Victoria Wang is
a retired kindergarten teacher who enjoys an open and honest conversation.
Throughout her
teaching career, she learned that a single, authentic conversation can have a
huge impact on a person’s mental well-being. She’s made it her mission to have these
open, honest conversations with more and more educators.
One day, in her ideal world, she hopes teachers feel supported,
sustained, and heard in their profession.
Now that you’ve been introduced to Victoria, let’s get to know her a
little better.
Hello, Victoria, welcome to Lemon Drop Literary. Thank you for agreeing
to do this interview.
Thank you for having me.
Why did you become a teacher?
I
became a teacher because of a student I worked with during an internship in
high school.
I volunteered at a school for children with neurological
differences, and the next summer, when I went back to visit, one of my favorite
students was aging out of the program and didn’t really have any other programs
that could support his needs.
After
spending that last day with him, I went back to college, switched my major from
chemistry to comparative human development, and I began taking all the classes
I could on education, child development and dis/abilities.
I
went into the classroom because I wanted to eventually work in policy, and I
didn’t feel qualified to make any broader decisions within education without
having been a teacher. I ended up falling in love with teaching, and I still
miss it so much to this day.
What grades did you teach?
I
taught at various preschools during the year I was in graduate school, and I
taught kindergarten for two years after that.
What were your
responsibilities as a teacher?
I
guess this question varies depending on who you ask. According to my school and
contract, my responsibilities were to educate my students and give them the
academic tools to be “successful” in the future - the eventual goal was for
them to go to college.
In
my mind, however, since kindergarten was their first official year in school,
my responsibility was to make them feel loved, respected and valued in my
classroom. I wanted them to leave my classroom knowing that school was a safe
space, and that their teachers would always be one of their biggest supporters
and cheerleaders.
Why did you leave the
profession?
I
really struggled with mental health during my two years teaching kindergarten.
It was a mixture of personal and professional stress, and halfway through my
second year of teaching, I was having mental breakdowns and panic attacks about
going to work.
I
realized one of my biggest struggles was not being able to support all my
students. Both years, I had students come through my classroom with
exceptionally challenging needs, and because my school was really understaffed
and under-resourced in special education, I spent most of my planning and lunch
times providing academic and social minutes for my students with IEPs.
The
constant decision to either prioritize my students with special needs over the
rest of the class, or vice versa, really weighed on me mentally.
I originally
made the decision to leave my position as a general kindergarten teacher
because of this, but after I started struggling mentally, I decided teaching
wasn’t the best environment for me.
What was one of your favorite
books to read to your class?
The
Book With No Pictures! I loved teaching kindergarten because my sense of humor is
pretty immature - they always love my fart jokes :)
I
could read this book over and over, and my students would never get sick of it.
Some might say it doesn’t necessarily have much academic benefit for students,
but what’s wrong with telling them my best friend’s name is “Boo Boo Butt” and
just letting them laugh and have fun?
What are your concerns
regarding the mental health of young children?
Students
don’t have enough time to play. They don’t. My kindergarteners had an extended
school day, which meant they were in school from 7:15 to 3:45, with only 25
minutes of recess.
I
could see the mental exhaustion on their faces halfway through the day, and so
often, academics were prioritized over their social-emotional needs.
Schools
and districts say they have social-emotional learning initiatives in place, but
there’s nothing that can be improved unless they make time in teachers’
schedules for SEL.
Students’
imaginations are being suppressed, creativity is being stunted, and their
emotions are silenced by the heavy emphasis on academics and testing. It’s time
for our educational system to redefine what “success” looks like for our
students.
Did cuts to education effect
you and your students?
I
worked at a charter school, and honestly, I don’t think I worked in education
long enough to feel any changes due to budget cuts. I’d say the main way I was
affected by poor funding was our lack of support staff, specifically within
special education.
Do you have any concerns for
the health and welfare of teachers?
Oh,
I have so many. So, so many. It’s hard to even know where to begin.
I’ve
talked to a lot of teachers at this point, and every single teacher I’ve spoken
to has touched on burnout, exhaustion, and honestly, feeling pretty hopeless. A
lot of it comes from the immense amount of responsibility we put on teachers
and our educational systems.
Our
social support systems within our society are broken, and teachers are expected
to make up for decades of multi-generational trauma, centuries of racially and
socio-economically biased societal structures - all in one year, for 25+
students.
It’s
not possible, and furthermore, teachers are expected and pressured to do all
this on barely a living wage, with media portraying them as lazy and
ineffective, and absolutely no autonomy in their own classrooms.
There is so
much more to say, and I could go on for hours, but I don’t want this to turn
into a novel.
You’ve
started a blog for teachers called Teacher Life Podcast. Can you tell us a
little about the program and what led you to create it?
It’s
a podcast! Blog part is…not very up to date, haha.
#TeacherLife
is a podcast dedicated to sharing teachers’ stories and empowering teachers to
speak up in their communities. I wanted to create a safe space for teachers to
feel heard, validated, and connected with one another.
I
love listening to podcasts, and one day, during one of my (many) mental
breakdowns of my last year of teaching, I was looking through teacher podcasts
to find one where I could just feel validated in how I was feeling - to just be
told that I wasn’t the only one struggling.
At
the time, all I had found were podcasts giving me tips on how to improve my
classroom or instruction. They are, of course, really great podcasts, but at
the time, that was the last thing I needed. That planted the seed for
#TeacherLife.
I
didn’t fully commit to the podcast until I started speaking up and sharing how
much I was struggling, and I was surprised to see so many other teachers
reaching out and saying they felt the same way.
There’s
so much power in a single, honest conversation, and I realized that simply
having an outlet to share my stories and struggles improved my mental health
immensely.
So many teachers internalize their struggles in the classroom and
blame themselves for it, so just hearing that you’re not the only one
struggling takes a lot of that weight and responsibility away.
I
hope that my podcast pushes teachers to have more of these open conversations
within their own communities, and that my guests walk away from #TeacherLife
empowered, knowing that they ARE experts on education and that their voices do
matter.
What has been your most
rewarding experience since starting your Teacher Life Podcast?
Honestly,
it’s been in the small moments. This has happened with multiple teachers, but
the surprised yet excited look on a teacher’s face when they realize that someone
else wants to listen to what they have to say - that’s what makes this worth
it.
Just
knowing that another teacher feels valued and heard. And to have people
who don’t work in education get excited about empowering teachers - it gives me
a lot of hope that someday teachers can feel supported.
What advice would you give to
teachers just starting out?
I
would tell them to understand their limits and be kind to themselves. So many
new teachers (and I’m guilty of this too) go into the classroom with a savior
complex, hoping to make a difference in students’ lives and have a lasting
impact on them.
It’s
why we do it, and it’s what keeps us motivated, but that mindset can also lead
to a very toxic relationship with work, as well as an unattainable standard for
success.
Caring and loving your students can make you a great teacher but doing
so at your own expense will burn you out.
Do you have any suggestions
for people who want to start a podcast as well?
Do
it! It’s so much easier than you expect, and there will be people out there who
want to listen to what you have to say.
Don’t get caught up in the downloads,
subscribers, reviews, etc. Always keep your mission close by to pull you back
from feeling like your success and value lies within numbers and stats.
When you're not podcasting
where can we find you?
Probably
outside! Or road-tripping in Bernie, my Prius. I love hiking, backpacking and
rock climbing, so on the weekends, I’m usually at a park somewhere.
What is your opinion on
teachers carrying guns in schools? Why?
I
think the question we need to be asking everyone is, why is there a demand for
teachers to carry guns in school? How far from center has our society gone when
we expect educators to also serve as police, when bringing a gun into a
classroom full of children equates “safety”?
As
a teacher, I absolutely would not want to carry a gun in school. That doesn’t
stop gun violence though. There’s a deeper-rooted issue that needs to be
addressed.
Is there anything else you’d
like your listeners to know about you?
That
I’m nowhere near perfect, and I’m struggling just like them! And that the
mental health issues I’ve struggled with have only made me stronger and better
at what I do.
Do you have any social media
links you’d like to share?
Yes!
Please say hi - I’d love to meet all of you!
Website:
teacherlifepod.com
IG:
@teacherlifepod
FB:
facebook.com/teacherlifepod
My
personal travel website: bernieontheroad.com
My
personal IG: @unclevickie
Thank
you, Victoria, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you
and Teacher Life Podcast continued success and lots of luck!