One of the many things that makes up a school is its teachers. Without them, we wouldn’t learn certain topics or develop new skills we never knew we had. But do we really know our teachers? What makes them so unique from the others? And how do they feel about their jobs? In this article you will read about one of the many teachers in this school, Nishanth Ponnala, to get an inside look on the teaching lifestyle.
What made you want to become a teacher?
“You get the same days off as the kids, like you get holidays and summers off and it’s a very manageable job and you get to spend time with your family and I would think I would’ve been good at it.”
Was biology the only subject you’ve taught?
“No, I teach chemistry and other things. I’m a general science teacher.”
How long have you been a teacher and did you teach other grades?
“Two years. This is my second year.”
Really?
“Yes… and since in high school you get to pick your own class so I’ve taught 9-12.”
Did you have a favorite age group to teach?
“Grade wise? I don’t really break it up by grades since it’s like a content area. I mean sophomores I teach the most stuff, right?”
Would you ever encourage your kids to become a teacher?
“Um, yes, I think the lifestyle is very good and I think the adults who complain about being teachers are just complaining too much. This is the easiest job of all time.”
How do you bond with your students?
“Jokes… and bullying. NOT BULLYING. That was a joke.”
How do you help a student who feels as though they aren’t as good enough in your subject than the others?
“Most likely target them specifically and provide positive comments as much as possible. Target them specifically as in approach them. Take into account that they feel that way and encourage them with my comments. I usually try to do comments very quickly because grading takes so long. Sometimes I’ll take a little extra time with the comments and try to figure out what their problems are and try to address those directly.”
Every teacher has their own special way of teaching. How do you teach?
“I like to do a good blend of independent work, mostly independent work if possible because students are forced to do it and they understand the immediate consequences of not doing it. A surprising amount teaching is like 5%, of my kids take 80% of my time. All kids benefit from catering to the struggling population.”
Not every student gets to know their teachers, what’s something you want people to know about you?
“Honestly, I don’t want anyone to know anything about me.”
Not even your favorite color?
“Nope.”
And lastly, what’s one thing in your teaching career that you wish you could go back and change?
“I don’t like any of it… It’s only my second year so like a lot of my stuff is at the very… Not the lowest level but a lot of it is simplified. I think what I would like to do is to not expect too much of myself starting out and then set reasonable expectations and like plan reasonably. I feel like I shoot forward too much and then I feel overwhelmed quickly.”
This concludes just one of the many interviews with the teachers of our school. With now knowing a little insight into a teacher’s life, would you be nicer to your staff? Would you consider becoming a teacher? Or would you rather not? Maybe you would even consider giving a helping hand. Who knows. But what I do know is, everybody views life differently. The way one teacher may talk about their lifestyle doesn’t mean all teachers view it that way. So always be mindful and respectful to who you speak to no matter who they are.
