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In Room 206
By Judith Farrell
Early in my sixth decade of life, I have become a public high school teacher-the impact of this change is huge. I have always been a strong, rational person-a woman who plans well and prepares with tenacity and vigilance. I am not easily flustered.
With the opening of the new school year, I have become a different person. I didn't even know I wanted to change; perhaps I didn't. Circumstances have compelled me to revise the fairly decent plan I have followed most of my adult life.
I have been married for 30 plus years and have raised four children-three sons and a daughter. None of them are delinquents, but unfortunately, I have bills that are.
Because of the No Child Left Behind legislation, I have had the opportunity to pursue alternate teacher certification. When I earned my BA in Literature in 2000, I had not chosen the conventional certification plan that UHCL offers. Instead, I wanted to practice my craft in the private sector as a writer, editor, or consultant; however, I found that the nickel and dime nature of contract work just doesn't cut it.
The current NCLB legislation allows me and others like me to enroll, test, meet standards, and intern in the field of education. It has been a learning experience extraordinaire. Daily, I am in room 206-sometimes with high school Juniors, sometimes with Sophomores, and at other times with Freshmen-teaching reading, writing, speaking, and media awareness. I introduce my students to writers like Dickens, Melville, Orwell, Crane, Dickenson, Thoreau, Hurston, and Hughes. I know the material-there is no end to the many wonderful authors and epochs to highlight in this curriculum.
I have an obligation to show students the joys of being intimate with an author through his or her voice and craft. I have an obligation to convince reluctant teens that their voice counts-that they must find a way to communicate their joys and sorrows, wins and losses, dreams and ideas. What is most fascinating, beyond the curriculum, is the unique and apparent culture I have discovered.
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