A Day in the Life of a U.S. History Teacher | Indeed

Hi, my name is Christina and this is a day in the life of a teacher. I am a U.S. history teacher. I teach eighth grade. We study from Columbus all the way through the Civil War and Reconstruction. I love teaching. I've been doing this 26 years and I love the kids and that's something really important. You gotta love the kids. I got my degree in criminal justice administration and a minor in political science. I joined a credential program. It was a fast track program, nine months. And then in order to teach history, since I have a degree in something else, I had to take three CSET tests. And once you pass those tests, then you get the credential to be able to teach that subject. Every morning I come in and write down the agenda so the kids can look up here and know exactly what is expected of them. We have five minute passing period. So to clean up from one class, get the kids out, bring the next group in and be prepared. It goes really fast. So I'm trying to get ahead of the game and be prepared for first period already. Hi dear, how are you? I'm good, how are you? Good. Nice sweatshirt. Go Giants. Yep. So who are we talking about today? It's a person. No, it's not a pirate. We are studying George Washington. I want three K's. What do you know about Washington? I want three W's. What questions do you still have? And leave the L's blank. Okay. I chose this job mainly because I love history. But secondly, I had a teacher in high school that was so engaging and just really cared about the kids and it inspired me to do the same thing. And this is best profession I could have chosen. They make my life extremely fulfilled and it's nice to think of them as my own little kids. First of all, what does foreign mean? When we say foreign policy? From a different country. Yes. So how did Washington deal with different countries? That's what you're looking for. So students are getting ready to play a review game based on information that they've learned about George Washington in the last few days and what they're doing at their stations right now. They are going to be engaged. They're going to be competitive. They're going to be excited. And I look forward to seeing how well they do on this game. All right. Is that true or false? Did he chop down the cherry tree? Show me. Show me. I cannot tell a lie. Well, you guys say true. Most of you. When it comes to lesson plans, I'm really looking at student ability. My students are sitting in groups and I try and mix up the ability levels so different students might be able to encourage or help those that maybe are struggling. All right. Trivia time. What is the average salary of a U.S. teacher? The answer will be coming up later in this video. Gotta be a great communicator. I gotta be able to have conversations with the students and get down to their level and their understanding. And there's always a quote I think about that students don't care what you know until they know that you care. And I think that's the biggest thing that I try and live by is establishing a good rapport with my students because once they know I care about them, I've got them engaged. The students are getting ready for their annual eighth grade Washington, D.C. field trip. I am so looking forward to seeing your faces of all the things that we've learned about in class and just really excited to bring Washington, D.C. to life. When it comes to field trips, it's so important to enhance the students learning by actually going and visiting these places. And you get to know the students on a different level. So it's really important for kids to get into a new environment and to be right there with their teacher and enjoying it together. This should be interesting. We don't usually go outside and do these activities, so this is one of those days we're just going to experiment a little bit. It's important to continue your education as a teacher because there's new techniques that come out, there's new discussions about what works in the classroom, there's changing things in the education field, strategies that you can learn, and it's always important to change things up. So life is not over at three o'clock for a teacher. It's just beginning actually because now I'm focused on what am I doing tomorrow, I've got to go make my copies, grade a few papers, but I really tried hard to balance out my work life and my personal life so I try to not take work home with me as much as possible. Another challenge would be students that are exhibiting some behaviors that are disruptive to class, trying to help that student that isn't motivated. But just know that flexibility, energy, and patience are key to the teaching profession. I know this was the place I was meant to be because those relationships down the road and those kids coming back and talking to me and telling me about their lives and the role that I played in it, there's nothing more important than that. It is a rewarding job for sure, but you got to love it. You have to have your heart into this profession and it will benefit not only you but your students as well. So if you're interested in the teaching profession, you have to get a degree, it doesn't have to be an education degree, then you're probably going to want to substitute. So you're going to need to take the CBEST test. Once you pass that, substitute at elementary, middle, and high school and see how well you like it. If you're ready to move on, then go find yourself a credential program and you'll do your student teaching and you're on your way to looking for a job in the teaching profession. Thanks for watching. Please like and subscribe to our channel. We'll see you next time. 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