Katie Isaacs

Cal Poly - B.A. English, 2004

Other degrees/certificates:

San Jose State - M.A. English, 2007

Current city/state:

San Jose, CA

Employer:

Valley Christian Schools

Professional Website:

www.vcs.net

Job Title:

High School English teacher

How Long in Current Position:

3 years

Brief description of position duties/responsibilities:

I teach freshman honors English at a prestigious private Christian high school in the Bay Area. Subjects taught include writing, grammar, vocabulary, and English literature.

What specific qualities/abilities, skills are necessary for this position:

A successful high school English teacher should be confident, passionate, and patient. They should be creative, flexible, and quick on their feet. Above all, they should love and respect both their subject matter and their students.

While at Cal Poly, what resources did you take advantage of that have helped you in your current position:

I did all my homework, asked my professors questions, grew from their criticism, and attended office hours. I was also the senior editor of 2004’s award-winning Byzantium.

What advice would you give to someone interested in your profession?

To teach high school English, you must have a heart for teenagers and a passion for the English language. Substitute teach to get a “feel” for teaching different age groups. You should know going into teaching that your work does not end when the bell rings; teaching English requires hours and hours of prep work, lesson planning, and (the bane of every English teacher’s existence) grading essays.

Is there anything you'd like to personally add about how you found your way to your current career since graduating from Cal Poly as an English major?  Any memorable epiphanies that marked major turning points on which path you chose?

 I swore I would never be a teacher! After graduating from Cal Poly, I held a number of jobs including making lattes at Starbucks, teaching reading development courses to all age levels for the Institute of Reading Development, and substitute teaching (K-12th grade) while attending graduate school. It was during a long-term subbing job for 11th grade English that I realized not only was I talented at “this teaching thing,” but I also sorta loved it…

Contact:

kisaacs@vcs.net

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