In September 2024, the school hired seven new teachers after originally wanting to hire four. Most John Dewey teachers have worked there for a long time, over 20 years. John Dewey High School, the second largest high school campus in New York, has many great teachers, but have they always wanted to teach? Furthermore, why did they choose John Dewey instead of the other schools?
Many John Dewey students wonder why teachers chose this school instead of teaching at another school.
How do teachers feel about John Dewey?
Teachers often live far away from the school. They have to wake up early to get to school on time. Of course, there are good and bad days. Sometimes teachers are tired, sometimes they feel okay, and sometimes they don’t want to be there. However, on most days teachers are happy to come to John Dewey to teach the students there. Mr. Ehlenbach said, “It’s a very pleasant place to work.” He also said that the staff and administrators are very supportive. Many of the teachers can agree with that. Ms. Wegman shared the same sentiments.
How do teachers feel about John Dewey students?
Teachers have many opinions about the students in John Dewey. Ms. Wegman said “I think the kids have done a great job.” Teachers seem to like the school because of the students. Teachers like how diverse the school is. Although teachers enjoy teaching the students in John Dewey, students could improve their tardiness.
Did teachers want to become teachers originally?
Some teachers in John Dewey seem to have not thought about becoming a teacher. Most teachers had a different career path. For instance, Mr. Ehelenbach said “No, actually when I was your age, I was against becoming a teacher… it wasn’t until graduate school, I had to teach courses for high school students for money.” Mr. Ehlenbach grew to like teaching and wanted to get out of graduate school.
Ms. Wegman did not want to become a teacher. She first wanted to become an actor and she succeeded. She acted and directed theater programs and then taught theater to other people from elementary to adults. According to Ms. Wegman “I wanted to do something where I could be making a difference in everyday and not in short period of time.”
Mr. Kanyuk didn’t want to become a teacher. He was focusing on law and he was introduced to teaching by an individual. He saw the compassion of his companion at the time, and “how she glowed talking about nurturing other kids…” He was inspired and moved by his companion.
Why this subject?
Teachers sometimes normally have a subject they teach like world history or algebra. Mr. Ehlenbach teaches AP Macroeconomics and ESL US history and says “I kind of fell into teaching US history out of need… economics is just enjoyable and fun.” Mr. Kanyuk teaches English. He says “Because language is the nature of our souls, and if you could teach someone to understand language you teach them how to understand themselves.” Ms. Wegman loved theater since she was 8, all she could do was acting and she loved it. So when she came along to teaching, it was obvious that she was going to teach theater.
So why John Dewey?
Overall, teachers in this school seem to like the diverse population of students as well as the very supportive administrators. Teachers find great joy in teaching most days and even though some didn’t choose teaching first, they came to love it especially at John Dewey High School.
