Video:Day in the Life: High School Teacher

Transcript:Day in the Life: High School Teacher

Hi, My name is Susan Olson Kullman and I am the choir director at Centennial Middle School and Boulder High School in Boulder, Colorado. I am here with About.com to give you a day in the life of me, a high school teacher.

About High School Teachers

There are so many rewards to teaching high school and middle school music. Number one, you get to make music with kids every day, which is just really fun and you know I love music and it's something that I really love sharing that passion with my students. Well, my day is really busy being at both the middle school and the high school. I really like it because I get to teach 6th through twelfth grade, but it means that I wear a lot of hats through out the day.

Average Day of a High School Teachers

I start my day at the middle school and I teach two periods and then I have a little bit of a break before I need to travel over to the high school where I teach three periods and have a little bit of a lunch break and some planning time. It's a lot. It's a lot of preps; it's a lot of planning and it's a lot of time. A lot of hours, after school activities, always something going on at the high school. Currently, I am directing Fiddler on The Roof at the high school. Being a teacher in this day and age, a couple of things you need to be aware of is all of the paperwork that goes into teaching.

Other Things High School Teachers Encounter

So beyond the lesson planning, beyond choosing music and choosing repertoire, choosing the things you are going to want to teach in class, which obviously is based on the state standards, you will have a ton of paperwork. If I literally could not spend another day in another teacher meeting, I would be so happy. Like, faculty meetings, meetings about school improvement plan. I mean you name it; it's hours of a week I spend in a meeting. I would much rather be in my class singing. It's a busy day; I never have a day where i should say, I'm bored, but that is part of the reason why I decided to be a teacher because every day is different and knew, and challenging.

Challenges of High School Teachers

Some of the work challenges I face, at least teaching music, would be that not every kid is on the same level. i think many high school teachers discover this also, as far as being a teacher, how to meet everyone's needs. It's a challenge that they prepare you for in your undergraduate degree, but probably not to the degree that you are comfortable with once you are out in the real world.

Students in High School

I am amazed every year at what a range of talent that I find in the classroom and being able to meet that, so my beginner's don't feel overwhelmed and my more advanced students aren't bored. Try to make that fit into a one period class can be difficult. People who are coming into the profession, be ready to teach anything. Especially if you are a music teacher, be ready. I know your certificate says you are certified K through twelve to teach any grade level and any subject matter within the realm of music and that is really true.

Especially if you live someplace rural, you are going to end up teaching, band, choir, orchestra, drama, probably all grade levels. Even though people think your hours are eight to three-thirty and you get the summers off, but as my husband can attest to, your hours are not eight to three- thirty. I am home usually between seven and eight o'clock every night and that's pretty typical.

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