Cadet Teacher Interview with Jake

1. Where did you go to college? Why?

I attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I chose this school over NC State due to the Education Program and the beautiful natural surroundings. I like to spend time outdoors (fly fishing, hiking, etc.) and it seemed to be a good balance of school and nature.

2. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I have always enjoyed helping others in any way that I could. In high school, I helped tutor and helped in various volunteering capacities and I always enjoyed the feeling after a long day knowing that I had helped another human being even in a small way, or in some small way helped make their day better.

3. What has been your best experience as a teacher?

Although there have been many experiences, both great and small throughout my 8 years teaching, receiving the Time Warner Cable Star Teacher Award last year was the most powerful and profound culminating experience. I have only ever taught one student during his 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grade years and to have that student write an essay and present an award to me was the best and most humbling experience I have ever had as a teacher.

4. What has been your worst experience as a teacher?

Although I wouldn’t say the worst, I would say the most disappointing part of teaching was the lack of administrative focus on students and teachers at my last school. The emphasis there was on bureaucratic red tape, procedures, paperwork and ineffective strategies and this led to student and parental apathy. After several years, I had a difficult time committing myself to a school that, unlike South, did not support the faculty nor put the students as the first priority.

5. When did you know you wanted to teach?

There wasn’t one single moment; however, I always knew I wanted to teach and lead by relatively quiet example. When I was first at college I thought I might want to teach younger grades or history; but after my first few English courses, I knew that I had found my niche.

6. Why English?

English covers so many areas of life and addresses so many key questions that I feel need to be answered. There is profound life in English—the history, the lives of the authors, the themes, the conflicts, the problems, the solutions, the writing. Also, English is dynamic in the sense that language is always changing and new books are always being written. There is always a new frontier with English—and in addition, the students always keep it interesting. No matter how many times I teach a certain novel, students always surprise me with their various points of view. English is a vibrant and living subject.

7. Who was your favorite teacher and why?

This depends on the context and the definition of ‘favorite’. In high school, my favorite and most memorable teacher was Bill Campbell. He taught (and tortured) a small class of Honors American Literature and his interest, his humor, and honest enthusiasm and critiques were memorable. Moreover, I’ll never forget a banner above his board which read “what we learn with joy, we never forget.” I never forgot. The most incredible teacher I have ever come across is Richard Miller (who now teaches at Gray Stone School). I co-taught a 10^th Grade Course, Honors World Humanities, with him and learned so much from him about teaching methods and content. In my mind, he is a good friend, a wealth of knowledge, and the model of a perfect teacher.

8. What are the most effective teaching methods?

The most effective teaching methods vary from subject to subject and vary even more greatly from student to student. In my classes I feel I am most effective when I can tailor a class to meet the needs of my students. For example, I think the chemistry of some classes lends itself more to Socratic Seminars and discussions, while other classes learn more through lecture and group work with a specific goal in mind.

9. What are the least effective teaching methods?

For me, direct instruction and archaic cut-and-dried six-point lesson plan methodology (although useful in some settings) seems to be the most outdated and least effective. But again, in such an ever-changing world, the least effective teaching methods are the ones in which students can tell the teacher is disinterested in the lesson. If the teacher is ‘plugged in’ and engaged in a given subject and can communicate this to the students, more times than not the teacher will be effective. Keep in mind that entire books have been written on the subject of methodology, so this question and the one before it are incredibly broad.

10. Was there ever a time in college when you wanted to change your major and not be a teacher?

Not really. There are so many things that you can do with an English degree and I think that the only time that I entertained the idea of going another direction was when I had some written work judged and published in college. I still write off and on and I have an online blog and web site that I maintain. I will probably publish this interview on my page. Thanks for the questions Jake. I hope this helps and let me know if there is anything else you need.