By Megan Bettis, CASE 4 Year College Director / Mentoring and Leadership Co-Chair

The new school year is exciting and overwhelming, whether you’re a first-year teacher, returning to the classroom after time away, or a veteran teacher tackling a new subject or curriculum. We caught up with two science veteran teachers who shared their insights about teaching and mentoring.

Maya Wildgoose
Maya Wildgoose teaches Earth Science, amongst other subjects, and reflected on the value of finding a mentor at her site that first year. “I remember feeling so overwhelmed that [first] year… but I had a vision for organizing a classroom and holding kids accountable. I spent many prep periods in our assistant principal’s office asking for advice… I hope every first-year teacher has someone like that, whose door is always open.”

Maya discussed the importance of connecting with other educators, whether that is “recognizing that we need to adapt and keep learning” or “sharing mistakes that we make and stories of decisions we wish we could change can help drive this point home, too.” She also shared a practice that kept her grounded: “I got into the habit of writing down one good thing that had happened that day and putting them in a jar. I still go back and read those notes, because they were a glimpse into the time capsule of teaching, and I love them.”

Steven Ramsay
We also heard from another perspective. Steven Ramsay teaches IB Biology and shared that one of the things that stands out to him most about his first year of teaching was how challenging it was to balance all of the responsibilities of a teacher, including making sure lesson plans were inquiry-based and focused on implementing the NGSS. Steven shared, “It was challenging to go from learning a new style of teaching and then [being] at a school where everyone was teaching a more dated style.” While Steven shared about the challenges of navigating the politics of school and collaborating with peers who had different opinions, he also shared that he learned and encourages new teachers to “Not sweat the little things. Every day is a new day.”

Welcome back to the school year! Remember to make time for yourself and reflect on the day, seek out or be the mentor someone needs, and start each day fresh!

Author

Megan M. Bettis is a supervisor/lecturer of Teacher Education at UC Davis and serves 4-Year College Director of CASE. Megan earned her EdD at Arizona State University, and her research focused on social and emotional learning and STEM identity development.
 

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