5 things 5 bca teachers wish they knew in high school by xochi hopwood

May 2, 2019

Often times, it is easy to see teachers as just that—just teachers! Only seeing them in the confinement of a school building, it can be easy to forget that they leave the building and have a life just like you, the student, does. More than that, it is hard to imagine that the teachers we have as students even went through the same little youthful experience we call high school. So, as I thought of how our teachers are much more than the hour we see them a day, I decided to ask five teachers “one thing they wish in knew high school that they know now” and here is what I got in response…

Mrs. christy, HS English and Public Speaking Teacher

“I wish I knew that every little quiz, test, or project—that in the scheme of your life—does not count as much as you think it does in the moment. Like, you will never remember any of that stuff, so it is really not worth being super stressed out about it. Your self worth is not determined by how you perform on any given assignment.”

Mrs. mcguire, Director of External Relations

“Everybody matters. I think in high school, you tend to stick and stay with a group and you kind of get categorized. So, sometimes you can make quick judgments about people without getting the whole picture or realizing that there is so much more life going on than to just high school and those four years. Everybody plays a really important role in life and I wish I had a broader perspective when I was in high school. It is hard to do, but it is important to get the bigger picture of those people and where they are coming from.”

Mrs. roney, ms and resource teacher

“I wish I had known that you do not need to make up your life the second you graduate. I jumped into a career in occupational therapy right when I graduated and switched out of that after a year and a half. It [majoring in occupational therapy] was an impulsive decision of what I thought I wanted to do, but then I ended up switching into special education. It is kind of in the same realm, but I wish that someone had told me that you do not need to have it all figured out when you graduate.”

Mrs. Twitchell, hs history teacher

“High school is just a moment in time and a chapter in your life. The things that happen in high school don’t need to affect your future and the way that you perceive yourself. When you are in high school, you feel like this is all encompassing and this is how your life will be, but it is not that way at all. High school is important because it helps shape who you are, but it doesn’t define who you are.”

ms. ramos, K-12 spanish teacher

“Something I wish I knew in high school is that self-care is vital. I wish I knew how the habits (good and bad) that I picked up in high school and college would stay with me and how they would affect me. It is much easier to develop a good habit than to break a bad one. Make it a priority to get adequate sleep and don't pull all-nighters (like I did). Make sure your plate is colorful and take care of your body and mental health as well!”