I would advise a new ECS teacher not to allow “imposter syndrome” to stymie your progress as an educator. Lessons will fail sometimes, perhaps more often than we would like when teaching a new subject area. The person who bench presses 400 pounds at one point struggled with 100 pounds. Growth comes through failure. Keep showing up! Keep learning!

”When in doubt, ECS it!”

The meaning of that phrase is the main focus of my teaching practice today. As I teach upper level computer science curricula, I incorporate the theory behind the phrase into my lessons. The phrase is about developing lessons that contain three main focus points. Those points are having lessons which promote inquiry driven investigations, equity for all students, and computer science content. If you can break down any lesson in which these three components are present then you just happen to maximize your students' learning experience. This theory pulls you away from the traditional teaching method, and promotes a student centered learning environment where students are exploring, investigating and making real world connections.

I was extremely nervous because in all honesty, I had no real background in Computer Science, but I learned that I wasn’t alone. There were teachers in those trainings with all kinds of backgrounds. I went through the training and had a great mentor that would come to the school, offer advice, support, and even help with some of the content.

I knew that one day, I wanted to pay it forward. I wanted to, one day, ease the mind of an upcoming teacher of the content and offer as much support as I could. That is when I asked if I could become a facilitator.

At the end of my second year of teaching in CPS, the school I was at needed teachers to teach ECS since it had become a graduation requirement. If I didn’t agree to teaching it and going through the PD process then my position would not be available so I agreed. I was not a happy camper about it at the time, but now I am so grateful I was forced into it.

I am now at Amundsen which I consider to be my forever home teaching ECS, Fundamentals of IT and Web Design. Definitely a lot different than US History and Sociology but I love it. After “graduating” from the ECS PDs, I was offered the chance to become a PD facilitator.