One of the most common responses I get when I tell people I was a high school English teacher is “I didn’t actually read anything in high school” usually followed by “and nothing’s changed.” And then they laugh, as if that’s something unique.
The thing is, is that writing about Ataxia every week gets kind of depressing. And when I need to distract myself, I read. Or write. In this case, both.
Since this is the first September in 25 years that I’m not excitedly going back to school, I’d love to instead share some teaching tips for anyone out there who’s brave enough to be educating teenagers for a living.
To prove that other teachers should read this, let me throw some credentials at you: I taught high school English for eight years (all grade levels, plus A.P. Literature), have a Masters in Literacy, and three NYS teaching certifications. And, I mean, if you want to put a “teaching with a disability” label on this, I did this all with a chronic illness. So, there you go.
I’ve recently decided to resign from teaching high school English.
And if only it were all as simple as that sentence makes it seem!
Let’s unpack…