I’ve officially survived my first full week of teaching high school! I’m fully aware I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but I already have a strong feeling this year is going to go very well.
High school students are noticeably more mature and, for the most part, willing to do what’s asked of them. They’re also much easier to reason with compared to the middle schoolers I spent the last ten years teaching.
My IB students are especially impressive—seniors who have chosen to take on the most challenging assessments of their high school careers during a time when most would be coasting toward graduation. My goal is not to let them down, even though I only found out I’d be teaching IB about a week before school started. They’re currently working on their internal assessments—a history research paper—which, thankfully, gives me time to prepare for upcoming units. It’s also refreshing to be thanked after a lesson or to receive respect from students without even having to ask for it. Even at their age, they respond well to the Pokemon themed classroom.
Even my 10th graders are exceptional overall—polite, kind, and consistently on task. Sure, there are a few loud jocks, but they still get their work done and respond well to redirection. Today, when they were all out for an away football game, the class was almost eerily quiet. Still, I found myself missing their energy and the way they liven up the room.
Teaching 5 periods instead of 6 is a blessing in and of itself. And though the later school end time (3:17 as opposed to 2:25) isn’t great, and I have yet to make any “friends” here at this school, I’m happy I made the switch at the time when I was started to feel quite jaded with middle schoolers.
All in all, I’m confident this will be a great year. I’ll keep you posted as things unfold. Teaching high school has also been much easier on my energy levels, leaving me with more time and patience for Kai when I get home. Adjusting to his sleep schedule—waking up one to two times a night—hasn’t been too bad, and I’m finding a nice rhythm between work and home life.
Happy 3 months to the little guy!
