Lauren Cabrera, 6th Grade Science Teacher, Walton Middle School
What has your classroom experience taught you that studying education could not have prepared you for?
My classroom experience has taught me the most about classroom management. In order to be aware of what up to 30 students are doing around the classroom takes skill, but then to help individuals and groups on top of that takes a level of mastery that can only be achieved by having experience in your class.
What teaching adjustments do you plan to make moving forward?
By being self-reflective in my practice, I have a lot of adjustments I will be making as I move forward. Firstly, I plan on using resources more effectively, whether it be those given to us by the county or colleagues to collaborate within the building. I also am rethinking the way I structure my curriculum in order to make it a more holistic science class instead of distinct units.
In your eyes, what is the biggest challenge facing education currently?
The biggest challenge facing education is not being flexible enough to give every student the abilities they need to be successful in their adult life. The overall push in education is to get all students to the same goal when in reality, they will be filling countless positions in society. We need to switch our mentality as a nation to recognize the plethora of ways that students can accomplish goals and become more informed individuals.
For the next few weeks, to gain insight on what important lessons our young teachers learn early in their careers, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Meet Your Educator profiles will feature first- and second-year teachers.
