On her first day leading a lesson, Meghan Buchholz stood in front of twenty five high schoolers, lesson plan in hand—only to watch it unravel in minutes. The students were not rude, but restless, and everything that made sense in theory suddenly felt like chaos.
Meghan Buchholz is a student teacher at Revere High School (RHS). She is working with Sarah Pine to teach 9th grade language arts while attending Akron University. Buchholz has the large responsibility of leading different classes while also taking care of her three children.
Going into the first day, Buchholz had the confidence she needed to succeed; however, she was nervous and unsure, like anyone on their first day. She managed to channel her optimism and nervousness and lead the students through her first day.
“I was nervous… [I am] not super familiar with all the schools around here… [but] I was excited. I was optimistic. I felt pretty confident in my abilities,” Buchholz said.
As Buchholz got more familiar and was able to work with her students, she started to see improvement in them. She said her favorite part of being a teacher is to see this improvement and help them grow as a person and student. She notes that every student learns differently and must be taught as such.
“I love seeing the students who have struggled more really just excel and push and get better…[and] looking at kids like they’re kids… not every student is gonna act the same,” Buchholz said.
The short time that Buchholz has been at RHS has confirmed her passion for teaching. While the job might be difficult, it is what Buchholz has wanted to do since her childhood and continues to pursue.
“This is absolutely what I want to do…it’s hard, but it’s so rewarding and I have absolutely enjoyed it,” Buchholz said.
Language Arts teacher Sarah Pine is the mentor teacher for Buchholz. Occasionally, she helps in the class if there are any problems or questions, but for the most part she allows Buchholz to teach how she wants. Pine was once a student teacher herself, and she explained that it is very difficult because one has to actually apply everything they have learned in training. Additionally, Pine noted that because the student teacher joins in the second semester, there is a barrier of unfamiliarity that must be breached in order to comfortably command the class.
“Being a student teacher is hard. It’s really hard… Everything up to that point… has been largely theoretical…You have this extra challenge of coming in [late]… where they already have relationships, procedures,” Pine said.
While working together, Pine and Buchholz have created a relationship, not only professionally, but personally. Their teaching styles are very compatible despite their differences. Pine specifically said the two different approaches to teaching poetry were in contrast but worked together nicely.
“Her approach to poetry was very different… I have a theater background… we got to feed off each other,” she said.
According to Pine, one of Buchholz’ strongest qualities while teaching is her feedback. She is excellent at letting the students know their strengths and areas to improve. In addition, just as Buchholz has seen improvement in her students, Pine has seen improvement in Buchholz. Over her time at Revere she has grown as a teacher to plan more creative lessons for the students.
“She incorporates feedback really, really well…she’s getting braver about… lessons she’s trying to plan,” Pine said.
Buchholz’ father, Dan, states that Buchholz has always had the passion to teach, and the fact that she has kids helps her connect with today’s students.
“She’s tutored other kids for quite a while …I think she understands the age group better…she’s pretty dialed in with what today’s kids are feeling,” he said.
Dan Buchholz is also hopeful of her teaching career and how she balances life and occupation. He said she will be a great mother and teacher at the same time, preparing and improving both her kids and her students for the challenges of life.
“She would be a good mother on top of being a good teacher and teach the kids the things that would help you in your life… [like being] better citizens and better all around so you do better in life,” he said.
What started with chaos has started to all come together for Meghan Buchholz. Being a student teacher is difficult; however, according to those around her, Buchholz has handled her time at Revere with confidence and determination. She manages to balance her many responsibilities and has enjoyed seeing all of her students improve. This experience has confirmed her goal to continue teaching in the future, wherever it may be.
