You probably have a lot of questions about what it means to be a teacher. You may be wondering if it’s a right fit for you. Is teaching challenging? The answer is yes.

If you were to ask me today, after 3 years of teaching, What do you like least about teaching?, I’d say teaching is time-consuming. There’s a solution to this. I just haven’t mastered it yet. 

I’ve struggled with teaching because I haven’t been in the same school or same grade level every year. Causing me to change curriculums and texts every time since each school and grade level requires something different. 

The first couple of years of teaching, I struggled with classroom management—making sure everyone was in their seat, paying attention, and being respectful while I taught a lesson.

Just when I thought I had teaching under control, I realized that lesson planning continued to be a struggle. I never seemed to have the lessons plans prepared weeks in advance. I always had them ready just on time. 

Not to mention that teaching during a pandemic has added more challenges because it required me to use different formats of learning and adjust to new guidelines such as for attendance and grading.

I wonder if after I accumulate enough lesson plans for different grade levels and stick with my current school, will the time-consuming aspect of teaching no longer be a problem since I’ll be better prepared? Only time will tell. 

What I want to leave you with is this, I think that my least favorite parts of teaching have always been the things that I haven’t mastered yet. And the solution for that is experience.  As the years go by, we have to opportunity to grow. If every year you work on improving a specific area in your teaching, the next year you can focus on something else.