The Journey

Many teachers work much too quickly to alleviate this first-day nervous tension with their eighth-grade classes. These cynical seniors of middle school know the routine, and these first moments with them are critical. Although I will not win them or lose them here, I will hit them with the idea that this class will be different. And disbelief and wonder are a good start. My goal is to grab their attention, show them sincerity, and demonstrate an openness and vulnerability, much like a performer with his or her audience.

Three years ago at the age of forty, I began my certified teaching career. In this short career, I have decided that one of the most overlooked talents of a middle school teacher is acting, not necessarily the kind that is boisterous and does pratfalls—though my students do readily relate and respond to these abilities—but the kind of acting that is truly able to communicate to everyone in the room the sincerity of one’s inner self. Luckily, one of my former passions was theater.