Teacher Q & A -

I have been teaching now for almost two months. Over the course of the two months, I have learned a lot about myself, my passion for teaching, and what I want to do for the rest of my life. People in my life have contacted me through texting, Facebook, Twitter, and every other way to ask me about how teaching is going so far. For some people, I am the only “teacher” friend they know, and so they ask me lots of questions. I love these conversations. They truly make me realize how lucky I am to be teaching in my hometown, and how I can easily seeing myself teach here for the rest of my career. I am only 8 weeks in, but I am in for the long haul. Teaching is my calling, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

Below are some of the questions that are asked when people talk to me about teaching. I have some good stories from class as well, but we can save those for another time. I don’t want to turn this blog post into a novel, and it could get long quickly if I told you every time a student made my day.

Q: Do you teach your own classes with your own students or are you helping another teacher out?

A: I love this question. I think it is funny it is asked so much, like people don’t think I can handle 36 middle school students at once. The answer is yes; I have my own classroom and my own classes. Currently I teach halftime, so I teach my classes in the afternoon and sub for other teachers at RMS or RHS almost every morning.

Q: What do you teach?

A: Currently I teach 6^th and 8^th Grade Social Studies. I have 29 6^th graders in my Minnesota Studies class, and that class is super fun to teach. 6^th graders are crazy, but I love their innocence and their passion to learn. I got spoiled with my 8^th grade class though. 37 of us in a classroom can make for some chaos, but every day the students re-energize me and make me a better teacher. The 8^th grade Global Studies class I have is fun, respectful, energetic, and always willing to go above and beyond to learn more. Having this group of 36 kids to start my day off is incredible.

Q: Oh, I didn’t realize you taught Middle School. Isn’t it just crazy over there with all the teenagers?

A: Fact of the Day: None of my 6^th Graders were even born when 9/11/2001 occurred. Imagine trying to talk to them about a topic like that when none of them even remember it? That doesn’t answer the question at all, but if it doesn’t make you feel old, it should.

Overall, I think Middle School is where I belong. As you heard above, I love my 8^th graders, but my 6^th grade class is also a joy to be around. They are still adjusting to life in the middle school and it is fun to watch them make new friends since they are coming from three elementary schools. Teenagers in general are crazy, and you are going to see some craziness occurring on a daily basis. That being said, Rogers Middle School has amazing students. I don’t hear swearing down the halls, I don’t see bullying hardly ever and I see students respect each other during passing time. I can’t imagine that every middle school has the same atmosphere as the one that has been created at RMS.

Q: Is it weird working with some of the teachers that you had as a student?

A: This question gets asked a TON. Going to RMS from 2003-2006, many of the teachers that are there now are still there. Some have moved on, and many new teachers have arrived, but there is still a core group of them still teaching, just as they were when you were in middle school. I love the staff at RMS. I have never felt “new” or unwelcome because the staff does a great job at welcoming you into their circle as if you have been there for 5 years. Many of the other new teachers have said the same thing and seeing old teachers every day just makes the day more fun.

In general, the world has a view that teachers never leave the school. I used to think the same thing. If I saw a teacher outside of school I used to think it was really weird, and my mom is even a teacher. Once I got to high school and started considering teaching as a profession, I realized that teachers are normal people. Teaching is their job, but they still go home like you do to their families or friends. I will never forget when I was working at Broadway and saw a teacher at the bar drinking a beer and thought the world was going to end. YOU CAN’T BE HERE DRINKING THAT was a thought that crossed through my mind. Now from the other side of things, I can see people that still think that way. The faces on the students if you see them outside of school are priceless. They act like you shouldn’t be there, like you don’t shop at Target just like they do. Some students rush up and saw hi, while the other ones duck beneath the next aisle as if they are going to get in trouble for seeing me outside of class. It is hilarious.

Q: Why did you decide to become a teacher? You know that it doesn’t pay you well right?

A: The teaching salary thing doesn’t really need to be touched on to be honest, except for the fact that it is always included in people’s questions to me. So many people have asked me why I don’t go do a job that pays better. In simple terms, here is why I decided to become a teacher…

When I walk into RMS every day I feel like it is something that I want to do, not forced to do. The students greet you with a smile, a high five, or a fist bump. If you know their name, they think you are a hero, and if you give them candy, well then you are their best friend for the day. When the class starts and you see 20-40 students looking to you, and no one else to teach them, it is an amazing feeling. When there is something that a student doesn’t understand and then they finally get it and you see that light bulb go on, it is indescribable. When they walk into your class and you can tell that they want to be there, your day is made. I don’t teach for the income, I teach for the outcome.

Q: Is it weird when the students call you Mr. Hines?

A: I always laugh at this question. Last year when I was up in Monticello student teaching, I felt really weird when people called me Mr. Hines. It didn’t feel right. When I got to RMS in September and I started hearing the students use it, it just felt right. Now I just believe it is normal and don’t have to think about it like I did before. Lots of people outside of the school will call me Mr. Hines now because I am their “teaching friend.”

So there you have it, some of the most common questions I get when I am asked about teaching. If you have any other questions about my job feel free to message me directly or comment on this post. I love talking about my job. Teaching is not one of those jobs that go away when you leave the school. I am always thinking about ways to make my classroom better, to get the students more engaged, and to make myself better. It is those thoughts that occur frequently that make me confident that I picked the right career and that this is the profession for me!

Silly Little Game

I love football. As a newly employed educator, I have taken in a couple recent high school football games in central Minnesota. I have never played the beautiful sport, but I have been indulged in it since I can remember. Saturday’s used to include homemade chili and Minnesota Golden Gopher Games. Sunday’s involved church, morning brunch and rushing home for noon kickoff of the local Vikings. Now, fall Friday nights include walking down the street from my house to the high school field. I watch as my brother’s friends who used to come over when we were younger rush onto the field in front of a few thousand screaming fans, many of them students who come together and arrive early with signs and wearing the jersey of their best friend or significant other. A local group of boys arrive a little later than the rest of the students. “The Blue Crew” as they call themselves, wait until the rest of their friends and fellow students are in their seats before they rush up the stairs. From there, they lead in cheers & chants that provide an atmosphere that make me happy to be from a small community. The players are heroes, the fans are loyal, and win or lose, the community has their back. It is simple, it is beautiful, it is perfect.

Once you graduate high school you leave these small communities and go off to college. Some people leave for the city, to the big D1 schools that bring in 50,000-100,000 fans every Saturday. I had those dreams once, to be on one of those campuses, and where I ended up couldn’t be different.

Collegeville is a small town off Highway 94, exiting right after you pass Saint Cloud. Collegeville, mixed with Saint Joseph, make up the colleges of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. The sleeping arrangements are separate, but the communities couldn’t be closer. The classes are mixed and both campuses constantly have both male and female students roaming the grounds. The Johnnies and Bennies as they are called, make up their own community of people who are willing to go above and beyond in anyway possible. Our reward: Johnnie Football.

If you have ever heard of Saint John’s University, the reason you have is because of Johnnie Football. You have heard of Coach John, of his title of “Most Wins in College Football,” and you have heard of the tradition. If you haven’t heard of Saint John’s, you are reading this blog, wondering what could be so special about a college football team in the middle of nowhere. I asked the same question too, until I experienced my first Johnnie game as a Saint John’s student.

The color red is beautiful, but the color red is also powerful. I never liked the color red much, mostly because our rival high school’s colors were red and black. I didn’t own any red clothes, and I never would claim it as my favorite color. I bought my first red sweatshirt my sophomore year of high school, and you know I am not lying because who remembers when they buy their first sweatshirt of a certain color? I do. That is how weird it was for me to buy a red sweatshirt. I bought a Johnnie Football T-shirt when I arrived on campus late summer of 2010. I heard that everyone wore red to the football games, and I was not going to be the freshman with the lanyard around my neck wearing a white T-shirt in a sea of red.

I arrived with some friends early to the game and the place was already filling up. Older couples were slowly making their way to the seats, while others started setting down blankets and chairs around the grass area. The North end zone stood the students, while across the field and up the hill were tailgaters that were enjoying an early beverage and a hot dog. Everyone looked like they knew each other and were connected in someway. If I only knew how small and connected the world was as a 19 year old.

1:00 PM means the game is about to begin and so my friends and I finally make our way to the student stands. Every student is wearing red. Every one. The student section smells of overly cologned males, popcorn, and liquor, half from the night before at Sal’s bar, and the other half from the students who decided to sneak it in. No one paid for a ticket, our student ID’s were enough to get us into the Clemens Stadium, which among other things, has been called one of the top 10 places to watch a college football game. Our hands all went up as the opening kick went high into the cloudless blue sky. Throughout the course of the game we chanted and cheered. “The Blue Crew” from my hometown was replaced by “The Rat Pak,” who among other things led cheers, established a kiss cam for students, threw free pizza into the crowds, and dressed hilariously…in red.

As I arrived back on campus for the first time since graduating in May, I found myself jealous of the students who were arriving in the north end zone for one of the first times. I was at the other end, tailgating at Saint John’s for the first time as an alum, and reminiscing about our experiences on the beautiful campus. We finally decide to enter the stadium about 20 minutes after kickoff. I search my wallet for my student ID and flash it quickly as I walk by the security guard. (What they don’t know can’t hurt them right?) I look at the scoreboard to a 28-0 Johnnie lead over Hamline University. I should have known from the cheers that I heard while tailgating that the Johnnies held a commanding lead. I look around as I see thousands of people. Kids, adults, grandparents, girlfriends, community members, and alums all gathered together on a Saturday afternoon to watch a simple game. Win or lose, the field will be filled with red after the game as everyone will make their way down to talk to their friends, sons, or boyfriends who played in the game. They will head back to the locker room, take a quick shower, and rejoin the community as students in a couple hours, but for the time being they are looked up to by kids and adults alike. For the time being, they are the reason why we came from near and far. To them, and to all of us, football is more than just a game.

As you can see, football has had an impact on my life from the time I can remember. Today, I spend much of my Saturday’s and all of my Sunday watching the beautiful sport I grew up with. I have never put on pads; I have never run a route, except for in the backyard with my brothers and friends growing up. I don’t own gloves or a helmet, and I never participated in a two-a-day practice. To me, that means nothing. To others, those memories mean everything.

As I finish watching Monday Night Football this week, I think back to those high school and college players on the field. Most of them will never make it onto my TV for a Sunday or Monday game. They are playing their last few games and then they are on to bigger and better things. For now though, these guys are what makes this time of the year so great. They give us time away from our daily lives and allow us to cheer and scream like we are years younger than we want to admit. They bring people together, if only for a couple hours. Some call it just a game, but to so many of us, it is so much more. It motivates us, it brings us together, and it connects us. It can make you angry or it can send a chill down your back. Sports in general can do that to us, and that emotion is what brings us back, even if it “just a game.”