Lessons from the Field: Interview with Beth Reuben

This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers.

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Beth Reuben, a teacher of 30 years, teaches in one of the outer boroughs of New York City. The school is part of the New York City Department of Education. One of the features of the reorganization of the NYC schools has been the breaking up of large high schools and the formation of “small” secondary schools. Lori’s work in a school that was formed 5 years ago. There are about 85 students in 7 grades (6th-12).

Below is our interview with Beth:

What do you teach?

My license is in Special Education. As the focus in teaching students with Individual Education Plans has moved from “pull out” instruction in a separate location to “push in” or inclusion, collaboration model I end up teaching everything by the end of the day. I work in all subject area classrooms. generally co-teaching with the subject licensed teacher. This year I have been working with the 6th, 8th, 11th and 12th grades mostly. In some semesters I teach a class on my own, again it could be anything, English, Science or Math (I haven’t taught a foreign language yet, but I cold struggle through Spanish I if I had to)

What inspired you to teach?

A teacher at the high school I attended convinced my to volunteer at the school for Autistic Children across the street.

What classroom methods are most helpful in pushing students towards their goals?

Gosh-after 30 years there have been so many “Next Best Things” from the Open Classrooms of the 70′s to the Readers and Writers workshops of the 90′s, to the currently popular “Data Driven Instruction”.

Honestly, the best method is honest concern, careful attention and faith that everyone can learn it just may take more than one (or one hundred) attempts to get a concept gets across.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started in the classroom?

That teaching is harder than you can imagine, that everyone learns differently and what seems easy to you may not be for the students (and visa versa, what is easy for them may feel impossible for you- Double Dutch – is an excellent example of the latter). But if you are sincere and persistent and make the class stand quietly on line (especially before gym and lunch) eventually they might just listen to you and you just might be able to teach them something.

What did your training teach you that was most helpful in preparing you to enjoy and thrive in a classroom today?

Honestly, the most useful information was on the subject of multi-cultural education. Even growing up in NYC didn’t prepare me to understand how different peoples’s lives and perceptions may be from those of my own. Also certain coursework, like reading and writing instruction based on the Orton Gillingham Method, and instruction in the Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop were also very useful.

What would you like to improve about your teaching?

I would like to be able to provide instruction to large groups of students while meeting individual needs without feeling like I was also only one step over the line that separates order and complete chaos.

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