They Will Keep

As some of you know I teach English to juniors and seniors in high school.  If you have been around here for more than a minute you will know that I love my job, my coworkers, and my students.

Esmi, Me, and May at awards night!  So proud of my girls!

Some of the Girls Basketball team at awards night, so cute!

I love making them read books they hate like The Crucible and Of Mice and Men.  

I love their reactions when George kills Lennie. 

I love that all the boys start out hating Jane Eyre and then use it as a way to pick up girls in college. 

I love reading essays about Bill Gatsby the inventor of Microsoft (OK I actually did not love that essay). 

I love using my "teacher voice" and really terrifying them when I am only mildly annoyed.  

I love that I have learned how to say "Give me your money" in Chinese.  

I love that I can say I am a reverse banana, white on the outside, yellow on the inside.  

I love that they write stories where I am evil dictator who runs a country where the subjects have to read, write, and do projects 18 hours a day.

I love that they ask me to sign their yearbooks at the end of the year.

I love that parents ask me where they can find their child's teacher, and the reaction I get when they find out it is me, "But you look so young!"

I love that they know my Starbucks order by heart.

I love that they know that to get on my good side sucking up will get you everywhere.

I love that they call me Mrs. Thor.

I love that they supported my new love interest Benedict Cumberbatch aka Sherlock and the bad guy from Star Trek. 

I love that I can tell them I have a headache and they are quite for the rest of class and ask me how I feel the next day.

I love that they sit riveted when I show a cartoon like The Lorax in class. 

I love that I can give the best lecture in my life and the first question I hear is, "Can I use the bathroom?"

I love when they ask if "this" will be on the final. 

I love when they start to date someone I sat them by at the beginning of the year, and I need to make a new seating chart. 

I love when I stand by the door and give high fives as the enter the room. 

I love when they get hair cuts and wear hats to hide their shame. 

I love when they sell each other out, "Oh yeah she is ditching today.  I am pretty sure is is at South Coast buying clothes."

I love when they tell me they watched the movie instead of reading the book.

I love when they ask if there is a movie based on the book.

I love that they believe my lies. 
I love when they write me notes of encouragement that make me cry a little.

I love that they try, care, work hard, fall asleep, give me attitude, smell bad, open doors for ladies, pray, seek what it means to be a better person, and all around be themselves.  

As I made this list I realized that I really do love my job and students.  I actually teared up because I will be an English teacher for another 5 days and then I will be changing my position at my job.

I am so excited for the change and it is what I want.  I went to school to be a School Counselor.  Unfortunately, I graduated in December 2008 and the economy tanked. I am pretty sure the two events are related.  With the economic downfall education was hit hard, especially in California. 

Many schools cut their school counseling budgets and positions in an attempt to save administrator and teacher jobs. Without being fluent in another language and fresh out of grad school I was not having success at landing that Counseling job. 

I then subbed and babysat and slept in and watched Fraiser reruns for a year.  I decided I wouldn't have another year like that and I went back to school for my teaching credential.  I didn't know what subject to get it in so I decided English was fun.  I took the CSET with a week of preparation and passed all four sections the first time (I took that as a sign I should teach English, those tests were hard!)

As I was student teaching I had the opportunity to watch a friend teach his AP English classes.  While I was there he was teaching Jane Eyre.  I loved the story and went home and read the book that week.  It quickly became one of my favorites and I integrated it into my curriculum when I taught English 4.  

I love that Jane is so accessible in the book. I relate to her often and my students, girls and boys alike, relate to her.  It is such a great book for the development of a person at their age.  The book lead to some of my favorite discussions in class about relationships, gender roles, and growing up.  

One the moments that spoke the most to me during my student teaching time was a quiet moment towards the end of the book.  Jane ran away from Thornfield and her love, Rochester.  She is given a job teaching simple country children.  St. John is worried that she will not take the job or will not like it because she will be able to use all of her fine accomplishments.  With grace she says that, "they will keep until they are needed" and accepts the job she was offered. 

The wisdom that Bronte so aptly wrote has been comforting to me as I have battled the education system.  I was sad that I couldn't counsel students right away and needed to go back to school for a credential I didn't really want.  When I read Jane's words I realized they could be mine too.  My counseling skills would keep.  Teaching English would make me a better counselor.  I would find joy in the work that I was doing no matter what it was.

It has almost been five years since I earned my counseling degree and I am so happy to say that I will be the Guidance Counselor next year at my school.  I voiced my hope to work as a counselor and then two weeks later I was given the position.  

I am extremely excited for the opportunity to use my skills and do what I think I am best at.  I am also sad to leave the classroom where it is safe to be a nerd.  I am so grateful for my students who let me work out what it meant to be a good teacher with grace and acceptance.  The last two years were by far the most challenging years I have had and the most rewarding.  I am looking forward to seeing how my counseling skill have kept and to the challenges and adventures the next year holds.

And for my students who are taking finals this week and next.

love! Tom Tom