By Mary Ann Zyglocke

As I sit and anxiously await the 8:10 bell, I run the lesson plan through my head one last time. The classroom is filled with 16 curious and confused 5th Grade girls, all wondering why a 17-year-old is about to teach their 45-minute class.

My mom Laura Zyglocke is a Middle School science teacher. She teaches 5th and 7th Grade, and she teaches general biology. She teaches in the first room on the second floor of North Science, which is filled with lab tables, microscopes, beakers, and pictures of my brother and I. On this particular day, her 5th Graders were doing a lab in which they compared plant and animal cells by looking at them through a microscope. My mom has been saying all year that I should teach one of her classes, so when I was deciding what to write about for The Match, I decided to make that a reality. 

My task was to guide the students through this lab. I started off reviewing what they already knew about plant and animal cells by asking them to name characteristics of the cells and then comparing them. I then projected the lab handout on the board and reviewed the lab steps. The students were supposed to create a wet mount slide using the leaf of an aquatic plant to look at plant cells, and they used two different types of prepared slides to look at animal cells. The assignment was to look at each type of cell under the microscope, locate different parts of the cells, draw one of each cell, and answers some question about the cells that they saw. 

Observing two students using their microscopes.

After I introduced the lab, they dispersed to the various lab stations to conduct the activity. I then circulated around the room to help answer questions, focus microscopes, and clear up any confusion. I did my best to help, but my mom had to step in quite a few times. 

It was hard to run the class entirely on my own, partially because I am not my mom, who has taught this lesson many times, but also because I do not think most of the students trusted me. Before the class started, my mom introduced me as a “special guest” who was going to teach the class. Despite this, I noticed that the students tended to ask for “Mrs. Zyglocke” when they had a question rather than asking me. This is understandable, because if I were a 5th Grader, and my teacher’s daughter came and taught my class on a random Thursday morning, I would, admittedly, be a little bit skeptical. The students also might not trust me as much as they trust my mom, because they have built a relationship with her over the past few months. While they may have seen me walk through their class to get a snack, or they may have seen a picture of me around the room, I am essentially a stranger. 

One interesting thing that surprised me was two girls who had microscopes at regular desks instead of the usual lab tables. At first, you might think that this is because there was not enough room for all of the students at the lab tables, but no. This was because the two girls were simply too short to reach the microscopes at the lab tables. This is not something that I would have thought about before teaching this class, but it made me appreciate how teachers adapt to individual students to make them more comfortable.

Setting up lab stations.

I enjoyed having this experience with my mom because I got to learn more about her life as a teacher. Although I often witness parts of her classes, I have never seen her teach a full class, but after teaching this class, I have a better understanding of her job as a teacher. This class made me realize how much work she puts into each class every day, and how much she cares about her students.

I learned many things from this experience, including how much preparation goes into teaching just one class period. I had to go over what I was going to teach a few nights in advance, and I had to go into the classroom early that morning to set up the lab. I now know why my mom gets to school at 7:15 a.m. every day. I also learned how much patience is required to be a teacher. The students had questions, and they needed help with different things throughout the period. I had to be patient when they were trying to figure things out. I also had to frequently help them focus their microscopes, which requires patience (especially when you have already done it five other times). Finally, I learned that I do not think I would be the best teacher. I found myself constantly looking over at my mom for reassurance, and while it was interesting for one class period, I do not think I would be able to do it all day every day.

All photos by Laura Zyglocke.