Real Life of High School Teachers

I am amazed at the number of times people ask me "Are you not scared to go to work at the high school?"  I think it is an excellent example of the misconceptions the general public have about teachers, specifically high school teachers.

I have been teaching high school for 18 years and have never been scared to go to school.  There have been lots of experiences that would amaze some.  The reality is that every day is different and we always expect the unexpected, and I am not talking about fire drills or computer issues. Days are not boring and no two days are alike.  Five days a week I spend 45 minutes a day with each of my kids (aka my students).  I get to know them and they get to know me, therefore it is not a surprise that there is a lot of learning that goes on that is not in the curriculum.  There is the kid that did not believe that teachers really cared until I gave them a letter of encouragement before the ACT.  After that he gave me a hug almost every day of his senior year.  There was the freshman girl a few years ago that found out her dad was in a construction accident and that it was bad but no one had time to come get her; we sat on the floor in the hall and both cried.  There was the senior boy whose mom got beat up the night before; I had never seen such big tears.  And that boy that refused to to anything in class until he heard stories about my class.  That senior boy that wrote a letter after graduation to say he had considered suicide but he always felt safe at school.  Oh and that senior boy that come running down the hall to tell me he got accepted to college, that was the first time I had seen him smile! We cheer with them over classroom successes and sports events.  We listen to heartbreak over broken

relationships.  Then there is the boy that asked about a girl he wanted to take to prom; then she asked if she should go with him.  They have been married five years and have two children.  The boy that cried because he was going to have to move his senior year.  The former students that hang out of car windows to yell at you while you pump gas always generates a smile.  The days that you forget that your first name is not Mrs..  When there are those events that parents stand with their kids and high school teachers check to make sure no one is standing alone.  We have stood in for many an absent parent.  When you cry at graduation because you know you are going to miss these kids.  The kids that you will never forget because they are just so special.  The pictures you have in your room to remind

the current students that they will always be one of your kids.  The tears of joy when a student tells you they got a full ride scholarship and the heartbreak when student check their new ACT score.  And there are the times the ACT score is amazing and we force students to call their mom, NOW.  And some of them will forever own a piece of our heart. There are the kids that call me mom, or school mom, or momma Taylor, or believe it or not, Mother Theresa, lol.  So keep in mind that most teachers love your children, even in high school.  We hug them, we high five them, we support them, we cry with them but most of all, we love them and enjoy being a part of their high school memories.


This bog post is dedicated to Bennett.  One of my former students that mentioned that he actually ready by blog and wished that I posted more often.