Jackson Public

My favorite shot of the building is on a postcard, where the front of the building—its most photogenic side—is lit up by streetlights against a dark royal blue night sky. Three stories of dark brick rise above the basement, faced with white limestone moldings and in some places leaded-glass windows. There are even battlements on the top, the type of cut-outs where archers might place their arrows to defend a castle in an attack.

The high school is not generally attacked though, unless you count rivalries between local schools where we fight off the Lumen Christi Titans and so forth.

(skipping ahead)

… Momentarily, my instruction is a complete success. I am an inspiring teacher who captures every student’s focus … at least for a few seconds until I actually begin speaking again.

Then I realize my voice is a Pavlovian bell for the shaggy kid in the back row to put his head down on his desk and for another kid to begin drawing endless concentric circles on his shoe.

Undeterred, I rap on their desks with my knuckles to jar them awake as I pass by, and I explain the project at hand, starting with how today’s assignment ties into our learning objectives.
Most freshmen care about learning objectives about as much as than they care about keeping the contents of their lockers alphabetically organized.

A few minutes into my lecture, a student raises her hand, seemingly in rush to ask a pertinent question.

I love it when students participate, and I call on her immediately.
“Uh, yeah…can I get a drink?”

…To read the rest of Sarah’s reflections on teaching in Jackson order the book here.

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