#teacher asks

[heyjude19-writing]

Ch 7

Love the mean girls reference

And Hermione unashamedly eavesdropping

And the flower language

And an awkward dinner with the in-laws

😍

The only thing I don’t love, is that I’ll only be able to read it for the first time once

😭

Lol sorry i can't virtually obliviate you teacher, but im glad you enjoyed the chapter 😂❤️

[hilli98215]

What grade do u teach, and how are they at that age? Do some act rowdy and chaotic? Are some good & well-behaved? How do they handle the material of the class projects/activities? Just curious, cause I have a teacher in my family, and I know it can be a lot for one person, so hopes for tranquillity!

Hello Anon,

Thank you so much for the many questions! But first I need to mention that I am located in the US and so I use a lot of terms that are related to where I live. This may not be necessary for you, but it is for those who may read this and have no clue about the US education system.

Here we go in order of your questions:

I am currently teaching in a Junior High which has 7th and 8th graders in one building. The grade I teach is 7th grade English Language Arts which is around the ages 11-14 years old depending if they were held back when their birthday falls, or if they were able to skip a grade. This year we had a lot of 14-year-olds due to them being held back once or twice.

Because these students are hitting puberty by the time they come to us, their behavior changes from the beginning to the end of the year. Or some don't and it then is our job to create a connection or even understand why they are behaving that specific way. A great example of this is when one of our most talkative girls was suddenly snapping at everyone. We then learned that she was having trouble at home. Then we have the students who are very well behaved and we never have a problem with due to the fact their parent(s) care about their education and want them to succeed. One can never put their finger on student behavior. We just need to adapt and understand them. My mom (who is also an educator) uses the saying "Talk to a child. Not at a child." This means you are listening and talking to them like a person which is what every child (especially at this age wants.)

As for lessons, I am in a classroom that has ESE (Exceptional Student Education) students who have learning disabilities like processing disorders, dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD. I won't go into a lot of education lingo but because these students have learning disabilities, we need to follow paperwork that lists their classroom accommodations. The most common accommodation is extra time and because so many students have this accommodation, this means it is incorporated into the lessons themselves. So let's say a lesson normally takes 2 days. For these students, it would be stretched for 4 days.

So for the lessons themselves, it can be a hit or miss. If I hear crickets, that means the students either don't know the materials or they do know the concept and they don't want to say anything. This is where quick thinking comes in. I have to be able to quickly make the material understandable to the kids. That's a lot of fun too. Group activities are also a lot of fun since we get to see and hear how the kids apply the lesson or story they've read in class. Thank you so much for the ask! Being a teacher is hard and it irritates me when people outside of education say how easy it is. There's a lot that goes into it and kids are extremely intelligent and are aware of what is happening. If there is one thing I have learned in the 3 years I have been in education (especially secondary ages 11-18) is that teenagers still love what we think are little kid stuff like stickers, treasure box toys, and fidgets. Feel free to ask me all kinds of questions about education and if you want to see any of the other posts I have made about my experiences, you can search #teacherthings, #teacherlife, or something like that. The tags are listed on the pinned post on my blog.

[odaatlover]

Oddly enough, I’m also a band teacher and I am not out to anyone but a few close friends. I teach in my home town which is very, VERY conservative...how have you “dealt” with any negative parents, fellow teachers, administrators, etc in the field? And if so, how have you dealt with them? Thanks!

Wow this got really long 😬 

Well, I’m a freelance percussion instructor, which means I’m hired by the band programs and not by the county. At my previous school I spent the entire first year building up the relationship with my students before coming out to them (Also, I was single at the time). Then the following year, that band director retired and one of my friends from college (who is a gay man) got the position. Also, I met my now wife. I knew he wouldn’t have a problem with it, and I knew he wouldn’t fire me or anything, because that wouldn’t make sense lol. So it was just a matter of the students being okay with it. And they were very supportive the first time I brought her to a game! As for parents, they didn’t really know unless the kids told them. It’s not like I was parading her around like, “Look everyone! This is my girlfriend!” We weren’t holding hands or anything, or showing any affection, so nobody really knew unless they asked, or unless the word got to them. In which case, that wasn’t a big deal because, again, it’s not like we were shoving it in anyone’s faces you know?

Then the next year, I got a lot of new students in my section, some of whom were LGBTQ. In fact, 7 students on the drumline were LGBTQ, including the drum captain - who was a gay male. All of those kids, even the non-LGBTQ ones, were obsessed with us lol. They were really supportive of our relationship. And when we got engaged, they were like “OMG WE BETTER GET INVITED TO THE WEDDING!” A lot of the parents were supportive too! So, I was lucky enough to never have any problems with it at that school.

Last year I got a new job in a different cluster, where I now work for one high school and two middle schools all in the same cluster (the two middle schools feed into the high school, so I teach all of the percussionists from 6th-12th grade). Again, I’m hired by the band programs, so I only have to worry about the directors, parents, and students having issues with it. And out of the 5 band directors, the 3 men are all gay (2 are married and have husbands), and the 2 women are just very open minded because fine arts people are typically open minded people. So I don’t have any issues there! As for the students, The high school kids know and they’re all super cool with it, but I haven’t come out to the middle schoolers yet. And with the parents, I haven’t talked to that many parents so I don’t even know if any of them know. But it’s kind of like, if a kid’s parents aren’t supportive that kid isn’t really going to want to tell their parents you know? Because the kids are all supportive.

As for how I come out, I always build a connection with my students first. I make sure they know me as a person and a teacher before knowing anything about my personal life. I have a pretty chill personality and I strongly believe in talking to my students like fellow people as opposed to trying to come off as someone that holds power over them, so I often don’t have trouble building trust and respect right away. That’s usually when the kids will start to ask me about my personal life, because they feel comfortable enough to do so, and usually they ask if I’m in a relationship or married, and I’ll say I’m married. And then they usually say something about my husband, and that’s when I’ll casually correct them. I never make a big deal about it, and I never bring it up first. I think that’s very important, because then it shows that it’s not really any different from straight teachers who bring up their spouses you know? The only reason I’m not out to the middle schoolers is because nobody has asked me yet. But if anyone does ask me, I’ll be honest with them. I won’t give this huge speech or anything, but I’ll just casually say “Yeah I have a wife.” And leave it at that. 

I’m EXTREMELY lucky that I’ve never had any negative reactions. I teach in Georgia in a suburban area about 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, so there is a lot of diversity there and the majority of people in my area are very open minded. I know there are some people who don’t agree with it, but nobody has ever complained about it. I think the fact that I don’t make a big deal about it or bring it up without someone else bringing it up first is what really helps. And the thing that makes the biggest difference is that I let them get to know me as a teacher and as a person first. Because then it’s more like, oh this is my teacher ‘so and so’ that I really trust and really like and she just so happens to be gay. It makes it so that me being gay is just one part of me that has nothing to do with my teaching abilities or changes who I am, as opposed to “Oh this is a gay person. And they’re going to teach me,” which I feel like would happen if I came out before establishing that relationship. ...hope that makes sense haha.

Sorry this was incredibly long 😂 But I hope you found it helpful!

[heyjude19-writing]

Chapter 9

SMUT! SMUT! SMUT! SMUT!

beautiful chapter, wonderful ending, perfect artwork

happy thanksgiving (if you're American)!!!!!!!

Smut indeed 😁

And happy Thanksgiving!

[heyjude19-writing]

Ch 6

Is their fake couple backstory Remain Nameless???

I love it 😍😍😍

I laughed so hard at this chapter

It was cute, domestic, and fluffy, the perfect Christmas chapter

Hope your IRL has been as magical as your writing always is!!!!!!!!!!

Hi again friend 😊

Haha well it could have been if draco hadn't rejected her idea. That was such a fun back and forth to write, a little in-fic tribute to all the ways this fandom has had them meet and fall in love 🥰

I'm so happy you liked it!

[heyjude19-writing]

Me: I should stay away from WIPs for awhile

Email from AO3: psssst HeyJude started a marriage law fic

Me: *running to my tablet to read*

hi teacher!

lol your ao3 email is very polite to whisper updates to you. i hope you enjoy!

[heyjude19-writing]

Ch 4

Ok, so random question… you’re not a fan of Weird Al are you?

He has a song “Weasel Stomping Day” and it’s all I could think while reading this chapter.

Always a fan of Weasley Wizard Wheezes shenanigans, Fred would have smiled down on that prank

Loving this!!!!

You’re amazing and I hope life is treating you like the queen you are

hi again teacher!

the "bad hair day" album was a staple of my youth, but i dont know that one! I will have to give it a listen while re-reading that scene i think!

im so glad you're enjoying the story, thank you for the support and kind words as always 💕💕