My First Year As An Itinerant Teacher: What I Learned

The school year is coming to an end!! Everyone is itching to get out and enjoy several weeks off not thinking about tests, paper work, home work, pop quizzes, malfunctioning smart boards, boring meetings, boring class work, "getting to know each other" group activities, sitting with hot sweaty kids who recently came back from recess, and stinky overcooked cafeteria broccoli, to name a few.

I can't help but to reflect on my first year as an itinerant teacher for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. It went by really fast and I feel like I am just getting started and understanding what my job entails.

Here are a few things I've learned:

1) Do not waste money on school supplies.

I ended up not using half of the things I bought, especially since I have access to a lot of the same things I spent my hard earned money on. I am practically given materials I need as I travel from one school to another. 

2) I will not view myself as a 'glorified tutor'. 

I do much more than 'tutor' my students. I am an advocate. I will focus more on teaching strategies and tips my students can use to help them be successful on their own.

3) I need to talk more with the adults I work with.

They are the ones who need the most teaching, not my students. I learned that many people have absolutely  no clue what my job is about. I will need to clearly explain it to others and not assume that they know what my job entails. I need to educate others more about deafness-related issues. A lot of people have absolutely no understanding of or experience with deaf and hard of hearing people.

4) I need to explain the interpreters' roles more clearly. 

 Many teachers do not understand what interpreters are supposed to do or how to work with them. Perhaps educating them more about the interpreters' roles may help keep future problems from arising.

5) Never complain out loud (you never know who is listening). 

(Me kicking the wall) "Dang it! I can't believe this stupid school changed the schedules again!! AAAARGH! I am so sick of this!!!" Suddenly, I heard someone clear her throat behind me. It was the principal of the school witnessing my professionalism.

6) Don't trust anyone. 

Not everyone trust or likes you.

7) Don't worry so much about the mountain of paperwork they ask you to do.

Oh, the times I wasted on making sure I crossed all the t's and dotted the i's!! Most of the paperwork I carefully filled out were thrown into a file in some dark closet, never to be seen again. Or it was shredded or thrown away without anyone looking at it.

8) I must remember to 'pick my battles'.

I will have to ask myself at times, "Do you really want to get into this? Really? Shut up, turn around, and walk away until the non-issue dissipates behind you."

9) Do not ignore the fact that you may have diarrhea and proceed to see a student anyway. 

Enough said.

10) Don't tell some people you work with that you had diarrhea. No one cares to hear about your disgusting problems. Just say you were sick. 

I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes.

11) Do not write anything in an email or a letter that can later come back to bite you in the butt or be used against you in court.

Or an angry parent will email it to everyone in the school district.

12) Be wary of people who seem overly friendly and happy at meetings. 

Most likely they don't trust you or like what you have to say. You will find out after the meeting is over.

13) Talk as little as you can at meetings. Be mindful of what you say. 

Stupid me at a meeting talking to an administrator: "It is clearly obvious what this statement means."
(Translation: "Because you didn't understand this statement, you are an idiot, it is clearly obvious.")

14) Stop taking on so much. 

I will not allow administrators or parents badger me into providing way too many services to their student or child. We don't want to overload the child and 'handicap' him or her (the message being that there is something wrong with you in that I have to now see you everyday).

15) Do more presentations with your students.

I had so much fun with the presentation I did with one of my students about famous and successful deaf and hard of hearing people!! We learned a lot too.

16) Forget about all of the silly things and drama surrounding  your job and focus your energy on the students.

I love you guys! 
You rock! 

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