Lessons from the Field: Interview with Yana Aronova

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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Yana Aronova teaches high school math in Chelsea, MA. She has been teaching for three years, and her 2nd teaching in Chelsea.

Below is our interview with Yana:

What inspired you to teach?

I thought I have the appropriate character traits that would be a good fit; I like helping people, making them feel like they have achieves something, and I was told by someone I admire very much that they believed I was good at it.

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

Honestly, connecting with them, and showing understanding. I have found that my students will go to great lengths and try new things for me if they’re enjoying their class and have a connection with the teacher. So my priority is to find a good, healthy, and stable common ground with all my classes.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started in the classroom? (i.e. advice for new teachers).

That it was going to be a great emotional investment – that it’s perfectly ok to drop dead at home after a day of work even though you’re finished by 3pm everyday. That it’s ok to wing it sometimes, and that you need to forget that “teacher” card about 85% of the time when you’re with the students. Playing the teacher card doesn’t ever really work out.

What skills could more developed if you were to enroll in a teacher training program? What would you like to improve about your teaching?

I would like to be able to see the bigger picture; I would like to have more creative ideas and projects in mind; I would like to work on my classroom management skills and discipline with different types of kids.

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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.

This is a guest post from our journalist Alex J. Mann.  You can subscribe to his blog here and follow him on Twitter here.