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 The day
started early for Johanna Glazer, a seven-year veteran teacher
at Concord-Carlisle High School. She had a rare free first
period of the day, and got caught up on some of the scores of
e-mails she had from students, parents and other teachers.
Glazer teaches two freshmen social studies classes, and two of
juniors and seniors during the day. She also fits in a weekly
"cafeteria duty" and advises the Junior State club.
But last week, on a day she agreed to be shadowed by a
reporter, she started with a free period at around 7:30 a.m.
She made copies, checked in with other department members and
noted the in-school meetings she needed to have. She quietly
contemplated the course material she would deliver. She stops
to have a brief conversation with a guidance counselor about a
student that needs an extra push. She speaks with two members
of the special education staff in connection with the school
certification process that is ongoing, and hurries off to the
social studies wing.
As the bell rang, Glazer gathered up her notes and headed down
the crowded hall. Nineteen students awaited. She had her cell
phone with her because the clock didn't work in the room and
she wanted to know when to wind up the discussion.
Stepping into class, Glazer is energized. She speaks rapidly,
enjoying the lively discussion about the reign of King Charles
I, and eliciting comments from her ninth-grade students. She
easily holds the attention of the 19 students for the
50-minute period.
Teaching is not just a job for Glazer. "I knew in high
school that I wanted to become a teacher," said Glazer, a
Concord resident. She has always taught social studies,
although her first gig as a student-intern was with kids from
troubled backgrounds in a state-run school in Connecticut. She
wasn't so much teaching history as daily organization and the
basics. "Some of them didn't know how to write their
names," she said of that first assignment.
She applied to Concord on the strength of its educational
program, and the support for schools in town. She lived in
Canton at the time, so the commute was daunting, but she loved
the job and now relishes living here.
"I wanted to be in an environment where there is respect
for teachers," she said. There are approximately 15
teachers in the social studies department, although not all
full-time.
She has applied to the Ruettgers Family Foundation for a grant
to study the Crusades in depth next year, and she is waiting
to see if her proposal is funded.
Glazer has a 2-year-old son who goes to bed around 7 p.m.,
allowing her about four hours in the evening for grading
papers, reviewing the notebooks turned in by her students, and
putting together material for the next day's classes.
"The need for flexibility is incredible," she said.
Her day is bracketed by time with her son; she normally works
from 6:30 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m.
She has a meeting arranged with the school librarian, Sanda
Smith, about finding appropriate Web sites for a debate she
hopes to conduct on the topic of whether the 20th century was
in reality a second Dark Ages for Europe.
Along the way to Smith's office, Glazer sees a student she
hoped to track down about an assignment. She accompanies him
to the stacks and helps him select a book on which to report.
She's glad he agreed to complete the assignment.
Glazer's second and third classes are juniors and seniors who
are delving into World War I and the effects of the war on the
home front. Socialism gained new respect throughout Europe,
she said, the unions cooperated with the government; the state
took control of the economy, her definition of Socialism.
Women went to work, although after the war they gave up their
jobs and went home, in contrast to World War II. Throughout
the class, Glazer asks thought-provoking questions, constantly
encouraging the discussion.
At 10:35 a.m., Glazer has "cafeteria duty," where
she acts as a monitor. She patrols the first lunch period of
the day, peopled mostly by freshmen and sophomores. There are
three lunch blocks to enable all the students a chance to eat.
She finds another student whom she encourages.
Glazer is pleased that a CCHS student was recently elected the
Junior State president for the region. Glazer is a faculty
advisor for the club, a job she has held for as long as she
has worked here.
"I've learned how to manage my time better over the
years, but it is a lot," she said of the myriad
conversations and tasks she must attend to when she is not in
class.
Ironically, Glazer finds the outside meetings useful, and not
a drain on her energy. It's a matter of perspective. "If
I didn't have all the outside work during the day, the classes
wouldn't run as smoothly," she said.
"There's always more to do," she said. "So many
of us are the types who look to do more."
She enjoys the informal advice shared among department members
over lunch. She sees the mentoring program as one of the
strengths of the Concord system. "I dread thinking about
the teachers who will be leaving," she said.
The career rewards for her are plain.
"Teaching is the biggest reward," she said.
"The other parts make the classes better, it's just how
much outside stuff there is has been a surprise."
"The kids are great," she said. "I enjoy
working with students and seeing the growth over the course of
the year. This is my calling."
But while Glazer is happy in Concord, she has noticed a nip in
the air coming from the State House as well as the Town House
toward the school budget.
"It's a heads up," she said. "Things had felt
better for a while several years ago, but now the attitude has
changed a bit. It goes in waves. But for the most part, the
town is supportive of the schools, and that is why I wanted to
move here. As I talk to parents I do get a sense that overall,
the town is supportive. "On this particular day, Glazer
leaves the high school at the end of the day for a grim
appointment. She is attending the wake of a former student who
died last week.
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