Hi guys, in this post, I want to share my experience teaching at a high school. But before that, I want to tell you why I ended up 'diving into' this school as a part-time teacher.
 |
| Sorry, I won't show my students' faces due to privacy reasons :) |
Long story short, I was offered to apply for a position as a drawing teacher. After an interview with the principal, I was suddenly called and asked to start teaching in February 2023 as a Fashion Design teacher. It just so happens that I am a former fashion student, a fashion designer, and the owner of a fashion brand (although currently inactive). So, of course, I was very interested in teaching in the field of fashion. At that time, I agreed to the contract because I wanted to gain new experiences. Besides, as a person of faith, I felt this was a sign from God that I should follow.
Even though I started a few weeks into the new semester, I didn’t see it as a problem because I believed there was a good plan from God behind all of this.
It turned out that after one semester ended, I was placed in the Creative Art & Design (CAD) class, which focused more on graphic design. Coincidentally, I had studied Visual Communication Design and had a lot of experience in this field, so I didn’t mind teaching this class even though it had a large number of students.
As someone who just 'dove' into teaching, I was quite overwhelmed. Teaching a design class requires time to provide tutoring and assistance to students. Due to the less-than-ideal conditions, I changed my teaching method mid-semester to a more realistic and project-based approach to make students more independent.
Teaching design is not easy because it involves not only many software tools but also numerous design principles and theories. It’s impossible to cover everything in just two semesters. There are so many things I want to teach my students, but I can’t because, as a part-time teacher, I have many responsibilities at the school, such as administrative tasks, assessments, art exhibitions, preparing teaching materials, and more, which take up a lot of time. Besides, I also have many activities outside of being a teacher.
Through my teaching method, I want my students to realize that teachers can only introduce and guide them with materials, but to grow, they have to make an effort themselves.
 |
| my students artwork |
The challenge in this design class is that not all students really want to learn. Many choose this class thinking it’s easy and just to fulfill school requirements. It turns out that 80% of the students find it quite difficult to follow. Actually, I think this school is good because it requires all students to choose at least one music or art class. FYI, learning art is important for brain development and creativity. Many parents enroll their children in art lessons from a young age, hoping they will grow up to be more intellectual and resilient.
However, with the less-than-ideal teacher-student ratio in this design class, I find it challenging to teach well and give attention to every student. I have to adapt to the situation and conditions. Moreover, each class has a variety of students with different personalities. I see that each student has different needs, but I can’t reach all of them due to limitations. As a result, it depends on the student themselves—if they want to learn more, they have to approach me for guidance and feedback on their progress.
Interestingly, even though I have around 200 students, I can remember all their names and their behavior in class. Perhaps the students don’t realize that I always observe them in class. I know who is diligent and who isn’t, who often submits assignments late, who is active in asking questions, who is talkative in class, and who likes to disappear. I remember all of them, both their names and faces, but it’s impossible for me to approach each one individually.
Actually, I enjoy teaching this design class because I have the freedom to determine what materials I want to teach my students. So, their work can be more optimal. I have my own views on what my students need to learn based on my work experience. I have my own considerations that I think will be useful for them in the future when they intern or enter the workforce.
As a new teacher, I am very excited to teach and always believe that there is a reason why God placed me here. Recently, I began to understand that I was brought together with some students who are special to me. I feel closer to God because I understand that in every step of my life, He is always with me on this journey.
Teaching at this school has given me many valuable lessons, both shortcomings and strengths, which I believe I can apply to my life journey ahead. As a human being, I certainly have many shortcomings and am not perfect, especially since I have only been a teacher for a year. I feel less confident because I have no teaching experience, but with all the feedback from my students, I feel that maybe I am quite suited to this profession.
Although I eventually left this design class, I hope my replacement can teach them better! There are some students I care about, so I decided to continue teaching at this school, but only in the special program, which is the art program. In this school, there is a special program for students who only want to study art, and I decided to stay and teach the students in this program. Coincidentally, some design class students also joined this program, so I can meet them again to teach them. Perhaps my journey with them is not over yet.
Teaching at this school has been a very valuable and meaningful experience for me. Although there are many challenges and limitations to face, I feel very fortunate to meet sweet students and learn together with them. Every day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, and inspire each other.
I hope that even though I no longer teach the design class, my influence and guidance can still be felt by my students. I hope they continue to strive, learn, and develop their potential, because ultimately, teachers can only open the door; it is they who must choose to enter and explore a world full of possibilities.
Thanks for reading. Xx
