Square State Teacher: The Circle Of Life (the nutshell version)

 

     I am not a person who was Born To Teach. I've met those people, I've been taught by those people and I've taught beside those people: I am not one of those people.

     I became a teacher in the same way I do everything: indecision, neurosis and through the side door. 

     I went to Green Mountain High School in the 80's, the most impactful teachers I had were Katherine (lang arts), Bud (theatre) and Peter (social studies). They will return in this story, hold on. 

      After years of not teaching, I looked at my small children and failed theatre career and decided that teaching would provide job stability and benefits. So I started subbing. At GMHS for Katherine, and for Bud's replacement, who was a GMHS alulm who graduated a year behind me. I would pull into the parking lot belting CIRCLE OF LIFE. I did this for a year, and decided it sounded like a good idea to just Be A Teacher. Of course I was in my mid thirties with small children, so I was not going back to school to do this. I found out that if someone would hire me, I could get my certification through the TIR program at Metro on Monday nights. I just had to get someone to hire me.

     I did, and my second year teaching, I received a phone call from Katherine. She had retired from GMHS and was now working in the TIR program. She was calling because she had been assigned to me as my mentor. That was the second time I belted CIRCLE OF LIFE. Katherine spent that year observing my classes and making sure I got the overwhelming piles of paperwork into the CDE. She wrote her notes in that gorgeous, sprawling handwriting that I loved in high school, and used phrases from my youth, like 'Truly Wonderful'.

     In my eighth year, one of my students shared his Boettcher with me. I was able to attend the Boettcher awards at the Botanic Gardens with other teachers who were also being recognized. They tend to be core teachers, or IB or AP, I was the only theatre teacher. I hung out with a choir teacher from another district. Then came time for the Parade of Teachers, and I caught sight of Peter (remember him from paragraph 3?) who was being introduced as a multiple recipient of the Boettcher. I turned to Jim, completely gobsmacked, and said "I don't belong here. He's a real teacher. This is like Spicoli getting the same award as Mr. Hand."   Peter and I had crossed paths years earlier when I was doing theatre/waiting tables, and he had stated flatly "Why aren't you teaching? You're a teacher." As I was in public, I could not sing CIRCLE OF LIFE. But I wanted to.

       In my eleventh year, a former student of mine who had been chorographing our musicals, returned to the building as substitute teacher. The next year, he was hired to replace the retiring art teacher, who had been his art teacher. Don't start singing yet.

       He chose the TIR program. And his mentor was:Katherine.

       You can start singing now.