Many teachers shy away from teaching older kids like seniors but here at MHS Mr. Guerra is an Anomaly. Mr. Guerra is an English teacher here at MHS and has been for many years. He is the current head of the English department.
Guerra said,” Running The English Department is a great experience because I get to work with teachers from all different grade levels and try to support them to the best of my ability.” As well as that, “This year I taught AP Literature and Composition 105/106. The composition classes are concurrent classes where students earn high school and college credit from MCC.”
This class is primarily taught to seniors at the high school, so generally speaking, Mr. Guerra only teaches seniors.
Guerra said, “Seniors are definitely my favorite grade to teach. When I was hired, I was nervous about teaching older students. However I realized that there’s something exciting about teaching students at the end of their educational journey as they try to figure out what they’re going to do next in their life; whether it be college or going into the workforce, there are a lot of big decisions to be made and it’s fun helping out with that.”
There is a lot that goes into teaching seniors, as well as there is a lot that goes into teaching english as a subject.
Guerra said, “I chose to be an English teacher because I enjoyed reading and talking about books in college. Little did I know that being a teacher entailed more than just reading and writing about books! But really all of the extra things is why I remain in education. I enjoy being around students. Although it can be really stressful, I do enjoy figuring out how to teach a lesson, helping a student, or managing all the different responsibilities that come with being a teacher.”
It can be difficult for teachers to make sure students areengaged and learning, but Mr. Guerra has experimented to find ways.
Guerra said, “My favorite part of the job is when students feel like the period went fast because school can be long and tedious sometimes. English classes especially. So when I can figure out an activity where the students and I both find enjoyment in, it is an incredible feeling of accomplishment. Learning doesn’t have to be fun, but it doesn’t hurt when it is.”
Teaching english and Seniors is a hard process but can be very rewarding.
Guerra said, “I just like getting to know my students every year. It is hard seeing them leave, but I know they will go and do some amazing things.”
