Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Daily Kos: I am going to justifiably reclaim the title of teacher

Daily Kos: I am going to justifiably reclaim the title of teacher:

I am going to justifiably reclaim the title of teacher

TEACHER!
because I have accepted an offer to teach in a high school come this Fall.
I have explored a number of opportunities over the past few months, and was offered an opportunity at a middle school after I had withdrawn from consideration because I wanted to be in a high school, where I feel I am most useful -  allow me to be a wee bit prideful in saying while I am a very good middle school teacher most of the time I am an outstanding high school teacher.  The middle school is expanding, adding 10th grade this year, and asked if I would be willing to teach 7th grade for one year then move to 11th.  It was a tempting offer, but I declined because I wanted to explore the opportunity I have accepted.
I will be teaching at North County High School in Glen Burnie, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore Beltway. It is part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools.  It is 45 miles from my house, which may sound crazy, except that teachers are expected to be there at 6:45 (students at 7:15) and I have tried it - at that hour of the day I can make the trip to the Dunkin Donuts a mile from school in 45 minutes, which is only about 10-12 minutes longer than it used to take me to go the 25 miles to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, where I taught for 13 years.
The principal and I know one another, which is why he recruited me for this position.  The school has a STEM program, a magnet program for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, which is why I was recruited.  Bear with me.  As was the case with our Science and Technology students at Eleanor Roosevelt, most of those students will take Advanced Placement US Government & Politics as sophomores.  That is what I taught for my final 7 years at Eleanor Roosevelt.  I also served as a Reader (grader) of the Free Response portion of the AP Exam.  But by itself that would be insufficient.
The STEM program includes a course on STEM policy.  This intersects with all kinds of issues -  STEM education, morality, ethics, budgets, etc.  It is something that very much plays both to my strengths and my interests, at the same time it will stretch me because I will have less personal scientific knowledge than many of my students.
Let me explain that, and what else is interesting about this school.