Taylor the Teacher

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The first day is always exhausting. It doesn’t exactly make sense because theoretically, we’re all rested, and there are so many administrative things to take care of that we don’t have much time for actual teaching yet. Students seem to feel the same way. Several students told me today they hate the first day of school because it’s so “long and boring.” This might be a good sign. I’m glad they would rather be learning something than sitting around assigning lockers and textbooks.

One student, upon hearing the other students complain about how tedious the first day of school always is, called out loudly, “The first day is the only day I like.” He’s trying to warn me that he doesn’t like school. This is valid. I don’t know him yet, but I am assuming that he struggles in school either behaviorally or academically, and so he finds the whole thing frustrating. He’s letting me know this in advance. I think he just wants me to know he needs help, not more punishment.

I think it’s going to be a good year. I’m not teaching English. I’m teaching Film Criticism and Broadcast Journalism. I’m excited about both. I’m generally less stressed out than is typical for the first day, and this is partly because I’ve made a decision not to let myself get overwhelmed. This is helped greatly, of course, by the fact that I’m teaching electives all day. This is my first real shot at teaching electives as I have taught English, English, English up until now. I love English, but I really needed a break. English is the single most important class in the school as far as I’m concerned, and sometimes I get too uptight with students because I know how important it is. This year will give me a chance to relax with the students more and get to know them. This makes me happy.

 This doesn’t mean the courses I’m teaching aren’t important, of course. I feel very strongly about media literacy, and these two courses are about as close as it gets to media education in this state. I believe I’ll grow as a person and a teacher by teaching them because there’s something to be said for “chilling out.”