Teaching Thoughts 1

As an aspiring high school and eventually college English teacher, I've started compiling things my past teachers and/or professors did and didn't do, as well as what I've witnessed this past school year as a sub.
I'm attempting to form my own preferences and policies for teaching.

Obviously, these probably won't touch much of the day-to-day teaching.

Feel free to verbally shred at your leisure.

1) I'm going plan out the whole year's lesson plans for Pre AP and AP classes during the summer, so I can give my students a syllabus with a course schedule at the beginning of the year, just like they'd get in college.

2) My opening lesson each year will involve, among other things, projecting the words "TRIGGER WARNING" on whatever screen in available, so that no one can complain about anything read or written in any of my classes. People go through terrible things, and it is the writer's job to put those terrible things in full view so that society can roundly denounce them and hopefully grow out of them. And it is the duty of literature teachers to expose their students to literature for the same reason, not hide it away from them in some twisted attempt at protection from life's harsh realities.

3) Every year, we will read at least one novel or short story or poem with a whole lotta cussin'. Partially because deliberately avoiding it is limiting art (which as a writer and musician is among my top three cardinal sins), partially because it's been around since people could speak, and in some contexts is the correct word choice. We'll see if students can better remember the author's name if they know he/she isn't afraid to drop an f-bomb or two.

4) I will ban "literally" from my classroom, whether written or spoken. I don't care how many failed daily or essay grades I have to give out before it sticks. Gah.

5) Every year, we will read literature from a country, culture, or time period with different values from our current time and place. Racism, sexism, and other forms of culturally approved bigotry can't be eliminated from our culture if we deny their existence.

6) I solemnly swear that as a teacher I will NEVER leave meaningless busy-work for my students if I have to be gone for any reason. I will grade every assignment I leave for them to do, and will by the grace of God condition them to take every such assignment seriously.