What’s it like to teach at AHS?

Have you ever thought about how easy it would be to be a teacher? Summers and holidays off is an undeniable bonus, but think again if you think teachers have it easy. After interviewing 4 teachers at AHS I am here to tell you it is more difficult than we give them credit for. Mr. Webb, Ms. Gidjunis, Mr. Cramer and Mrs. Root are just tiny examples of what the teachers of our school do to  go above and beyond for their students. Most of our teachers have around 100 students, 6 classes and dozens of papers to grade each day. They carefully plan out every lesson, paper and piece of information they give. All of this work can become stressful, but when asked what their favorite part of the job was, all four of them said, “the kids.” They give us much more than just grades and credit and expect little in return.  Take a deeper look at everything your teachers really do for you.

Webb has nothing but positive statements to say about his students. His dedication to his students and Audubon shone through his responses. He’s been teaching for 25 years and has loved every minute. He loves the upperclassmen especially and making jokes and interacting with them. He does his best to keep his class fair, and the workload fun and simple. This teaching style causes his grading to take about 90 minutes per day, inside and outside of school. His workload is large, but understands that students have other classes, and does his best to make every assignment meaningful.

Not producing busy work is just as important to Root. She feels a shorter lesson with more engagement is better for her students than any other teaching method. She’s been teaching for 16 years, and changes every year to better suit the kids. Interacting with them and seeing them learn is her favorite part of her job. She didn’t enjoy high school and wishes that she had teachers she could depend on, and does her best to be approachable for her students. Her love for her work is clear considering teaching wasn’t her first choice of careers, but she has stuck with it for all these years.

Unlike Root, Gidjunis always knew she wanted to teach. A long-term sub turned into a long-term teacher that touches the hearts of her students. She struggles to keep her work life, home life balance, but that doesn’t change her passion for teaching. Ninth grade is her first choice because she loves to watch the kids grow, and thrive through their 4 years of high school. Meeting them in the beginning gives her the opportunity to know them from a young age up until graduation day. 

Teaching the younger ages, however, is unappealing to Cramer. Throughout 12 years of teaching, he prefers the seniors and being with kids that are more responsible and mature. He can struggle to always know exactly how to help each individual student, so the maturity of the student helps. He tends to teach around 20 students per class, but doesn’t mind because he finds it easier to teach large classes. He doesn’t like to depend on one kid to answer all the questions, so having more kids makes it easier to disperse participation. 

Although the popular majority of people assume that teaching is fun and a rather easy way out of choosing a career, it’s clear that teaching is no joke and is quite difficult. However, that does not stop teachers like Webb, Gidjunis, Cramer and Root from putting their whole heart and pride into teaching. They give it their all every single day for their students and never give up no matter how difficult their job gets. So next time you walk into a classroom, remember how much your teacher’s do for you and appreciate the effort they put into your success and future.