by Jia Johnson
For this month's column, we wanted to interview teachers and highlight them and their lives/careers. I interviewed Ms. Stokes who is an English/Literature teacher at this school.
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: 27 years teaching in Washington County and 29 years teaching high school.
Q: Where have you taught and what were your experiences there like?
A: I was at North High for 12 years, and I was the theater director as well, it was a very different experience here. I spent a lot of time at school. I remember one time I didn’t leave school until 2:30 in the morning. It was a really good theater program with a lot of talented students. I also did long-term subbing in Waynesboro. And at Bisfa, I was one of the four original teachers here.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?
A: AP Lit, because it delves into certain works of literature you can’t teach in other classes, whether for time, or content, or you just can’t fit it into another curriculum. And there’s a wide range of works, and most of the students that take the class are also passionate about reading and discussing things like that and there’s just a lot you can do with a class like that.
Q: Why are you personally interested in Literature?
A: There’s no right answer to literature, and a lot of people might prefer sciences and math because you always know, but for me, I love the fact that there are so many different possibilities with literature, to any question you could ask. There are many ways to interpret and analyze so many different parts, and often you don’t notice everything and get to think more about it later. The open-endedness is very exciting and engaging to me.
Q: What are some of the most rewarding parts of teaching?
A: I love it when a student learns to love literature and you can “geek out” about different works of literature with them. Just sending students off with this new appreciation and love for literature is really important and valuable I think.
Q: What are some good memories of teaching?
A: When I taught theater at North, I directed 19 plays there, those were great memories. We did “Much Ado About Nothing” “Romeo and Juliet” and some Neil Simon comedies. I really enjoyed putting the plays together and performing. Another thing I really enjoy here is coaching the academic team. That's been a lot of fun for me, and, I know it’s cliche, but the everyday students finally understand something you’ve been working with them on. Like the specific meaning of a story finally clicking in their minds, and just seeing that understanding is a really rewarding part of teaching and the great class discussions that come from having a class like that.
Q: What are some important things you’ve learned from teaching?
A: Patience, for sure patience, always trying as hard as you can and admitting if you get something wrong or not knowing the answers to something. Like, I have students ask me questions about things, and I’m human I don’t know everything, so I can say “You know, I actually don’t know the answer to that. I’ll look it up and get back to you, or we can look it up together.” Students don’t need to think they’re perfect, honesty is most important. I think you need a lot of passion for teaching and literature, maybe more than you would originally think, and you really need to invest in the students, really want them to do well, and be willing to devote so much time to them doing well. That’s what has allowed me to be a teacher for so long.
Q: Did you have any other careers you wanted, if so what made you choose to pursue teaching?
A: In middle school, I wanted to be a singer in a rock band. I was in a band at one point, but obviously, it didn’t pan out. It's the equivalent of being a football player. I also almost became a journalism major. I wasn't sure I would enjoy teaching, but when I started student teaching at a high school I had a really big connection to high school teaching, so I ultimately decided not to switch my major. I did not enjoy middle school, it takes a very special teacher to teach middle school.
A: What are your goals for teaching in the future?
Q: I always try to improve aspects of teaching and rework lessons that don’t work exactly how I plan in my mind. There are always new things I have to account for and I think I really dissect lessons to better students because my ultimate goal isn’t to trick or ruin their grades, it’s to teach them so they’re successful in English, and their lives after high school. You never really have it all figured out, maybe I’ll have it figured out in a couple of years by the time I retire.
Q: How do you balance teaching with personal responsibilities to prevent burnout?
A: The work-life balance is really difficult for everyone. I don’t have any children which is helpful when making time for myself and my work. What’s really been helpful for me is to make lists and checklists, the little accomplishments are helpful to keep moving forward through the seemingly endless “to-do’s.” When I have a lot of work to do I get up really early so I don’t have to work late into the night. I remember one night I really had a lot to do so I went to bed really early so I could wake up at four and work. After I eat dinner I think I just want to go to bed, I’m more productive in the mornings, I never used to be that way, it’s interesting how that stuff changes as you age. I like to enjoy my evenings so no more all-nighters, if I have to do work that night I’ll stay at school and finish it there. I think work-life balance is a struggle for every teacher, there never seem to be enough hours in the day. I try to stay organized when I can, which helps but I think it’s something we’re all always working on. I think what you don’t normally think about is it’s not just grading and lesson planning, the hardest part is the extra stuff like being asked for college recommendation letters, and proofreading essays, being a teacher a lot of times is just being pulled in 20 different directions at once and having to figure out how to balance all of it.
Q: What do you think someone would need to have to be a teacher?
A: I would recommend teaching. I think it’s a very special impactful job, but I don’t think as many teachers stay for the long haul nowadays, because it is really tiring and taxing. I’ve noticed most teach for 10 years and then want something new. They don’t want teaching to be their forever career, it’s a “what’s next?” type of mindset, and there’s nothing wrong with that, if you’re no longer able to give your all to teaching it’s a profession where you should find something new. It’s not as simple as a 9-5 where you can give partial effort and go home and it’s over, it’s not like that—teaching seeps into every other aspect of your life. You need passion and willingness for the constant trial and error method, and to be okay with the fact nothing is ever going to go perfectly. Improvisation is everything for teaching, and it’s very stressful, you need to be ready to dedicate your whole life to helping others. It’s a very selfless profession, in the sense that, you get appreciation but it’s not really understood as well as a celebrated author an actress, or a rockstar. There’s no applause at the moment, the recognition comes five years down the line a previous student telling you you had a really positive impact on their lives. It’s a career, yes, but also, I’m not sure lifestyle is the right word, but your time isn’t your own.