Over the years John Dewey High School has gained a lot of new faces. As you may know, every year you’d usually see a teacher you’ve never heard of on your schedule and wonder to yourself “Who is this?” and once you get to know them, they either become the best teacher you ever had or the worst.
Mr. Mohan, a new science teacher who started teaching here in January 2023, is the club advisor for Model UN. Speaking about his first few days working at Dewey, Mohan said “One thing I remember very clearly about my first day at John Dewey was the faces of three students I now know very well: Soul Stewart, Cici Koniashvili, and Awais Shamraze. They all gave me very suspicious looks on that first day. I could tell they were thinking, “who’s this guy and what’s his deal?” I can only imagine what my face looked like to them! I must have been like a deer in headlights because I was overwhelmed and trying to find my footing in new surroundings. ”
One of his former students Yu Bing Xie Wu shared her experience with Mr Mohan, saying “When I first saw Mr Mohan I was like ´who is this guy?´ but after a few lessons with him he turned out to be a pretty chill teacher. Mainly because he was ready with the lessons and he found all the information for us to learn a lot about Marine Science. I also really enjoyed the trips he brought us on. His class in general was just a really chill and entertaining class for me.”
Mr. Mohan was candid when speaking about his thoughts on being one of Dewey’s newest teachers, saying “[Being a new teacher is] a lot of fun. I always tell friends of mine or people outside of the school that the privilege of getting to work with the students is one of the best things in the world. You guys don’t realize, but you’re all bright and full of potential in your own ways. It’s wonderful to get to watch you guys start to realize some of that potential. The bad parts of the job are other things, like commuting, work-life balance, and so on. Overall, it’s a decent gig. I could be wearing my knees out working in a factory like I’ve done before. So, I’m happy to leave that kind of job behind to do this instead. ”
Although Mr. Mohan’s tenure at Dewey has been brief, he’s managed to accomplish quite a bit. He reflected on this in earnest, saying “Right now, I would say my biggest success [through the year] has to be the Model United Nations Club. I really am proud of how the club has come together and how high we’ve set our sights and how big our goals are. My biggest challenge is being organized on a day-to-day basis. I’m neat, and I’m clean, but I’ve never been very organized. Sometimes, it’s hard to juggle a big pile of stuff to grade, planning new lessons, and also just getting through the day. ”
Speaking about his response to being hired, Mr. Mohan said, “I’m lucky enough to say that [I’m happy] John Dewey chose me. I was looking for something new to do after four years working in labor organizing. That was great, rewarding work, but it paid peanuts. I wanted something with decent benefits and where I would have some time in the day to read and eat lunch. I realized with my degree, I could go into teaching and started sending my resume around to everyone. Dewey was the school that called back and the rest is history. ”
Reflecting on his pursuits that led to him becoming a teacher, Mr. Mohan said, “I never really dreamed of being a teacher or ever imagined I would be doing this. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer. I didn’t have any real reason to want that other than that it seemed like a cool thing to be, and I liked to scribble out stories. After I realized that writer wasn’t the job I wanted, I never settled on a specific new dream job, but there was another dream I held onto. I’ve bounced around from job to job over the years. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a year, or two or three, I left teaching and went to law school to be a labor lawyer. But no matter what I’ve done, that’s what I’ve held onto. ”
Learning about what its like to be a teacher can be very interesting to students who want to become one. Mr. Mohan’s experience can be helpful because a lot of good outcomes came along with his career and it can possibly be the same for someone else who was once in his shoes.
Mr. Mohan hopes that by sharing his experience with others, new teachers in the future can draw upon his experiences to help them navigate the complexities of being a new teacher.
