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What I’ve Learned After My First Month of Teaching

Liliana Martinez (Houston ‘18) shares the challenges and opportunities that come with being a new teacher.

By Liliana Martinez

March 12, 2019

What’s it Really Like in My Classroom?

After her first month of teaching, Liliana Martinez (Houston ‘18) is already familiar with the challenges that lie ahead. Access to resources. Buying classroom supplies. Building relationships with students and their families. While her role as a new teacher comes with a steep learning curve, she can’t imagine doing anything else.

It's only been a month, but I have definitely noticed what the challenges are, and what the challenges are going to come. For one, resources is a big thing. Even getting the printer to work some days can be difficult. The other day, we had no toner for like two days, and everybody had to share the same printer in the office, and I was late to class for like 10 minutes because I was trying to get copies.

The resources are a big deal. I have a lot of students who [00:00:30] weren't able to bring supplies, and I've done a lot of buying with my own money already, and it's only been a month, but I really want them to have the materials to get to work.

I have quite a few students that family communication is not really there, and where I'm starting to notice, I really need to check in on you more, I need to be more aware of what's going on at home, and making sure that I'm forming those relationships with the students that I see are struggling some more.

My main focus is to continue to form relationships with my students because I feel like my success throughout high school and college, happened through relationship building, through the relationships I built with, a lot of TFA alumni.

I want to continue to stay in education. I can't really imagine doing something else that doesn't have education involved somehow.