I graduated from high school in 1994. After moving to Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Sin City itself, I spent my formative years in the Clark County School District public schools. From Nate Mack Elementary to Cannon Jr. High, to the brand new Green Valley High School, I ebbed and flowed through my education, always looking for a place to belong.
It took some time, but in the fall of 1993, I finally found my place. As one old school was shutting its doors, a new one was opening them. Ironically, the doors were attached to the same building. The Las Vegas Academy was reborn from the metaphoric ashes of Las Vegas High School. One of the oldest high schools emerged as the newest by planting the seed of the arts into the desert landscaping.
My experience at LVA, even if only nine months long, changed me. I was a theatrical kid with a creative mind who loved music and black tights and Doc Martens. When I arrived on LVA's campus in August of 1993, I knew I had found my people. This small, quirky arts school was buzzing with creative energy, and for the first time in all my years of school, I was able to focus on something other than being the black sheep who wore funny clothes. That didn't matter. All that mattered was embracing the arts.
Here we are in 2017. It's the second quarter of the school year and I am still here at Las Vegas Academy. No, I'm not still trying to graduate high school, I came back to LVA to teach. Since 2001, I've woken up at 5am to get ready for high school. Walking into the same building I took English class in, I now teach English and Creative Writing. This somewhat surreal experience of student becoming the teacher has filled me with joy, frustration, fear, and inspiration almost daily.
Twenty-five years later, The Las Vegas Academy is still a place, nestled in the neon chaos of Downtown Las Vegas, providing a place to belong for the wayward artist, the dedicated academic, the floundering philosopher, and the 41-year-old teacher who still wears black tights and Doc Martens.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Monday, October 16, 2017
Welcome to This Teacher's Journey
It's been a long time coming. A place to house all those thoughts, all those stories. Every day in a classroom is a brand new adventure, and I have had seventeen years of adventures. This Teacher's Journey has been spinning around in my mind for a while now, just waiting to be set free. I know that my life as a teacher has influenced my views, changed my thinking, and shaped me in numerous ways, and it is time for me not only share the stories of my own experience, but to share the stories of the educators, advocates, and others who have shaped me as a teacher.
When I started teaching, we barely used computers in the classroom. I bubbled in attendance on a scantron form at the end of each day and calculated my grades by hand. No, it wasn't fifty years ago, it was 2001. Since I started my career as a teacher, so much has changed, including me. My first year teaching I was a naive twenty-something who thought I could work magic with a piece of chalk and an overhead projector. In reality, the most magical thing that happened that year was that I kept on teaching when it was over.
My college education had equipped me with knowledge and philosophy. My student teaching had provided me with tricks of the trade and an insider look at systems and routines. Nothing prepared me to be in charge of 150 eleven-year-olds for seven hours a day.
Somehow, despite the tears, the self-doubt, and the trail and error, I did it. I finished a school year, and then another, and then another. Insert moving to a new school and teaching five different courses over the span of five years, and I slowly started to grow into my own skin. About five years in, I really hit my stride. I finally understood what it meant to have a "philosophy of education."
As five years turned to ten, and ten to fifteen, my eyes opened to the possibility that not only could I be a confident, masterful educator, but that I could use my voice to not only teach students about the world but to advocate for education, educators, and students.
So, here it is. This Teacher's Journey. Thank you for joining me.
When I started teaching, we barely used computers in the classroom. I bubbled in attendance on a scantron form at the end of each day and calculated my grades by hand. No, it wasn't fifty years ago, it was 2001. Since I started my career as a teacher, so much has changed, including me. My first year teaching I was a naive twenty-something who thought I could work magic with a piece of chalk and an overhead projector. In reality, the most magical thing that happened that year was that I kept on teaching when it was over.
My college education had equipped me with knowledge and philosophy. My student teaching had provided me with tricks of the trade and an insider look at systems and routines. Nothing prepared me to be in charge of 150 eleven-year-olds for seven hours a day.
Somehow, despite the tears, the self-doubt, and the trail and error, I did it. I finished a school year, and then another, and then another. Insert moving to a new school and teaching five different courses over the span of five years, and I slowly started to grow into my own skin. About five years in, I really hit my stride. I finally understood what it meant to have a "philosophy of education."
As five years turned to ten, and ten to fifteen, my eyes opened to the possibility that not only could I be a confident, masterful educator, but that I could use my voice to not only teach students about the world but to advocate for education, educators, and students.
So, here it is. This Teacher's Journey. Thank you for joining me.
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