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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Stephanie Barry, a teacher of 8 years, is a speech-language pathologist. Currently, she is in private practice while previously working in elementary schools throughout the Phoenix Metro area.

What inspired you to teach?

I wanted to help children succeed in school. I loved school but knew many that struggled and wanted to help others like them feel successful. I choose Speech Pathology because I wanted to work one-on-one with children to help them meet their goals.

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

Motivation is my most helpful method. When you can inspire motivation or a desire to participate in the activities, they show great progress. Then the progress itself becomes motivating, they fell that they can do it and are proud of themselves when they have improved their skills. That helps keep them working when things become challenging.

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

That plans change.  I worked very hard to make good lesson plans and tried to stick to them.  After a couple of months, I learned that it is better to make an outline of what I wanted to cover as sometimes the kids take you in a different direction.  It is very meaningful to them to explore their curiosities as they are occurring and usually fit right in with my “plan” so I learned more flexibility in how I taught my students.  They enjoyed therapy more as they knew I cared about what they thought and how they felt and I have had some pretty interesting session.  Some of which I have actually done with other groups because I thought the material we covered might be meaningful to others.  This flexibility helps you grow as a teacher because kids are always thinking of new and different questions and situations and working those into therapy has been a great experience for both the students and myself.

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

The basic strategies. Knowing the basic strategies to facilitate success was the most beneficial thing I learned in graduate school. These skills help me implement a variety of strategies into an activity to find out what works best for that child. My professors also taught me how to be flexible, how to think outside the box to address concerns in new and different ways and how to implement strategies in ways I may not have thought of before. All this helps me to provide the necessary tools for my students to succeed in therapy and as a result flourish in school.

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Do you know someone with great insights to share with young teachers, or do you want to be considered for an interview? If so, please email us at hello@certificationmap.com.