Herald Head of the Class 2021: Jordan Hue, Long Beach High School

The Herald: Why did you become a teacher?

Jordan Hue: I had been working for many years as a theatre camp counselor and I knew I liked being around young people. Campers were funny, smart, exciting, and surprising - and there was an emotional element too. I felt very satisfied in helping them succeed. 

Tell us about a teacher that inspired you as a student.

I attended Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School from 1998 - 2004. Mr. John Spangler was sort of a one-man band. He was the choral director, an English teacher, a religion teacher, and also the director of the school's drama and musical productions. I mean, this guy did everything. He was the first adult role model I had in the arts. He was very smart and unfailingly kind. I always thought, wow, this guy is just everything I want to be. 

What did you experience or learn about teaching—yourself, your students, the process, etc.—during the pandemic that you think you will carry forward?

Teaching during the pandemic became more about serving the student's emotional needs and providing them with a sense of stability and comfort. That's not to say my curriculum was unimportant, but the focus shifted to being one of compassionate attention. I was far more concerned with checking in with my students and having good conversations than I was about grades or work being turned in on time. I will carry those compassionate listening skills forward. 

What's the most memorable thing a student has said to you?

This year I was given a paper plate award titled the "Handprint on my Heart" award - a fond reference to the musical Wicked. The young man that gave it to me has been a student of mine since he was a little boy in a theatre camp. The plate was awarded because, as he said, I'd been with him like a handprint on his heart all these years. I will cherish that. 

What has been your toughest challenge as a teacher so far?

The abrupt end of the 2019 - 2020 school year was devastating for the class of 2020 and I felt just terrible for our seniors. I felt so much that I could not make up that time for them. I know my fellow educators feel similarly. 

What has been your proudest moment as a teacher so far?

My proudest moments are always seeing the school shows coming together. You work so hard to build that school theatre community - and then to see it firing on all cylinders, to actually stand back and watch a community at work that you helped to create - is so beautiful to behold. 

What surprised you the most when you first started teaching?

New teachers say this a lot, but I felt like I was just making it up as I was going along. Sure, I wrote good lesson plans and conducted myself in a professional manner, but it was hard to feel like I wasn't pretending. Thankfully I had many colleagues tell me that "impostor syndrome" is a common occurrence among new teachers and the students have no idea you are actually just playing dress-up. 

How do you keep students engaged and interested?

Not every student is interested in English - or theatre - so it's important to make things relevant to them. I try to start with conversations about things they already know or are already considering. Then I try to introduce the text or the material in such a way that it can be integrated into those same conversations about life and the world. And thus I have tricked them into text analysis. 

What is an aspect of being a teacher that you think most people outside the profession don't know or fully understand?

Teaching is an emotionally complicated profession. The shift never ends. You are caught in the tangle of student life and you cannot - and should not - extricate yourself from it. You are working closely with so many young people in the most important formative years of their lives and you will leave an impression on them, one way or another. It can be difficult to always choose kindness in our thoughts, words, and actions, but that is the job we are contracted to do. And the students can spot a fake; they know about the teachers who do not care. You cannot do this job and not care. Otherwise, you're just showing up - and that's not enough in teaching. You have to really be here with your whole self.  

What advice do you have for aspiring teachers?

First, it should be because you have an interest in the success of young people - not because you love a subject. If you have something to bring to the youth community, something valuable to contribute, then you are obligated to bring it with you. Simply stated, make sure you actually like working with young people. Everything else is secondary. 

What is the most important thing you hope a student takes away from your class?

I hope they felt like it was a place where they felt like they could be themselves, where they felt comfortable, and where they felt like someone cared about them. I hope they learn to seek that same feeling of belonging as they move through their lives.