Ms. Sayers is a new teacher that has recently joined the district after having been a student teacher here at Wheatley for the last year. If you see her in the hallways, feel free to say hello! Read this Q&A as we delve into her experiences as a new teacher in a new school district!
What classes do you teach here at Wheatley?
I teach AP Psychology and Global 9!
How would you compare your experience teaching AP Psychology and Global 9?
AP Psychology is a lot of the time a course that students are taking because they are interested in the topic, which makes teaching more fun for me! I love how we get to have deeper discussions that involve higher level thinking. Right now, I am laying the foundations for my 9th graders in hopes that we can reach those discussions later on, which I know we will reach!
Growing up, was there anything that prompted you to want to become a teacher?
As a kid, I always loved attending school. I loved creating notes and showing up on time! As a teacher, one thing I am strict about is no chromebooks because when I was a student, I learned best from writing things out. I really want my students to brush up on those skills as well. In high school, my social studies teachers definitely made me motivated as well.
Are there any teachers or students that have inspired you or motivated you?
Working with so many different types of teachers last year was very inspiring to me. I did ENL as well as social studies, so seeing all the differing styles of teaching motivated me to develop my own. For social studies in particular, I worked with both Ms. Topping and Mr. Ardito, seeing how exciting lessons are created for younger students compared to older students in an AP style class with more rigor and curriculum was motivating for me. Overall, experiencing student interaction also motivated me to keep working hard!
How do you balance engaging lessons with delivering the content?
This is one of the hardest things about teaching! I think the number one thing is making the content accessible. Providing them with sources, multiple different ways to access these sources, and making connections between units all help with retention of the information we teach. Making a project where students can show what they have learned is also key to making sure that everyone can apply the information and not just regurgitate it.
What would you hope students leave your class with?
I am always there for them, even after they leave my class. My doors are always open and willing to help my students. I hope that they leave my class with a strong knowledge of the world around them. For example, in Global, we take map quizzes. While students may complain about them, knowing politically and geographically where places are located is a great skill to have. As they graduate and enter adulthood, this knowledge will become more important.
Is there any advice you have for any students looking to be a teacher?
Make sure that this is something you want to do for sure, and that you truly love being around kids. It really is 24/7 work, whether you are prepping for the next unit, or grading, or worrying about parent teacher conferences! People tend to judge teachers by the 40 minutes that they have, but there really is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot that goes into it that many tend to overlook, so make sure you are passionate about this and be aware that this is the job that never sleeps! In college, make sure that you are putting your all into assignments and student teaching. Also, try to get your certification exams done sooner than later. Good luck to everyone pursuing this field, you can do it! My door is always open for any advice.