Have you ever wondered who our teachers are or where they came from? Well, one math teacher currently teaching in room 109 is actually a substitute teacher and a former student of GRB.

Mr. Haskins has been substituting for Fulton (and other school districts) for the last two years. He received his bachelor's degree from SUNY Oswego and is now currently studying for his master’s degree. However, he needed to work at the same time to pay for his college coursework so he began substituting, never imagining he would one day end up in the same school he graduated from in 2014. But that is exactly what happened.

When math teacher Mrs. DeRue went on maternity leave a month ago, GRB was in need of a replacement. Mr. Haskins said they asked him to take over while she was out for 35 days. In an instant he went from a substitute role, to one that required planning, teaching lessons, working with colleagues, and grading projects.

He explained ,“It has been an invaluable experience working with such a diverse group of students, from those who don’t speak English to some who have behavior issues, to others with different needs. It involves juggling so many things at once.”

Mr. Haskins commented that his classmates from college who are also studying to be teachers all agree that it is challenging. However, he now realizes that the graduate students are only thinking about getting the ¨teaching degree” and do not realize how many things actually go into being a teacher or how difficult it can be to be a good teacher balancing all the tasks at once. He said that his professors offer insights about teaching, and he reads about case studies of students, but nothing compares to his actual first-hand experience here.

He said the most challenging part has been trying to engage students. He says he learned in his college courses that teachers need to have the students avoid sidebar conversations and they need to keep the cell phone use limited, but when actually trying to accomplish this, he realized there are many obstacles involved, which makes the lessons more complicated.

Finally, Mr. Haskins absolutely recommends going from student to teacher. He feels very fortunate to have had this experience. He says that he looks forward with much enthusiasm to what he will do differently to have the greatest impact on his future students.

If you have a moment, pass by room 109 and say hello to a former GRB student who is now a GRB teacher! We are sure he will be a great educator!