Teach. Inspire. Motivate.

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This week’s post is about teaching! I visited my former high school two weeks ago because there was an open day/reunion. I spoke to some of my teachers about their careers and experiences. I also spoke with an Education Master student, who wants to become a biology teacher and spent one day at a high school where I got a chance to see what it’s like to be a teacher.

What is so great about teaching? Every time I asked I got a similar reply. To teach someone something new. To be able to get their interest and to see them putting the pieces together and understand. To have an impact on their lives. To be in touch with younger generations.

When I asked my high school teachers in biology and chemistry about why they decided to become a teacher, both of them told me it was something they’ve always wanted since they were very young. My biology teacher, Roeland Enzlin, started teaching right after he graduated; my chemistry teacher, Eric-Jan Zwiers, had a job in sales for a few years before becoming a teacher. Both of them enjoy their jobs very much, but warn me about the workload that many people will easily overlook. At the start of your teaching career the workload is not too much, but the more you grow, the bigger the workload becomes. And by workload they mean the obligations beside the teaching; meetings, making and correcting exams, preparing classes, being a mentor, being a department chair, etc. Eric-Jan said there is not one evening in a week when he is free. He even works during most of his weekends. Saskia Kersemakers finished her education master last year and is now a high school teacher in biology. She has 6 classes to start with, but next year there will most likely be more. As it is her first year she spends more time preparing for the classes, but she reckons that it will take a little less effort in the coming years. She works a little in the evenings and is usually free during the weekends.

Saskia went to Nijmegen for her education master, but she arranged for the internship positions close to home. Here is a list of Dutch universities where you can get a post master degree in teaching. Most universities have their deadlines in April or May, and not all of them are suitable for biology. At some universities you can also start in February. The master takes one year, but can also be done part-time in two years so you can work on the side. There will be a few courses about presenting yourself, different ways of teaching, solving problems, dealing with pupils, etc, but most of the time will be spent on internships at high schools, evaluations and reflections. Once you graduate you can teach all levels in high school.

Lisanne van Muiden is now in the second half of her education master in Leiden, and she is teaching at Hogeschool Rotterdam as well (luckily those extra hours are also eligible for internship hours). She enjoys both very much; the young kids at high school are just starting to learn about biology and she can go in much more detail with the students from Rotterdam. She thinks it is very important to be enthusiastic and creative as a teacher. Lisanne and Saskia both mentioned the importance of being very consistent in the way that you teach. The young pupils will most certainly try to test your limits, so you have to know where to draw the line and how to deal with that. Roeland told me that teaching is one big theatre. Your body language and the way you use your voice have a bigger impact than the things you say. And that is not always an easy task when it comes to stubborn teenagers. It may be one of the reasons not to continue a career in teaching, Lenie Berendts told me. She started the education master, but decided not to finish it and look for other ways to engage in education.

So is it easy to get a job as a teacher? That depend on what you teach. I will be very honest, it is easier to find a job as a math, physics or chemistry teacher. There are many biologists, and now that there is less money for research more biologists will decide to become a teacher. This already happened for many ecologists, but there are still jobs for biology teachers. Simply look for vacancies online and see for yourself. When old biology teachers retire they will be replaced by young ones. How much is the salary? A starting teacher will earn about €2500 (gross) per month in the Netherlands, a full teacher earns about €5000 (gross). Don’t be fooled by the tax that still needs to be deducted.

High school seems like a long time ago. I remember my favourite teachers, but what made them so awesome? The topics, yes, but I noticed most pupils had the same favourite teachers. I think it was because the way they teach was inspiring. They were enthusiastic and funny, but also strict. We respected them and knew exactly what to expect. They are great role models, but that doesn’t mean I know what it’s like to be a good teacher. And obviously everything I remember is from a pupil perspective.  That is why it was a great experience to join Saskia for one day, and see what it is like to be a teacher. 

One of the things I noticed from the start is that she doesn’t have a very loud voice and she is not very tall, but still the pupils pay attention when she speaks. She said, the trick is to be consistent from the start. Don’t ever show them you are doubting yourself, because they see right through you. They will try to test your limits for the first 2-3 weeks, but after that they know what to expect. She chooses her positon in the classroom carefully, so she has everyone’s attention; I have rarely seen her in front of the classroom behind the desk. She doesn’t spend much time writing things on the board. Instead she uses Prezi presentations to explain everything. Apart from explaining, she actively involves her pupils by asking questions instead of telling them right away. Another thing that really got my attention was the differences between the different classes. One class with 15-16 year olds was very quiet, even when they were allowed to take a break for 5 minutes. Another class with 16-17 year olds was much louder from the start, and she had to remind them several times to get back to work. There was also a class with 12 – 13 year olds, who had to work on a project in groups. Here I saw the differences between the pupils; some are very dominant and others very quiet, some don’t want to focus and some are trying but need extra coaching, some work well in groups others prefer to work alone. I suddenly felt very old when Saskia introduced me and used my last name. Right, that will happen when you are a teacher. Another thing I realised is that you cannot go into detail about your favourite topics as a high school teacher. Your least favourite topics will also return. Saskia mentioned that she talks about her favourite topics by naming many examples, but no details. She said, if you start discussing too many details they cannot focus anymore. There will always be pupils who are more interested, and they will ask you personally if you have inspired them.

I think many people don’t give teachers the credit they deserve, both pupils and their parents. I think everyone should think about how their teachers have changed their lives. When I think about my time in high school there have been a few teachers who really had an impact on my future choices and my life, but I never realised that when I was in school.

I want to thank Roeland Enzlin, Eric-Jan Zwiers, Saskia Kersemakers, Lisanne van Muiden, Lenie Berendts and every teacher/(ex)student I spoke to for their input.