Junior High School Teacher Talk with Peter Medina

Yeah, I think I think first thing is that it’s got to be relationship building.

So once you kind of develop a relationship with your students, it should ideally make things a little easier for the like for you to teach them.

I think once they understand you as a teacher and what your your intentions are for them.

I think it’s an all about relationship that you have with your kids.

Right.

The Job Talk Podcast shares stories from people who are passionate and love what they do in their careers.

Through conversation, we explore their careers, past work experiences and the education that got them to where they are now.

We are putting together an ultimate career crisis interview series.

We are asking experts to give their best advice and guidance around work anxiety career pressures, career goal setting, and ultimately career transformation.

To learn more about this special interview series and get notified when it’s available, please visit our web page at thejobtalk.com/help Today’s guest is Peter Medina.

Here’s our Job Talk with a junior high teacher.

Peter I know we both share an extreme love for the Edmonton Oilers.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a hockey podcast.

This is a career podcast, so I won’t be asking you any questions.

Probably be a side episode or something.

Exactly like a playoff edition, maybe.

Well, free agents can start signing tomorrow, so this would be good timing.

But I’m here to talk to you about being a junior high school teacher.

And my first question for you is, why did you decide to become a teacher? Well, I think it was a couple of reasons.

I think while my dad was an a mechanical engineer.

So I think at that point I looked at I was like, that looks like a lot of hard work.

And then like he had a he had a, you know, like Asian parents, I think, have this dream for you that you’re going to be like a pharmacist or a dentist or a doctor.

I’m like, I don’t know if I can.

I don’t think I have the brains for that one.

So I’ll I’ll try to do something and make myself useful.

And education, I think, like, was important to my dad.

So I think that’s that was part of it.

I had some really phenomenal teachers growing up, so I think that also influenced me, like getting into education and then high school.

Like I had a couple of high school teachers like I never necessarily talked to them about going in education, but just, just the way they carried themselves like, like super organized and just passionate about like what they taught.

I thought that’s kind of like I could see myself doing that.

And then you think about like just your own life through elementary or junior high school.

Sometimes I think it’s like you see kids that that like I think myself you don’t get the fair shake in that, you know, at that age as a teenager or like a young individual and you know, like you get can pick on you and stuff like that.

So maybe it’s just kind of looking at my own like life as a, as a child or youth and, and going, okay, well, what kinds of things I learn and face that is hard that I can try to correct, like with this generation of like youth, right? So trying to make them a little bit better than than kids treated me as well I think too.

Yeah, for sure.

And what, what was your first post-secondary experience.

So post-secondary experience.

I actually ended up like doing a science degree or a Bachelor of Science degree at Concordia in Edmonton.

And I thought like maybe the journey was going to take me through like high school science and go through something like that and just sort of like a backup plan.

And then when I went to the UofA, they had after degrees.

So I did it to year after degree after my Bachelor of Science.

And, you know, there like a decision could have been made go into elementary education or go into secondary education.

Then all that time there was I think it’s fresh off the talk of like yea like high school shootings in the states and stuff.

I’m like, oh, I don’t know if I want to go into like high school shooting or like a high school situation where they’ve got, you know, shootings and stuff.

Not that like, you know, any.

Now when you look at in the news now it’s like shootings happened in any like level of school, right? Yeah.

So that deterred me from going into high school and I actually ended up going into like elementary ed, you know, to start there.

So I did my after degree into that for post-secondary is.

That when you have to make the decision of which stream you’re going to go into? Not necessarily.

So like as you see now, like I ended up as a junior high teacher, so my training is in elementary and I did.

I think six years of it and then opportunity just presented itself.

So I think having that science degree also kind of backed like myself up as like eventually I became a science teacher, right? Like before junior high.

So I teach currently like grade seven science next year is give me a grade eight science.

I’ve done grade nine science as well too.

So I, I don’t think you necessarily need to make that decision.

Maybe it’s what you’re passionate about at the time or like, you know, influence that’s around you.

But then, you know, some, like some people, they, they end up making that decision right away.

Like I, a former student of mine, wants to get into education next year.

Actually, I and so he talked to me and he’s his major is math and I think his minor’s physics.

So he’s he’s determined to get into secondary education.

So that’s a decision he’s making.

Right.

Whereas if you look at my story, it’s like, okay, I went elementary, I decide to teach elementary.

And then at the school that I was at, it happened to be an elementary, junior high school.

Yeah.

So, you know, I kind of was walking around one day and then they’re kind of looking for staffing next year and they said, Hey, how would you like to try junior high? And like at that time is teaching grade six.

And then I’m like, well, you know, I guess how different could it be as you go into grade seven or eight or nine? And I said, Well, yeah, like let’s, let’s try it, right? So that happened and I’ve never looked back since.

Right? So then I guess I identify more as a junior high teacher.

Now you look young.

I’m sorry.

Did you say it was a former student that is looking into a career as a teacher? I won’t actually drop names, but, you know, like how we all kind of know each other.

Yeah, I.

Yeah.

So that that former student is is.

Yeah, he’s, he’s actually when I talk to him, he’s planning to start his student teaching this October.

Okay.

So yeah, that’s great.

Can you remember the first day you walked in to teach your very first class? How were you feeling and how did how did your first day go? Oh, okay.

Well, I think that when was that one was about survival.

So I did several interviews in August and it kind of started to take me further south of Edmonton.

And I think if I remember, I had had like an interview in Ponoka and then an interview in Red Deer and then like finally an interview in Calgary, right? I think after that, like if I did nail the Calgary interview, the next one would have been Okotoks So it just it just kind of kept going down like highway 2 right? So I interviewed on a Wednesday, I think, and then I actually ended up staying like it was a later interview in the day, like I thought I would just drive down to Calgary, I, you know, go for the interview and then just drive back up.

Right.

And anyways, I ended up like just it was later interview something like I’ll just stay in Calgary for the, you know, the day after right and hang out there for a little bit.

And then I drove home and you know, didn’t think much of it, but I felt like the interview went really well.

I think Thursday found out I got the job.

I told my parents like, Hey, I’m moving to Calgary.

Like, like I was living with my parents at the time, so I really just had my room to move out, right? So, and then I’ll get to find a place like while I’m packing and all this kind of stuff in the meantime and right now I’m not thinking about like no, I think about like the first day of school.

I’m just thinking, okay, how am I going to get from Edmonton to Calgary in a matter of a few days, be there like when I need to be there and then like actually get the place and you know, start, start now actually thinking about the job, right? And then I think by Friday day or Saturday I was driving south and then I had found the place, talked to them like got the rent, kind of like covered and everything moved in and it was just like throw everything in the place.

I said to my parents like, you know, like, hey, thanks for helping me move down here like in your support and we’ll see where this goes.

Like first, like first job.

It’s exciting.

And then it was like Saturday, Sunday, I’m like, okay, wrap my head around grade three, go into Monday.

That’s kind of when you’re hanging out with like the staff kind of getting coordinated for for like the first day and like what you’re going to do for the year.

And they’re like, well, there’s been a change, so you’re actually going to move up to like grade five six now, right? So I’m like, okay, I kind of welcome that.

It’s a little bit older.

Crowd Right? But now your head’s got to switch and it’s like, okay, I did my student teaching in grade five and six.

I should have that experience.

I should be okay.

Right? And then next thing you know, like it’s Tuesday, the kids arrive and it’s just like it was like my room was kind of barebones because at the time I didn’t really know what I was teaching like.

It jumped from one thing to the other.

Just met the kids on the first day and just survived too.

Like I think it was a 9 to 3 school day.

And by that time I was like exhausted.

Like, it’s a whirlwind like tour to get into that first, like, job.

Well, it’s a it’s a big transition here, first job.

But I want to focus on your your career as a junior high school teacher and over your career as a junior high teacher, what surprised you the most, do you think? Have you experienced surprises through your career that you weren’t really expecting? I think, you know, I think that I’d have to say the biggest surprise is COVID.

That’s like that was, I think, the one thing that like, I was not like no one could expect and it wasn’t just for the teaching job.

Right, is for everybody.

Right.

So that was the biggest surprise like I think in my career that I would never want to go back to again, you know? And I could say that probably for a lot of teachers like that, that, you know, it could be teaching of a computer screen.

It’s sad.

It’s one thing I wouldn’t recommend.

And I you can start to see the effects now of how like now that we have all of the students back in person, at least the ones that that wanted to learn that way, which is majority of them, it’s it makes such a difference.

But you can also see how that timeline has affected, like, students now.

And they’re learning and like understanding concepts or trying to deliver concepts to them, which you would expect that they have the background knowledge to.

Yeah, that’s right.

I watched my grade five son walk around the house, often shirtless with his Chromebook.

So I understand why you were looking in black.

Black, black screens, and I would see him out in his fort in the backyard.

I would see him in the kitchen downstairs.

He was everywhere.

We saw it and that’s, I think, the scams that you could you could see like I could do, right? Like that black screen’s on.

But it says that they’re in the meeting and it’s like, yeah, you could call on them and then like, you wouldn’t get a response because somewhere else.

Well, I’ve seen those videos online where somebody will pretend that their video froze, but the ceiling fan would still be rolling behind them.

So I’m sure there’s lots of tricks that the students picked up on.

I want to ask you, though, so that he noticed how the pandemic changed students have students changed now that you’ve been back in the classroom after a pandemic? I think I yeah, I think it’s sigh.

You can see like they’re like their social behaviors.

Like some are really awkward.

Right.

I just even, you know normally any other year like if they were on a roll, you could have this like fluid like discussion on any topic or whatever.

Right? And just be like, you know, kids would be eager to, like, share and everything, right? And to discussions would be, you know, not be painless, right.

For me this year, like, I felt like it was it was just like still talking to those screens.

Kids still reluctant to speak when they they should like.

Right.

And as a grade seven math teacher, I got to kind of cut and snip certain parts of it because like, that’s where our first like how do we transition these kids into like now online learning and what do you cut out? What can you get them through? What do you expected of them like to get through the year? So yeah, I like I would have to say that some things were cut out right then, you know, like at the grade eight now that I taught this year they would have been the grade seven.

So you can start to see like how that’s affecting them, especially in math, right? Like science is one of those subjects where it’s not necessarily progressive on some of the stuff that that happened in the year past.

But math, you can totally see like, like the damage like the pandemic has done towards learning more on the the academic side.

Yeah.

What about behavior? Have you noticed a difference between pre and post pandemic with behavior of kids? The school that I’m out there, they’re pretty good kids to begin with so I not a lot of behavior issues.

I think it’s just more of the awkwardness them being so used to like just kind of doing whatever they want to do on their own time.

And, and if they wanted to play those games and hide and not show up to class and keep the screen off, that’s where that’s where it does, I think, affect them now, again, as an in-person learner, because they’re like, holy, I actually need to be accountable now because I’m actually here in the school.

Right? So I don’t think that behavior can can continue on.

So but they’re they’re not malicious kids that the school that I teach at, they’re pretty good to begin with.

So I think that that blip in the pandemic, they’re like I think they also some of them, I think realize like holy.

I’ve just done a number to myself and then they kind of start to take them seriously.

But I think some of them are still kind of in that mindset where it’s like, okay, yeah, I’m in person, I still don’t care.

How do you handle a reluctant learner? I Wait.

I’m going to ask you first, how long has your teaching career been? Peter So this September is the start of 19 years.

So 19 years.

So through your 19 year career as a teacher, I imagine you’ve seen every type of student and you’ve probably learned different techniques on how to get through to them.

How do you handle a reluctant student? And that could also mean maybe behavior issue with with the student as well.

Yeah, I think I think first thing is that it’s got to be relationship building.

So once you kind of develop a relationship with your students, it should ideally make things a little easier for the like for you to teach them, right.

I you know, sometimes I think the buy in is going to be hard, especially depending on the topics that you’re trying to teach.

For me, like I’m heavily focused on science and math, so I think sometimes it’s not their jam right side, like they excel in other things.

But you know, I think the first thing is once you’ve got that relationship with them, you know, you tell them like and you’re honest with them and just say like, hey, you know what? I know that maybe this isn’t the topic that you’re strong at, but, you know, like, I’m here to help you, right? Like, I think that’s the biggest thing that you got to let them know needs to work against you.

There might be times where we might clash, but it’s not because I’m trying to give you a hard time purposely.

It’s because I just want what’s best for you.

Right.

And I think once they understand you as a as a teacher and what your your intentions are for them, I think it’s an all about relationship that you have with your kids.

Right? I think, yes.

If the there’s no common ground or you’re not trying to seek a relationship with them, I think it it makes it even more difficult to try to get them to learn a subject that they are already reluctant to learn.

Right.

So I think you’ve got to you’ve got to you’ve got to show them, like what you’re here for, what you can do for them.

You acknowledge that like, you know, they might be struggling, but you just want the best for them.

So and the importance of it.

Do you apply the same technique to their parents when you’re you’re talking to their parents? Um, I think, I think the hard part is like the relationship, like they might like depends on the support that you get with them.

Right? Some are some love like the teachers that we have here at the school that I work in, they they know that we’re trying to do the best for them.

You know, I think some parents that there’s a whole spectrum of them, right? So it’s like they’re behind their kid and they support him a lot.

Or you can have the ones that like, I just, you know, like do what you want.

Sometimes you’re not going to get that support from the parents or, you know, sometimes they’ll they’ll like you, right? Like, I think that’s the thing.

Right.

So you’re not going to win them all.

But, you know, you get you got to I think after 19 years, it’s kind of like you can’t take things personally.

You just have to you have to roll with it.

And I know that I’d have to say a lot of teachers where they’re hard on their sleeve, so to speak.

And, you know, sometimes when when things don’t go well or you get criticized by a parent or you clash, they take it personally.

Right.

And I know there have been times I think myself, too, like I’ve taken things a little personally and it it eats me a little bit, but then it’s okay.

You can’t let this, like, bother you.

It’s one probably out of, say, like, on average, say, 30 kids.

If 29 other kids are liking you and they’re they’re rolling with it and you’re doing the best you can for them, then you’re doing an all right job if it’s one like I don’t think you can let it bother you.

Right.

So yeah.

Having kids and being a teacher, I feel one of the attributes, best attributes is having a thick skin.

Peter, what do you love best about being a junior high teacher.

Every day through the year? It’s like it’s never the same, right? So it’s always going to be dynamic.

You’re always going to move.

It’s going to be different.

I you know, you don’t somedays you don’t know what to expect.

But I think if you start your day and you go, okay, it’s going to be a good day, you know that like you tell yourself it’s going to be a good day.

Who knows? It might end up like crappy at the end of it, right? But I think for the most part, like, I it’s it’s just it’s always going to be a different day.

There’s always different challenges.

There’s different things going on.

It’s always go, go, go kind of, I feel.

And before you know it, it’s like the day is over, right? I don’t think I’ve ever felt like, you know, this day seems just long.

I don’t I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way.

I think it’s because things are always changing.

I think as you go through the course of a day.

Yeah.

So what are some misconceptions about junior high school teachers? I think the number one thing is just as soon as the days start, they call it a 8 to 3 job or a 9 to 3 job.

That’s where you spend your hours.

And then like as soon as you walk out the door at 3:00 or, you know, whatever, that’s the end of your day.

Right? I think a lot of people think that.

But I think, you know, I’ll give you an example.

Yeah.

So for me, like, I’m married to a teacher, so she gets me, right, like she understands, you know, why are you staying late or why are you invested in like the work at home or whatever? Right.

So I think that that those are some of the misconceptions when you when you look at like somebody that is married to a teacher, they’re in a relationship and the other partner is not in a in the teaching position like profession that they question is like, well, why are you not spending time with me? Or Why do you have to do this on the weekend? It takes a little while.

So I think like a friend of mine was, was dating somebody that was not a teacher and then that was kind of the thing that was going on in their relationship.

Like, it took them a while to realize, why are you doing this right? And that’s the thing.

Like it’s I think that’s one of the biggest.

I think it it still exists.

Teaching has been around for like ages, but it’s that 9 to 3 or 8 to 3 kind of like thing.

You never have to take anything home or excuse to walk out the door.

You just like not look back and that’s it.

Just this most recent last part of the year, like I spending after 3:00 to about 430, I you know I’m coaching track right to get kids ready for for track and field event that that takes me to 430 and then leaving the building like still wrapping up stuff like afterwards and I’m probably out the door by 445 5:00.

Yeah, I’m kind of an early starter, so like usually I’ll be at the school at 730.

I think that’s kind of one of those things you Yeah, like legally I think we’re, we’re, we’re supposed to be there 15 minutes before the start and 15 minutes after.

But, you know, I’m just there like I don’t I don’t want to be that, that guy that like, you know, something happens on the Henday or whatever and you’re stuck in, you’re not actually at work, right? So yeah, yeah.

I don’t want to be that guy.

What is the most rewarding gift you’ve received from a student at the end of the year? Because I believe that still happens, doesn’t it? Students will bring.

Yeah, things for their teacher.

Yeah.

Like as a junior high teacher, it gets a little I, I get a little less and less I think, you know, they got.

To up their game a little bit.

Maybe if you’re looking at like more emotional, like, yes, I think, you know, sometimes it’s just it’s just words that that kids say, like I did, I was a grade nine homeroom at one point.

And, you know, it’s it’s just cool, like two, two years.

Some kids that leave grade nine and and like, they they call you the GOAT Yeah.

It’s the greatest.

Like, you know, the greatest, greatest of all time.

I think that’s like some of the most memorable, like, you know, emotional gifts I’ve got versus, like, say, physical, because I have a junior high teacher.

It’s starting to get to that part where you’re teaching younger siblings of kids that are now like either graduated high school or going into university and stuff.

And they, they came back to visit like this year.

So I’m chatting with, with kids that are entering like their first year of university and or some of them like into second year university.

And you’re chatting with them and you’re finding out like, okay, wait, they’re like not even university, like even post-secondary a date or something.

And I think that’s the other.

Yes.

That you can I that that I really love about the job that they they they tell you what they’re up to.

They’re still learning.

I think that’s what’s really important.

Like, you know, I could care less like, you know, what what they’re doing afterwards, it’s just, you know, I think what’s most important is that they didn’t drop out of school.

Right.

Like they didn’t give up on it.

And I think for them to come back and say, hey, you know what? Like, this is what I’m doing.

And you’re just like, wow, I taught you, like, so long ago, but you figured it out.

You’re doing something now that’s that’s productive.

It’s exciting.

You know, just some of the things that they said that they were getting into.

Yeah, it’s amazing.

It’s, it’s it’s such a neat feeling to see, like, hey, I’m teaching your younger brother sister right now.

I taught you, like, years ago, and this is what you’re up to.

I think that’s one of the other most rewarding gifts you can get from this job.

Are you amazed at how you can like over a 19 year career? I don’t even know what the numbers of students that you would have taught.

Did do.

Are you surprised sometimes that you will remember a student from like 18 years ago? You know, to be honest with you, I don’t know if they call it like, you know, being face blind or something.

But yeah, sometimes, like you would encounter a student, but you had to, you know, you were wearing masks at the time, so all you could see is just their eyes.

And it’s like, okay, you’ve gotten older, I know who you are, but I don’t remember your name.

So I’m at that stage now.

It’s like I’m starting to forget names with some of them.

Like depending on, you know, how often they visit or how often they like, you know, like if they, if they did something memorable or they made a comment or whatever, you might remember those names like either positive or negative comments.

Like sometimes when they say, Oh yeah, my younger brother is this, and then you get their last name.

It’s like, okay, now I remember you, right? Like so, yeah.

Yeah.

That’s sad that some of them, but they’ll always remember me.

That’s like one name they had to like, remember, right? So yeah, I usually say at the beginning of the year, like when I’m trying to remember names, I’m like, patient with me.

Like I got like, you know, say 90 names to remember.

You only have to remember one, right? It’s just me, right? So yeah, it’s, you know, be patient and then it’s things that they’ll do, I think, over the course and how often you teach them as well too.

Sometimes you remember those names a lot more.

So, yeah.

Yeah.

What are some challenges that teachers are facing in the next little while, do you think? When I first started teaching, you know, even as an elementary teacher, it wasn’t a lot to talk about, you know, mental health.

Right.

So I think now that it’s, you know, there’s still like stigma there, like as as a health teacher as well, too.

You know, I try to to break down those walls and to tell kids like, hey, you know what? People struggle with mental health, right? I think, you know, the pandemic has done a number on mental health for like for students as well, too.

And the effects are like further coming down, right? So I think that’s the other one looking at students and the complexity of their mental health as well too.

I think is is a huge one.

So you can see when I first started my career, there was really no talk about it.

Right? But now when you know that and like later in my career, it’s it’s something you, you advocate for and make sure the well-being of your students is is, you know, taken care of.

Right.

So I think that’s another another large one that that teachers are facing.

You look at like equity and diversity and anti-racism and inclusion.

Right.

So you’re looking at that as well, too.

So, you know, I think your teachers, I think get it more as like now versus, say, older teachers.

Right.

So older teachers may be struggling through like looking at like some old ways and just like the way that they’ve talked or like or spoken to students.

Right.

So I think I think I’m at a good age where like I can adapt and I think I, you know, people that may be a little bit older than me, like it’s you’re kind of stuck in your ways a little bit, right? So I think that’s another one that I think like teachers have to be more conscious about and and another area of maybe difficulty that they’re facing.

Peter, do you have any advice you could give to somebody that’s considering a career as a teacher? One of the cliches is I’d just be prepared to work hard.

I’d have to say, like advice wise.

I, you know, kind of going back to how I started my first my first year of teaching, it was like just this whirlwind tour of like, you know, try to figure out what do you need to use and teach.

And then just kind of, I survive you here, your first week of school, your first day of school, and then, you know, kind of get going from first month and then second month and so on.

So I’d have to say, like, you know, don’t let working hard discourage you like it.

It can be really rewarding at times that you might actually literally feel hopeless.

Right? So but you know what? I think it if you have a good work ethic, I think it you know, you’ll survive.

I think the other thing too is, you know, depending on like what your your relationship is, I, you know, I kind of liken it to, you know, when I started teaching as a single guy and it’s like, well, I didn’t have to be, you know, responsible or accountable to to anybody.

So I could feel like, okay, if I wanted to take a break year for myself, like, I could do that and then, you know, like spend my Saturday, Sunday, like just consumed for like 8 hours and make it a working day and then just work on stuff, right? That’s that’s the thing.

Right? But I think if you are in that relationship, make sure that they do understand that like, you know, you’re going through this because you’re you’re trying to keep your your survival afloat.

You know, I as I kind of mentioned, like, you know, some people that don’t come from the education field, they they don’t understand why you’re spending this many hours to to work on something or why it takes that much time to find that balance, I think is the other thing.

And like I said, I’ve been doing this for 19 years, so I’m still trying to find balance.

It’s a little bit of a change now, like I’ve got two young kids, like a two year old and a four year old.

So, you know, like I’m trying to rediscover like where I could be with my kids and my wife.

And then basically at the same time, like what little pockets of time I can I now use for myself to be doing some marketing or like resource development or something like that.

So it’s, it’s, it’s such a huge change from when I first started to when, where I am now.

It’s two different lifestyles.

Looking back, like I said, it was just do what you want when you want nobody to, to really respond to right? Like and then you could, you could, you could work Saturday, Sunday roll into Monday and then like now you’re making it a seven day workweek.

Now it’s like, okay, like, I got to find pockets of time to still get that working.

And that that kind of goes back to the question where it’s like a deep, long train, like is it at 8 to 3 job? It it really isn’t.

It seems like it could be.

But there’s all those little pockets of time that you’re trying to squeeze out in your day to try and get something done for the next day or next two days or whatever it could be.

Right.

So yeah, like I said, it is a lot of hard work, but it can be rewarding based on some of the other questions So you know what, Peter, thank you so much for the time that you give have given us today and maybe I’ll do a follow up interview with you when the Edmonton Oilers win the 2023 Stanley Cup next year.

Yeah, I would like we’ll have like, you know, I’ll have a drink and like plan the parade, you know, all those kinds of things.

Okay.

Thank you for your time today, Peter.

I really.

Have.

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, I enjoyed it.

Thank you for tuning in to the Job Talk Podcast.

For more information, please visit us at thejobtalk.com

Our podcast music was created by our friend Mike Malone in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.