A Day in The Life of an English Teacher

A Day in The Life of an English Teacher

Emma Haag, Author

If you are wondering what your English teachers have to do on a day to day basis you have come to the right place. Now, without further adieu, let’s get started!

Now you may be thinking, “I already know what my English teachers do in a day”, but that may not always be the case. There are a lot of things that teachers have to do behind the scenes to prepare for class. Here are a few of the preparations that take place:

They have to make lesson plans and construct education material like notes, tests and assignments. Along with managing all of their students and making sure that everyone is in an optimal learning environment. They need to encourage students as well as promote enthusiasm and interactive learning with positive reinforcement. They also need to be able to accommodate the needs of their students by adapting their teaching material and provide personalized instruction when necessary.

English may feel like a huge subject because it is not linear like math. For example, math has all of the steps that you follow to complete the problem, while English has a bunch of different things that you have to do and go over to complete the assignment. Since it feels like such a big subject, it may be challenging to determine how your students are doing in it and if they are on their way to mastering the subject.

“I enjoy teaching seniors because they crack me up. Some days they make my hair turn gray, but at the end of the year, when they’re strutting across the stage, it’s all worth it. “, said Great Bend High School English IV teacher, Mrs. Buzard.

An English teacher is responsible for making sure that their students are learning proper grammar, writing and reading comprehension skills. They have to answer questions, grade student essays and tests, track student progress, and teach the students the importance of English.

On top of all that they have to prepare, assign, and grade the different lessons and homework. Then, they have to evaluate students and put together progress reports. They also need to interact with parents to provide updates on their students’ progress. For example, what that student is doing well with and something they need to work on.

Another thing that our English teachers have to do is lesson plan. It may seem like an easy thing to do, but until you have to create one, you won’t know how difficult it can be. In a lesson plan, you have to have a learning target, a learning activity that ties in with your learning target, the materials that you are going to use, your resources, an assessment that you can give your students to check their knowledge-like bell work, and accommodations.

Most teachers have to lesson plan for each of their classes, but just because you get your lesson plan done, doesn’t mean that you are done with it. Depending on how your class is doing and how much they are accomplishing that day, you may need to go back in and fix your lesson plan. For example, if your class is having a hard time understanding something you may need to add more work time in your lesson plan for tomorrow.

“The hardest part of my day is when I’m in front of my students. Each class period brings its own unique challenges that I have to work around. During class, I am pulled in a million different directions, but I still have a lesson to teach my students. Everyday is different and every class during the day is different.” said Great Bend High School English III teacher, Mrs. VanSkike.

Even though our English teachers have a lot of work to do to get ready for class they still love to be there. Mrs. VanSkike’s favorite part of class is when she is up in front of her students teaching them and partaking in class discussions. Mrs. Buzzard’s favorite part of class is when her students are working in small groups and she can see how hard they work when they put their heads together.

Now that we have all learned what our English teachers have to do to get ready for their classes, let’s all try to be more cooperative with them and stay on task in class. Have a great day!