"I'm Mr. Mouillesseaux. To help you pronounce it, think 'cow, cheer, shrug'. Moo....yay!...so..."
See? I've already come up with a way to introduce myself to my students. It's funny, quirky, personal, and informative. These are all important, right? Kids care about this crap, right? And on and on and on....
My name is Stephen Mouillesseaux, and I'm a first year teacher. I'm teaching a grade and subject matter completely outside the realm of familiarity that I was trained for. Thankfully, complete and utter terror and confusion is a normal state of being for me, so I'm really in my element....heh......heh.
It sounds harsh, but teaching was - in fact - my "backup" profession...and a distant one, at that. Acting, theatre, music, etc. These were my goals. Being a teacher never entered my mind. Please don't misunderstand and think this means I have no love for teaching. To say I'm a voracious learner is to do that mental image a disservice. For me, learning is as imperative as sustenance, as hydration. A life without learning is not a life, and will wither.
Any information beyond that is unnecessary fluff. This is about being a teacher, and that's MORE than enough!
Some of the best teachers I have seen are people like you...actors. Use your performing skills and love of the theater to perform as a teacher in the classroom! Just as you so artfully taught me how to say your name.
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