Saxon Brown possesses a rare combination of childlike idealism and old soul pragmatism. Both traits have come in handy to the first-year English teacher at Bel Air High School, a large school of about 1,500 students in a suburb north of Baltimore. The 22-year-old is far closer in age to his students than he is to his colleagues, most of whom range from 40 to 65.
Earlier this month, Brown spoke to 澳门跑狗论坛 about how he鈥檚 faring in his first year, which is widely seen as the start of the 鈥渕ake or break鈥� period for new teachers. (Some statistics put the resignation rate of K-12 teachers in the first five years as high as 44 percent.) Brown shared all sorts of insights about his new career, like when he knew he wanted to be a teacher, what it鈥檚 like to teach students only a few years younger than him, and how he鈥檚 handling the challenges that all teachers grapple with鈥攈ow to engage teenagers in big-picture academic themes when social media beckons constantly, how to manage his time given all the responsibilities that come with the job, and more.
The conversation, told below in his own words, was edited for length and clarity.
Both of my parents are teachers, so I guess you could say it鈥檚 sort of the family business. Because I attended the middle school where my parents taught, I would see the fun stuff about the job鈥攁fter school, my parents talking to their colleagues, just hanging out. By the time I was out of elementary school I was, like, yeah, I know I want to do this.
When I told my parents, they were like: OK, that checks out. But at first, I think they were afraid that I was overly romanticizing teaching. But because I had two teachers in the house growing up, I saw not only the really great things about being a teacher but also the things that deter people from going into the job or that push people out after a few years. But so far, I love being a teacher.
When I was little, I used to play school. Now that I鈥檓 actually teaching, I still feel like I鈥檓 playing school. I鈥檓 having so much fun. I find myself thinking: 鈥榃hy doesn鈥檛 everybody want to do this?鈥� I guess I鈥檓 just still in the honeymoon phase. I know there are complications to the job, but I haven鈥檛 seen most of that yet. It helps that my colleagues are so awesome.
I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檓 just green, but they really have it together. My department chair is right across the hall from me. On the first day of school I went to her, and, in almost a whisper, I was, like: 鈥楬ow do you take attendance?鈥� She is invaluable. I would fall apart if she was not there.
Long days, many responsibilities
I鈥檓 still figuring out how to manage everything. I have 150 9th grade students鈥攆our sections of honors English, two of general English. It took me three weeks to learn all their names. I鈥檝e taken on a few other responsibilities beyond teaching; it鈥檚 fun, because it鈥檚 another way I get to know the kids. I鈥檓 the announcer for the boys鈥� basketball team. I鈥檓 also the student government adviser, and I play piano for the student choir. I get to work at 6:30 in the morning, and I鈥檒l typically leave around 5:30 or 6:30 at night, but there are some nights I stay until 7:30 or 8.
I don鈥檛 mind staying late at school; I kind of like it. I can listen to Led Zeppelin as loud as I want in my classroom when no one鈥檚 around. But the second I鈥檝e got to take work home; well, you don鈥檛 want to mix work and play. Most of what takes up my time is lesson planning. I want to plan a lesson where my student will say: 鈥極h, that was interesting.鈥�
鈥楨nglish class teaches you about you鈥�
I love English. I know a lot of students hate English class, because it鈥檚 reading and it鈥檚 writing and it鈥檚 speaking, and it鈥檚 listening, and what 15-year-old wants to do any of those things? But I want my students to like English, and I鈥檓 going to do whatever ridiculous thing I can to maybe get them to see that some part of it鈥攐ne text, one short story, one novel, one poem鈥攚as better than they expected it to be.
I often tell my students that English class teaches you about you. I鈥檝e also told my students that there is nothing they could go through that some author hasn鈥檛 also been through and written about. Broken hearts, dying family members, growing up, being let down, literature has got you covered. And, if nothing else, English is a class about stories. It鈥檚 the same reason people binge-watch Netflix or go to the movies. We love being entertained.
Initially, it was surprising to see how many students are apathetic or are just intensely forgetful. But I鈥檝e also learned that if you find something that students are interested in or really care about, they鈥檒l work hard. And I do my best to make English literature entertaining. If I have a super interesting lesson, if I鈥檓 jumping on the desk wearing a King Arthur costume reciting poetry, students鈥� cell phones are generally not out.
On cellphones: I hate 鈥榚m! Some teachers collect them before class. I don鈥檛; that鈥檚 not my style. But I do sometimes get a little frustrated. I鈥檒l think, 鈥業 poured my heart and soul into this lesson plan and you鈥檙e on your phone!鈥� I鈥檓 definitely still navigating the technology piece.
Technology: How much is too much?
High school is so different now. When I was in high school, we didn鈥檛 have laptops. Everything was on paper. There was no Canvas [an electronic learning management system] or electronic records. I do a lot of stuff on paper in my class. I ask my students: 鈥楧oes it bother you that you have to handwrite a lot of stuff in my class?鈥� They say they prefer to handwrite because, in other classes, they鈥檙e just on the computer the whole time. All students have a laptop in class. But for me, they鈥檒l only open it up when we鈥檙e doing something that requires the technology. For the most part, during a discussion or a read-aloud, they don鈥檛 need their laptops.
I know I鈥檓 a kid teaching kids. And my students know numerically how close we are in age. But, they can鈥檛 even drive yet. I pay bills. I have been on public transportation by myself鈥攏ormal adult things that they have no concept of yet. So even though my students know I鈥檓 22, I think that they find that to be older than it actually is, which helps. But I do know English; I got my bachelor鈥檚 in it. That鈥檚 the thing that kept me sane, or grounded, in the beginning. I don鈥檛 necessarily know how to deliver the content in the most effective way yet, but I have my whole career to figure that out.
I think the people who say things like, 鈥極h, the future is doomed,鈥� probably are not in the classroom. Being a teacher definitely requires a certain degree of patience and understanding. Sometimes in class, I have to repeat myself 10,000 times. I could get frustrated when a student says about a book we鈥檙e reading, 鈥楾his is boring.鈥� Or I could remember that he鈥檚 14 or 15. And kids are going to act like kids.
