By Cody Warwick
Alumni
The idea of going to college was pretty scary to me, and graduate work – even more intimidating.
As it is with most things, you never really know what you’re getting into until you’re right in the middle of it.
Once I was in college, I realized that it wasn’t as difficult as it’s reputation made it seem. I enjoyed the flexible schedule, and that I wasn’t stuck in a chair from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. In my mind, graduate work was still a whole different story. I knew that class numbers would change from 101 to 555, and that even if I put my best effort in, there was still a chance of failure.
I ended up going for it anyway. I enrolled in the Middle-level Education Credential program through CSUSM so that I could eventually teach middle school math. The program has a stellar reputation among educators, and I knew that it would be no easy feat. It consisted of very in-depth instruction on how to best teach children, providing me with two opportunities for which I could practice in the classroom setting at different local middle schools. I learned to teach kids of different cultures, languages and learning needs that all happened to meet in the same classroom to learn math.
As I feared, it wasn’t easy. It consumed most of my time for a year of my life as I worked through assignments, group projects, self-reflections and daunting state-required performance assessments. It involved waking up early and leaving school late. If I wasn’t actively working on something, I was thinking about it. What assignment was due next? How were my students going to act the next day? Am I actually cut out for this whole teaching thing?
My questions eventually turned from worry to excitement as the program neared its end. What kind of teacher will I be? How will I motivate kids to be life-long learners? How can I make math exciting rather than boring (as it tends to be so often)? As my questions changed, I realized that my outlook had changed. I was no longer someone just trying to get through school and get a job to pay the bills. The program gave me confidence in my ability to educate kids. It changed me from someone who was fearful into someone that was now excited to make an impact in students’ lives.
Thankfully, I’m blessed to work at an awesome charter school in the area exploring the option of blended and online education for students in difficult or unique circumstances that cannot attend a normal Monday through Friday school program. Every single day I get the chance to make a positive difference in students’ lives by challenging them to grow and encouraging them to succeed, not just as math students, but as individuals.
If you want to be a teacher and cannot decide what program to enroll in, I highly recommend the middle-level program. The professors are passionate about what they teach, and getting the chance to enrich the lives of middle school students on a daily basis is so rewarding.