Story 01: Caleb (NJ): ‘Am I doing enough?’
My name is Caleb, and I’ve been teaching 9th grade since 2022 and Kinder - 5th grade since 2004. I currently teach Spanish in Vineland, NJ.
My mother-in-law passed away in December and some friends surprised us with a DoorDash gift card to help in a hard time.
What made me happy this week >>>
…was starting this website. I’ve thought about it for a few years. To actually be starting is exciting for me.
From my camera roll that makes me smile >>>
Six Nations Rugby started this month. I had a friend over to watch it with me. Round 3 is this weekend! Woohoo!!
Teacher pressure feels like >>>
Teacher pressure feels like never-ending. I could always be doing more planning, more grading, more creativity, more parent-contact. I do so much but I always have the nagging thought that I’m not doing enough.
Teaching in 3 words >>>
Hard. Heart-wrenching. Sacrifice.
A frustrating moment >>>
I feel frustrated that the curriculum and materials don’t align very well with current high-leverage teaching practices in foreign language education. It’s frustrating to want change, to try to advocate for change but not to be able to realize or enable change.
A proud moment >>>
I asked some students to be in charge of contacting their absent classmates and filling them in when they return. Last month a 9th grade girl was kneeling by the side of another 9th grade girl’s desk for 10 minutes, kindly catching her up on what she missed when she was absent. It touched my heart sooooo much to see that moment of kindness and compassion.
A sad moment >>>
I have a class with 26 9th graders. Soooo many bodies in the room! I can’t nearly get to all of their needs. I have the thought that they are underserved in my class and that makes me feel sad.
Replenishing and best advice >>>
To replenish myself, I do yoga and exercise—it helps me reset. The best teaching advice I ever received was to connect with professional organizations in my field, and I’ve found that to be valuable.
Find me on >>>
Right now, I’m not really on social media much. Oh — but I am Señor Howard on youtube. I like my playlists.
I want to try…but haven’t yet >>>
Looking ahead, I’d love to try integrating student-facing AI into my teaching, but I haven’t taken the leap yet.
