Kerri A. Charette
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, from the time I could set my dolls up in their classroom. My mom is a teacher, and though she only formally taught for three years before marrying and having children, her teaching skills were always put to good use!
As one of five in my graduating class from the University of Connecticut’s school of elementary education to land a teaching job, I felt fortunate to be able to have a classroom! Because my kindergarten position was half time, I was able to stay after my twenty-three kindergartners left the school and learn, learn, learn about teaching.
I spent every lunch hour in the teacher’s room, sitting through the two waves of teachers cycling in and out, sharing personal and educational chatter. In the lunchroom I listened to veteran teachers discuss school system politics, share the kind of information about students that does not get written in their files, and brainstorm informally on upcoming topics in the curriculum. These hours were some of the most worthwhile I spend pursuing an education in the education field. I didn’t learn about curriculum or learning styles, but I did gain insight into the world of interpersonal relationships among teachers, administrators, and families.
After two years of teaching part time, I was hired to teach two sessions of kindergarten. Each day I spent five hours with forty-two kindergartners! During this time, I gave birth to my second child and decided I needed to work part time in the system again. With a half-day kindergarten classroom no longer available, I was placed in a remedial math position.
Armed with a masters degree in teaching reading and writing which had served me well with five and six year olds, I now needed to become more knowledgeable in the field of mathematics. My job was to support students who were not learning disabled, but had difficulty grasping math concepts.
I was fortunate enough to work with students’ grades one through six. I covered eighteen classrooms (three per grade level) and came in contact with many different learning and teaching styles. Seeing so many children walking the line between strong confidence in themselves and low self-esteem, I noticed similar traits among children and families from each group. It appeared as though some families just knew what to do in working with the schools for the benefit of their child’s education, and others did not. Many of the missing pieces could easily have been put in place with a minimum of time and effort if the families knew what to do for success.
Baby four convinced me to take leave of my teaching career. I officially resigned from the school system at the same time I sent my second child to the school I had been a teacher in. To keep my hand in the education field, I tutor children in their weak academic areas three afternoons a week. I followed up on my hypothesis that many parents need simple lessons in supporting their child’s education. Early morning hours now find me at the computer compiling a road map for positive school experiences for both child and family.
