Defining Your Identity As A Teacher

Defining Your Identity as a Teacher

How do you define yourself? According to your job. Where you live. Your hobbies. Your family. Your pets.

Who is she?

That’s Hillary, she’s a teacher.

But who is she, really? Good question. I’m so glad you asked.

My Dream

I landed my first teaching job at a private school, in the middle of the school year. I was hired to teach 6th grade, having never stepped foot into a 6th grade classroom even during my subbing days. I had no idea what to expect. I was thrilled and terrified all at once.

Come to find out, I was one of two 6th grade teachers. While the other taught both 6th grade classes science, I was to teach both classes social studies. Another fun surprise was discovering I had zero curriculum to do it. I was told to teach units on ancient China, Greece, and Rome. That’s it.

No curriculum. No textbooks. No teacher computer. And no history background to help me. To say I struggled was an understatement.

School picture from my first year teaching.

What I didn’t expect, was to fall in love with 6th grade. Thanks to the enthusiasm I had for teaching – a lifelong dream, I was finally doing what I had always wanted. And with the help of my home computer and a few supplemental resources I bought from the local teacher store, I somehow managed to make it through my first year and a half of teaching at the private school. After that, I tried my luck at applying for the local public school district.

I had heard that teaching in the public school system was quite different from the private sector. What excited me most, was that I was finally going to have curriculum and textbooks! What I was not prepared for, was how little guidance and support I would receive.

I was hired to again, teach 6th grade, and replace a teacher not long after the school year had started. Two weeks after I started, I discovered the contract was temporary and I would go back in the application pool when the school year was over. New to the public system, with little support and no mentor, it was like jumping in the deep end.

Luckily, I was hired the next year, again teaching 6th grade. I was officially a “first year teacher” even though I had a few years under my belt. Although I finally had my continuing contract, as a first year teacher, I had no rights in terms of teaching position. I left that summer not knowing what would happen next.

That fall I landed at a middle school, and again teaching 6th grade. After some rezoning due to numbers, all 6th graders from a small neighboring town were to be relocated to the middle school.

Although I was still in the same school district, I was teaching in the only middle school that included 6th graders. Which meant that again, I received little support. I was the only 6th grade teacher trained to teach elementary, but was teaching in a secondary setting.

This is where I fell in love with teaching ancient history, which was my primary focus over my 10 years teaching at the middle school. In addition, I also taught ELA, computer applications, and a study skills elective using my own curriculum.

I watched nearly every 6th grade teaching position be filled with someone trained to teach secondary. Eventually I would find them standing at my door, asking for help because either the grade level or the curriculum was completely new to them. I was happy to help those who wanted it. Since I knew the feeling they were experiencing, all too well.

My door sign - the red faded to brown

Time for Change

I mentored new teachers, provided trainings for my colleagues, served on countless committees and even wrote curriculum at the request of my school district. Many colleagues and administrators saw a confident teacher with strong classroom management and a passion for learning. All of this is true, and I stand proudly of my reputation as a teacher. However, there are always 2 sides to every story.

The stress. The worry. The long hours. For me, these did not just apply to my teaching. But also hit closer to home. Over the years I helped my husband battle many illnesses and recover from several surgeries. From cancer to sinus surgery, and many others in between.

My husband and I finally hit our breaking point and realized, the time we have left is unknown. Much to everyone’s surprise, we made the decision to leave our jobs and our Alaska home of 15+ years.

The day we sold our house.

Living Life Building a Business

We sold everything we owned and bought an RV to travel. We spent 3 years traveling and touring Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48 states. It was during this time that I really began to build my Teachers Pay Teachers store, with resources I had made for myself over the years.

With 2020, many things changed. Including travel. Unable to go to new cool places and do fun things, the sacrifices you make to live in an RV just weren’t worth it anymore.

So we bought some land in South Dakota and began building a house, which is where you’ll find me most days. Creating resources, writing my blog, developing trainings for teachers, and hanging out with my husband and rescue pups.

For 15 years, if you were to ask me to tell you about myself, the first thing I would say, is that I’m a teacher. It’s the one thing I always wanted. The one thing I knew I was meant for.

But today, I know there is more to me than being a teacher. At least, more to me than being a teacher of one classroom. Today I would tell you that I’m a teacher at heart, and I believe in living your best life. For me, that means spending quality time with those I love and supporting other teachers through my online resources and trainings.