I Used to be a Reporter. Now I’m a Teacher. I’ve Become What I Used to Observe
A long time ago, in a newsroom far, far away; your humble narrator was a respected journalist.
Today I am a beloved school teacher in a suburban middle school.
Okay. That may be laying it on a bit thick.
Like any human being whose job it is to get children to do their best and learn something, I’m beloved by some and beloathed by others. And if I’m honest, when I was a reporter, I was never all that respected. But I did win several state journalism awards.
The point I’m trying to make is that like a caterpillar into a butterfly or a tadpole into a frog, I made a startling transformation in career paths that flies somewhat in the face of popular wisdom.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American Lives.” Well, I’m on my third or fourth act and nowhere near ready for the curtain to come down yet.
It’s shocking how far I’ve come, though there’s a surprising amount of overlap between my two professions. In fact, the biggest difference is one of orientation.
I used to get up at 4 a.m., weave into the newsroom and type away for a few hours about the previous night’s school board or city council meeting before my deadline came down, the presses rolled and the morning edition went on sale.
Now I get up at 5 a.m., hobble into the classroom and go to meetings, grade papers or otherwise get ready for a 7-hour invasion by 12- and 13-year-olds, followed by more meetings and papers and planning.
I used to go into the classroom to interview teachers and students about special lessons, state and federal programs or standardized tests.
Now I’m in the classroom questioning myself about my students and what works best to help them learn, trying to navigate the state and federal programs so they get the CONTINUE READING: I Used to be a Reporter. Now I’m a Teacher. I’ve Become What I Used to Observe | gadflyonthewallblog
