At Kenyon, as part of our language program, we have what we call “Apprentice Teachers”, or ATs. ATs teach 3 to 4 hours a week for intro students and once a week for intermediate students. Their job is to give the students more hours in the target language with a near-peer and to practice and reinforce what is learned in class. They are apprentices to their master teachers, those from whose class they teach.
I became a full AT for the French department at the beginning of this school year. I had done some teaching in French before (mostly in the form of tutoring), but I was looking forward to the opportunity to develop the skill. After some training and contracts signed, I was ready to teach.
The first class I taught I remember finishing elated, feeling like I was walking on air. An hour of speaking French, of joking around with students in the hopes of their getting more of the material, of teaching, had been surprisingly thrilling. I had laughed more than I thought I would, I had learned some things about teaching and myself and French, and I felt like this was something that I was good at. It is difficult to do something for the first time and for it to feel so natural, but for me, it did.
When people talk about being teachers, they always talk about how “fulfilling” it is. And it’s not that I didn’t buy that, but, rather, that I thought that there were some kinds of people who were fulfilled by that, and some who weren’t, and I thought that I was decidedly in the “weren’t” category. Teaching was a good and noble profession, but I didn’t think it would be something I really liked. I became an AT because I figured it would be a good place on campus to use my expertise in French, and that as far as jobs went, it would be pretty nice.
But now, I really look forward to teaching, to seeing my students. I know when they have quizzes and tests, and I want them to do well. It’s not just that I like my students (though I do), but getting to teach them has made me feel almost partially responsible for them. When someone’s education is even slightly your responsibility, you feel like you have a duty to them and the material. And while it is a responsibility, there’s something very exciting about that. In addition, teaching someone a language is giving them the tools to communicate, and you get to see their development quickly and clearly with every hour you spend with them. Getting to see someone actually just be able to communicate better is an exciting thing, and progress in it feels worthwhile.
I often feel like I get the opportunity to be my best self when I teach. I’m fun and joking, but I also take the material seriously, and I know what I’m talking about. I get to see people finally understand a concept or surprise me with their acumen on a new subject. Most of all, I get to share my knowledge with my students. There’s something really thrilling about that.