A New School Year

Reflecting from Japan

It's the start of a new school year! For those of you who don't know I have not only switched schools, but I have moved half way around the world! I am now living in Japan and teaching with the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) on the Yokosuka Naval Base at Kinnick High School. This is a job that my wife and I have wanted and been working very had to get for the last 18 months. I am so glad to be here and it is turning out better than I could have imagined.

This year will have lots of firsts. The first of which is the first time to start a school year. My teaching experience consists of my student teaching which was basically from February to April. Then last year I substitute taught until I started teaching at Celeste High School from January to June. I have never started a school year, so this is a first. I am glad that I can create my own expectations, rules and classroom norms from scratch. But I am worried about making mistakes - but that is true about anything I do.

This year I am teaching Geometry and Algebra 1. I taught these classes during my student teaching, so I have some experience teaching these courses.

Big Fish in a Small Pond

I really like the school that I am at. I especially like the teachers, but I definitely feel like a tiny fish in a big pond. Most teachers at the school have been teaching for more than 10 years. They are professional educators - which I think is awesome! Most teachers aren't hired to teach for DoDEA unless they have 3 years of teaching experience. So being hired as a first year teacher is rare. In fact it is so rare that there isn't even a mentoring program. Luckily there are several other math teachers who are helping me.

This is one reason why I am so glad to be here. I feel that this is a pattern that is developing in my life. I find the best group of people that I can associate with, and after a few years I find myself as one of the best in that group. For example in high school, I began to hang out with all the smart kids. At the time I didn't feel like I was as smart as them, but by the end of high school I was. I then went to BYU and again I felt like a small fish in a big pond. But by the end I graduated in the top of my class. Now I am here and I believe that in a few years I will be one of the best teacher at the school. Well, that is my goal anyway. I know that this is where I can grow the most as a teacher. I am so glad to have wonderful examples all around me.

Great Students

I am mostly excited about this year because of my students. I hand out a sheet on the first day of school to help me get to know the students better. On that paper I ask questions about them and their hobbies and interests. I also ask about what they like teachers to do, what they don't like teachers to do, and what grade they want.

Last year at Celeste High School, I loved the students, but I was very surprising at how many students just wanted to pass. There were very few that wanted an A. Also at Celeste almost every student commented about not liking it when teachers gave out homework. This year there was some of that, but many of the students liked it when teachers taught. One student even said they liked it when their teachers use effective teaching methods - maybe they have a parent who is an educator. Also almost every student wants an A. I am excited about teaching a group of students who want to learn and work hard.