I, Teacher

I promised to explain some of my "hats" (teacher, student, runner, etc.) in further blogs. So, no place better to begin than at the beginning of that list. Here goes!

I am a teacher.

I have taught for six years. It is the most worthwhile endeavor I have ever undertaken in my life. It's a privilege. It's a ball. I feel as if many days I am cheating the system... Should I really get paid to be this entertained by the seemingly mundane? Honest... Best job with such liberal vacation time!!!

The Tale of Ms. Huster/Mrs. Hancock

My exploits as a professional educator started in the Austin area teaching middle school English/language arts. I was also pursuing my masters degree at the time, so my classroom became the little laboratory in which I tested out all the theories and practices I learned in the run-down classrooms of the Sanchez education building at UT. What did this look like? Everything done in theme, complete with decorations, costumes, and (yes) animals. For instance, when we studied the book 'Hatchet' I turned the book study into a study on survival. We converted the room into a deserted island. I played the 'Survivor' theme song as the students issued into the classroom every day. We followed the 'Worst Case Scenario' guide and learned about ways to win out over adverse conditions in nature. Students organized themselves into tribes (like the 'Survivor' show) and competed in various survivor challenges. The kids even brought in their exotic pets as examples of the types of animals you would encounter if stranded in the woods, the desert, or a tropical island. It was fun, making the study of an otherwise annoying novel tolerable... at least for me.

After I graduated from UT, I moved to Waco to pursue my doctorate and to teach undergraduate education classes. Gone was the wonder of my middle school classroom. No paper flora and fauna. The exotic animals tended to be identified by facial piercings, rather than colorful plumes of feathers. It was my time to try to survive. The only thing that I can say about that time is that I learned that my undergrad self fooled no one when she came to class hung over from the night before. My undergrad students operated under the same delusions. Who did they think they were kidding? But, heck, at least they came to class. I was thankful for that. I pitied them to a certain extent because they had to listen to me drone on while following a set curriculum. I tried the Socratic method of classroom discussion. But, as previously mentioned, they were hung over and not too eager to talk let alone think.

After that, I moved on to high school. I currently teach at the same high school from which I graduated. I work with some of my former teachers. I teach English to speakers of other languages. It's a literature-based curriculum, not a this-is-your-head-this-is-a-table class. My heart breaks as we read the classics in paraphrase (Eliot would damn me!). But, it's a great little niche. I am comfortably complacent with my position.

Looking forward, I see myself leaving the classroom to (gasp!) make more money and teach at a different level. I joke about having a job which requires a brief case and a cell phone, but (throw in a pair of kick-as* heels) I might be game. Student loans and the inevitable privatization of education make this a potential reality for me in the upcoming years.