A Teaching Metaphor

(Part of @teachthought 30-day Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge) more info here.

Day 18: "Create a metaphor/simile/analogy that describes your teaching philosophy."

Teaching is a high-speed roller coaster.

Let me explain........

If you've ever been on a roller coaster before (especially the ones that do loops, fast turns, and use high speeds) you know that there is some mental preparation before the rider approaches the roller coaster.

In education, you need the academic background as well as the mental preparation needed ahead of time to be able to deal with situations that come with your position and your daily work with students.

As you get closer to the front of the line and decide which roller coaster car to ride in, your heart may start to beat faster and you start to get excited and nervous about the upcoming ride.

In teaching, as the first week of school gets closer, you often feel the same feelings of excitement and nervousness about the students that will walk into your class on the first day. You anticipate the many great things that will take place in your classroom.

When it's your turn to take your seat in the roller coaster, sometimes you get the feeling that you should have taken the "chicken exit."

As a teacher, we all have days where we second guess ourselves and wonder if we are really making the right decisions. Often, we don't see the progress we expected, we wonder if our students are going to meet their goals, and we wish we could give more than the 100% we're already giving.

Next the roller coaster lurches forward, and you're in for the ride of your life. Before you know it, you're launched into a twist-turning, stomach dropping, thrilling upside-down race to the finish.

In teaching, once the school year begins, it's a journey of twists and turns through lessons, activities, trips, assessments, and experiences that lead to learning and understanding. It's a ride filled with passion and excitement, but often has some bumps along the way. There are always moments to remember.

When the roller coaster finally comes to an end and you exit the ride, you may feel a little dizzy and relieved. But more often than not, you take a moment to catch your breath before getting back in line again for another ride!

The journey of teaching is full-speed ahead until the very last day. It's exhausting, yet rewarding, and leaves us with the feeling of accomplishment and pride to see our students grow so much during the course of the year. As we exit the school and the "ride" is over for the summer, we can't help but imagine what the next year will bring.