Victory Lap

Having just finished my first year teaching social studies, my fifth (!) year of full time teaching, and my eighth (!!) year in education, I figure it is as good a time as any to reflect on the year that was. While I would be lying if I said the year was easy, I will say that it wound up being a very successful one.

That said, things did not start off the way I had planned or hoped. While I was very pleased to have finally procured a full time position teaching my preferred subject of social studies, I would be remiss if I did not admit that my confidence was not particularly high when starting the job. I lost my job at Prairie-Hills due to no fault of my own, but their lack of interest in finding a new spot for me on their team led me to question my own abilities. I did not go into this job believing that I could not fail. I knew I had to prove myself to my students, my peers, and most of all, myself.

It was certainly an adjustment starting at Kellar. Many of the amenities to which I had grown accustomed at Prairie-Hills (phones and printers in the classroom, air conditioning) were nonexistent at my new school. The students’ lockers were located in the classroom. Dismissal procedures were convoluted and could last in upwards of 30 minutes. At the beginning, my only goal was to survive to the end of the day, then to the end of the week, then to the end of the month, and ultimately to the end of the year.

A funny thing happened as the school year progressed. My students actually started to like me. Being a somewhat eccentric white male in a school almost entirely composed of minorities lends itself to some challenges. At the beginning of the year, many of my students didn’t “get” me. There were a handful that did, but for the most part my dry sense of humor was met with complete silence and participation was limited to the handful of students who liked me from the start. I had to prove myself to them. Once they realized that I was okay, they started to get more involved in the class. Sure, a couple students never wound up liking me, but that’s life. You can’t win them all.

When I worked at AAA Academy, my boss bluntly told me that my way would not work, and that if I was ever going to have any success, I would need to get on board with her way. I was blessed to work in a school that gave me the autonomy to do things my way. Much of my teaching is discussion based. I believe that young people learn in a variety of ways, but I especially believe that they learn from having conversations. I like to draw from my own experiences while teaching and allow them to ask questions as soon as they arise. The more involved they are in the discussion, the greater ownership they take in it, and ultimately, they will retain more knowledge. I always tell my students that in history the “who”, the “what”, and the “when” are important, but in order to truly learn both about history and learn from history, they need to understand the “why”. As a result, my classroom generally has a fairly laid-back atmosphere. In fact, one of the girls told me “Mr. Duehr, your class is so laid back that I didn’t think I was learning anything, but when we took the Constitution Test, I realized that I knew everything. I like how you do things.” That quote alone proved that way can and does work for me and for my students.

My greatest sense of pride from an academic sense came from the students’ success on the Constitution Test. I know the Constitution is not the most exciting material, so I really had to wrap my brain around how to teach it in a way that would connect with the students. Almost randomly, I stumbled on something that worked. I assigned one amendment to each student. They were responsible for becoming an expert on that amendment and had to teach a mini-lesson to the class. While they got to be “me” and teach the lesson, I sat in their desk and got to be them. I would act how they act during class (within reason, of course). I copied their mannerisms, their patterns of speech, etc. It was a lot of fun, and the students truly excelled. Of my 105 students, 98 passed the test on their first try. The remaining students all passed by their third attempt.

While their academic success brought me a great measure of pride, I took even greater pride in the strides that many of them made in growing as individuals. I am fully aware that students will not remember many of the social studies lessons I taught, so I put a focus on teaching them life lessons as well. If they can learn those lessons from me, then I will have been a success as a teacher. It is important for them to know that yes, they are young and will make mistakes, but it is important that they use every mistake as a lesson learned. Each day is a new opportunity for learning and growth. Many of them are learning that lesson, and I could not be prouder.

I sit here today with a great sense of relief and satisfaction because, for the first time in 9 years, I know exactly where I will be working in August. I do not have to scour K12Jobspot for openings. I do not have to get dressed up for interviews, and I do not have to struggle to fall asleep at night due to stress and fear of the unknown. I know where my road leads for the next year at least, and I am thankful for that. This year could not be classified as anything less than a success, and I am excited for what is to come.