel you’ll understand me better.
I’m grateful for the privilege to teach and impact, and even learn in the process.

Thank you for reading, see you in my next blog 💕

PS: All images are mine