I got quickly hired at Dale Junior High school upon completion of my special education program. When the district asked me which subject I wanted after getting hired, I quickly answered history. I also chose Dale since it was only 10 minutes away from my place in Garden Grove.
This was an interesting year of teaching. I was placed as the only teacher in the portables, teaching far away from the rest of the campus. I taught both US history and World History to 7th and 8th graders. This was a mixed blessing. Being a new teacher, I gradually eased into my cynical teaching persona, instead opting to be just a strict yet generally positive teacher. The kids were great for the most part, with one period being more obnoxious than others. The kids were a lot lower than the students I worked with previously at RKMS, and thus the curriculum had to quickly be modified. I hope the students were ENGAGED as much as I was.
I made friends with a Vietnamese teacher who left 2 months in because the kids were too rough. As a result I quickly made a new lunch crew after to hang out with and eat lunch with, and we quickly bonded over our shared experiences with certain students.
Still, I wasn’t doing anything particularly special to stand out as a teacher this year. I was still getting my feet wet and comfortable at Dale, and trying my best to actually blend in the shadows. It worked for the most part.
The highlight of the year was of course definitely not in the classroom, but outside of it. Katherine and I continued our adventures with a trip to Universal Studios, matching tattoos, and more adventures at Disneyland. But by far the greatest highlight of year 3 together was my engagement to Katherine.
After she said yes at the lighthouse across the street from Parker’s Lighthouse, we quickly had a paint night with many our friends and family where they painted the proposal. It was a fairytale ending, and was the happiest day of my life, until 27th grade of course.
