The Friday before students' first day of school, Catherine Myers, a custodian, asked, "Are you going to be here a while?" Thinking she meant that afternoon, I said, "I may stay until 4:00." She repeated her question, emphasizing the word HERE, and I then remembered I had been told the students had run three teachers off from that classroom the year before. I'm still there, and I sometimes wonder if Ms. Myers considers 21 years a while...
Interviewed and hired in the same day—the Friday before teacher work days and professional development days began on Monday. Was I that impressive, or was my new principal that desperate?
The literary magazine had no adviser. It sounded like fun, and I had worked on the literary magazine staff when I was in high school, so I volunteered. Little did I realize I had put myself on the path to advising ALL of the school publications...
Only a few years in, I was asked to mentor a student teacher, Charity Ntiasagwe (sixth from left) of Benedict College...by way of Nigeria.
I was selected Keenan's Outstanding Teacher of the Year against impossible odds, beating out my own department chair, who had previously received the honor three times.
I must have done such a good job with my first student teacher that I was asked to mentor a second one, Corettia McElrath of Benedict College.
I was selected as a Star Teacher by Time Warner Cable after being nominated by a special education student.
After changing hands many times in just a few years, the newspaper was without an adviser once again. I was asked to take on the responsibility, along with two other teachers assisting. You can probably guess which one of the three is still in charge...
After changing hands several times in just a few years, the yearbook was without an adviser once again. I was asked to take on the responsibility and agreed...reluctantly. Welcome to my second job!
It had been a few years since I was a cooperating teacher (now called a coaching teacher) for a student teacher (now called a teaching intern), but I was happy to mentor Christopher Curtis of the University of South Carolina.
As if the literary magazine, newspaper, and yearbook weren't enough...
