Tag: teaching
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A Note To Educators
As I write this, tomorrow is the first day of school for many teachers across the country, including for my wife and for many of my friends. Of course, as you know, I used to be a teacher myself. I left education a few years ago to pursue a career in the corporate world, and…
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An Open Letter To Teachers Everywhere
Before I begin, I should note that I’ve taught high school English since the year 2000. I still teach to this day. That being said, to my fellow teachers, I hope you are well. We are a routine-oriented lot who thrive on knowing what to expect, so this summer has been particularly difficult in that…
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A Teacher’s Thanks To District 87
As many of you know, I teach high school English. (Yes, I am the epitome of the clichéd English teacher who thinks he’s also a writer. It’s true that I even have sports coats with elbow patches.) I wanted to take a moment and thank my employer–District 87. It’s been a long ride with District…
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Working Hard, Or Hardly Working? My Answer Is … Yes?
The other day someone asked me if I’m working more or less than I did before the COVID-19 outbreak. I thought about it for a few moments, and I found that I could only logically answer “less.” As a teacher, I spent about eight and a half hours at work every day before the pandemic.…
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One Month Later …
I took this picture of my classroom on March 16th, which was a Monday. I didn’t have any students that day–they had already been told to stay home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I spent the day in an empty classroom. It became obvious that we would not be back for a while, so as…
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Something Awkward Happened To Me At Work Today
As a teacher, there are ample opportunities for one to embarrass oneself. I’m in front of teenagers about five hours a day, every weekday, for ten months out of the year. In the past, I’ve always been worried about unstoppable bodily functions. I won’t go into specifics, but you get the idea. That’s always been my…
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No Bad Days Allowed
Yesterday a student asked me if I ever get in a bad mood. She told me she had trouble imagining me being angry or upset. I laughed and told her that I’m just like everyone else–I have good days and bad. I then explained to her that when you’re a teacher, you adopt something similar…
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Is Our School System Better Than Sliced Bread?
I’ve taught high school English since the year 2000. During that time, we’ve seen the advent of smartphones, automated cars, even artificially intelligent grocery stores. Our technology has grown exponentially in just eighteen years, and I don’t see that trend slowing down. Consider the following advancements that happened within the last 100 years: the Internet,…
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Tomorrow Begins a New Chapter In My Teaching Career
I’m so excited because tomorrow begins a new chapter in my teaching career. Tomorrow marks the first day I will teach a creative writing class. It’s hard to believe that I’ve taught for sixteen years without ever once instructing a creative writing course, but it’s true. I’m particularly excited because I can share with the…
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