Many teachers at Eureka High School have taken on the task of teaching multiple courses, spanning from fashions to personal finance. Teaching completely different classes comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
Corey Choate, AMPED, Personal Finance and Sports Management teacher uses tons of his free time planning out what each of his classes will consist of for every day.
“I stay organized just by planning out my semester, week by week, day by day,” Choate said. “I’m always making sure I’m getting through all the things I want the kids to learn by the end of the semester”
No matter the number of classes a teacher decides to take on, planning is a time-consuming task that is inevitable. Planning allows teachers to stay productive, have an outline of the things that need to be done by a certain day, and keep the classroom flowing.
Without mindful planning strategies, teachers can easily get disorganized and sidetracked. Julie Weitzel, Spanish 1, Spanish 2 and Cadet Teaching teacher, has almost perfected her planning strategy which makes it much easier to balance different classes.
“I teach three different courses at Eureka, I do a lot online with Canvas to make sure that I have work preloaded for my classes,” Weitzel said. “Also because I have to keep track of work that students submit, it’s much easier to not have a bunch of paper stacks. I prefer to keep my work and planning organized online.”
Elective teachers sometimes get placed in classes to teach when spots are open, so they have to tackle the difficulties that come with it. Ms.
Weitzel has no complaints about teaching Spanish and Cadet Teaching.
“I think that Cadet Teaching has become a popular course at Eureka and I’m happy to help kids who are truly interested in the profession to get some shadowing experience,” Weitzel said. “And I’m kind of a good fit for it because I like talking about teaching and I like mentoring new people.”
Teamwork is also a crucial factor in the success of a classroom. Many teachers collaborate with other educators who teach the same subject as them to bounce off ideas and keep each other accountable.
Ben Ferrell, Metals, GIC, and IED teacher uses his coworkers and his planning skills to keep his classes running smoothly over the course of the semesters.
“I plan days in advance to make sure everything is prepared, I have things pretty well set out for my classes,” Ferrell said. “I also like to work with other teachers and figure out the best way I can go about the plan for today and tomorrow. ”
Justin Scheuer, Acting 1, Acting 2, Tech 1, Creative Writing, Studio Director teacher has persevered through the challenges of his planning time cutting into personal time, but he appreciates the fact that it allows for a better learning experience for his students. He focuses on meaningful planning and making sure all of his classes are balanced.
“It’s challenging sometimes for sure because each class requires a different hat. For example, teaching Tech Theater 1 is different from teaching Acting is different than teaching Creative Writing and so I have to be really intentional with my planning time, and sometimes weekend time to make sure I’ve given each class its fair share of time and attention.”
