At 6:30 AM on an innocuous Monday, math teacher Mr. Riddle is one of the first teachers to arrive on campus. He uses this invaluable time to prepare for his classes and record homework review videos.
“A big thing for me is to think through the day, to always have a backup plan. I double-check my calendars, and prepare all my class materials. My mornings are early and very productive. I’m much smarter in the mornings before I teach. If I were to try and do all this stuff after school, I just don’t think I would be able to,” said Kyle Riddle.
Usually, school begins at 8:30. With lesson plans set and a final reheating of his coffee, Riddle welcomes his first period into his classroom.
“If you’re keeping track, this is actually the third time I’m reheating my coffee,” said Riddle.
By lunch, Riddle has already taught the same lesson a few times. Undoubtedly his specific explanation or lecture has, at this point, grown tiresome.
“There’s pros and cons to the repetition. Sometimes, it gets tiring. However, the thing about teaching is that although we do the same things year to year, we get better at everything every year. It gives us more practice,” Riddle explained.
Though some days Riddle hands out tests and answers countless questions, not all days are as eventful.
“It depends on the day. Sometimes it’s an all-period lecture, sometimes it’s a test and you’re just standing and doing nothing. It really varies.”
Although it may bring some relief, Riddle’s day certainly doesn’t end after he finishes teaching.
“My sixth period is prep, which means I try and get as much done as I can for the little things, some of which are the little grading or creating tests or creating worksheets or any supplemental material. Usually after that, I still have work to do when I get home. Sometimes I finish my work and I can go home early,” said Riddle.
The job isn’t all doom and gloom, however. Riddle deeply values the time he spends in the classroom.
“The best part about the job is hanging out with the kids and trying to make them better. My subject being math, I’m more worried about them coming into class and learning something, be it math or organization skills or something else. For a lot of my students, math isn’t their favorite subject, but I want them to find the good things about it and enjoy themselves,” said Riddle.
