Introverts Can Be Good Teachers, Too. We Just Need a Moment of Silence.

I’ve all the time been an introvert. Don’t get me mistaken, I really like individuals, however like most introverts, I inevitably attain a level when the lights go off. You can see it in my glazed-over eyes, half-laugh and glances towards the classroom door, eager for the varsity day to finish. I would like stillness, time to recharge and course of and I usually do my finest considering when I’m alone. You would suppose somebody like me would have dominated out educating as a profession a very long time in the past, however a half of me may by no means let the dream go.

When I made a decision to enter the classroom, I hoped to have time to regulate to the each day life-style of being a trainer in fixed contact with college students, mother and father and colleagues. Instead, I grew to become overwhelmed and overstimulated nearly instantly, feeling like I used to be hit by a dashing freight practice for seven hours a day, 5 days a week. I used to be in a fixed state of combat or flight, which triggered a lot of anxiousness in my physique. I may really feel my coronary heart racing from the time I received in mattress on a college evening to the following morning once I walked into the varsity constructing, figuring out the uninterrupted chaos and pure human contact I used to be about to topic myself to that day.

In mild of these reflections, I’m curious how we will create school rooms that help the distinctive psychological and emotional landscapes of college students and lecturers. Granted, I’m conscious my educating wants could also be distinctive to my circumstances; regardless of that, I can’t think about I’m alone in my name for a second of silence.

The Archetype of a “Good Teacher”

There’s no denying that there’s a prevailing archetype of what a good trainer seems like within the U.S. Ms. Frizzle, the fearless trainer and conductor of “The Magic School Bus”, has been a prominent example of this archetype because the Nineties. She had all of the important options of what most: the enigmatic, inexhaustible extravert that’s all the time excited to show college students, irrespective of the place the journey leads them.

The internet makes it easy to see this type of teacher in all their glory: enthusiastic lesson delivery, over-the-top call and responses and beautiful classroom decor. For a time, I imagined myself as that teacher, too. As a science teacher and a former PBS kid, I wanted to be Ms. Frizzle so badly. But after grading, family communication, handling behaviors, planning, data response and simply straightening my room up after the daily tornado of 140 eleven-year-olds, I don’t think even Ms. Frizzle would have an ounce of energy left. Teaching was a career I pursued because I knew the impact I wanted to have; I just didn’t know the personality shift I would be asked to undergo to be considered successful. When I couldn’t sustain such a high energy level throughout the seven-hour day, I felt like I’d failed.

Recently, I told my academic coach that I just needed more stillness in my day. For nearly any other profession, that would be easily attainable. For teachers, it’s a near impossibility. I enjoy the planning that goes into being a teacher: the summer PD sessions, nerding out with my content team, planning engaging lessons and being thoughtful about ELL and EE accommodations. However, once the school year kicked in, the energy I built preparing for the school year left me. The part of me that loves interacting with students, hearing about their lives and enjoying their quirky personalities was burnt out by my third class. The part of me that loves planning felt rushed and chaotic during my 47-minute planning period. I find it hard to continue to say that I love teaching when I don’t love what it becomes – a demand to burn the candle at both ends.