Inspiring Women Fall 2017

Inspiration from Germany
My name is Megan Morris and I am a member of
AWC Düsseldorf in Germany, where I am the
editor of our quarterly magazine, The
Radschläger. Originally though, I am from San
Antonio, Texas.
I currently work at The International School on the
Rhine in Düsseldorf; I previously worked in the
Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Texas.
My teaching career began 3 years ago. I have
always had a passion for helping others, and I
think that I naturally evolved into a teacher. I
remember “teaching” my stuffed animals, and
then moving on to my younger brothers. For me,
there is no better feeling than watching someone
on their learning journey as they begin to
understand concepts that previously confused
them. I believe that my desire to help others,
partnered with my passion for learning and
education, inspired me to get into this field (and
continues to inspire me every day to stay in it).
As a teacher who used to work mostly with older elementary students (grades 4 and 5), and
now works in first grade, I think that my biggest evolution as an educator has been tailoring my
practices to a (much!) younger crowd. It has been a bit of a challenge to me, because there is
a massive difference between working with 5- and 6-year-olds versus working with 10-year-olds.
I have become a much more patient person, and I sing and dance in class far more than
before. I have learned to really enjoy my precious moments with the younger children — they
are truly brilliant beyond compare!
I think what surprises me the most about my profession is how similar children are no matter
where they are in the world. I have worked in different schools with children of varying
socioeconomic status, in the USA and in Germany, and it never fails to surprise me how much
children love to learn. Now working with a classroom of children from all over the world has
been a separate challenge. It has caused me to evolve into an even better teacher, as I am
often faced with the task of not only communicating with but teaching children who may
have very little English skills. It seems that no matter where you go, as long as children have
their needs outside of the school hours met, they will always have an absolutely insatiable thirst
for knowledge. Kids never fail to surprise me.
The most important thing that I have learned is that you must embrace whatever teaching
situation you are in and give your students 100 percent effort everyday. Teaching is a gruelling
and (for the most part) thankless profession, and you have to have a very positive attitude and
make the most of your time with your kids.
The most important thing that I teach kids is how to express their emotions in a healthy way.
There is a new wave in teaching to work on “Social and Emotional Learning” with children, and
I think this is without a doubt the most important thing I work with my kids on. It is amazing to see
young children speaking to each other with respect and showing awareness of their emotions!
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