We just finished our first year of teaching; here’s what we learned
The authors, Clayton, Marcello, Kristen and Ashley, are in the second year of pursuing master’s degrees in education through the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education Teaching Fellows Program, while Catherine and Grace are in their first year. All teach at schools in the Diocese of Cleveland.
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We just finished our first year of teaching; here’s what we learned

Teaching is one of those activities that is impossible to fully understand or appreciate until you try doing it.

We just tried doing it.

Last year, we were blessed to serve as teachers within our diocese, and though teaching for the first time was a challenging experience, it was also incredibly fruitful. Below are two of our major takeaways from our first year of teaching.

 

First: Teaching is hard; it’s important to ask for help.

There is no way around it. Teaching is tough. The constant demands, emotional investment and ever-changing needs of students are enough to stretch thin even the most experienced teachers. In our first year, we quickly realized that the work was hard and that no one could do it alone. Leaning on each other as well as our school communities made the load lighter and the process more joyful.

Just as importantly, we learned the value of small moments of rest, reflection and peace, which served as the fuel that kept us going. When we cared for ourselves and each other, we could more confidently brave the challenges of teaching and show up better for our students with the energy, patience and love they deserved.

Second: Teachers shape young hearts and guide them toward Christ.

While our students learned plenty about reading, math and science from us during the year, it was the time spent in prayer and conversations about faith that were most memorable. Sometimes the greatest teaching moments about the faith surfaced in our ordinary lessons. We are taught to pursue childlike awe of the Lord, and our students were wonderful reminders of this idea through the curious questions they asked and their desire to learn more about God.

As the school year approached, we were eager to return to our schools and our students. Guided by lessons from our first year, we are seeking to continue growing as Catholic school educators — striving to serve our students, schools and community the best we can.

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