Chase Long took on a full time position at HC in January, following a part time subbing position during the first semester. Long has made a notable effort to involve himself at HC, and was eager to build relationships with his fellow staff members, as well as with each of his students. He has faced an array of challenges with this position, and has tackled them all with the smile on his face that welcomes his students each and every morning. Long provides some perspective on his experience with teaching so far.
Long graduated from Transylvania University last semester, and completed his student teaching in World History last spring at Paul Laurence Dunbar. In the fall of this year, he took on a subbing position for Blue Day World History classes, and following his graduation was accepted into a full time teaching position for both general and AP World History at HC.
“I had to go back to what I had done during student teaching, [and] luckily I had [taught] world history, [I] then had to organize all of those lessons and figure out what I thought was the most important stuff for you all as AP students to learn,” Long said.
Long describes how disorganized the classroom and curriculum was when he first started and how he was able to pull some of the lessons he utilized last spring, while prioritizing certain content for students taking the AP exam.
“It was really strange to come in in the middle of the year, especially after there hadn’t been a teacher, there weren’t any expectations for the classes on what the students should be doing and lots of students were very frustrated with the work they had been doing, [such as] not getting feedback or grades in time, so it was a bit chaotic,” Long said.
As expected, beginning a teaching career half way through the school year would come with an array of challenges, but Long was able to assess what students were missing and upset with and remedy it to the best of his abilities.
Long also describes how welcoming the entire staff, specifically in the social studies department, was when he joined.
“They really care about every kid at HC, they want what’s best for all the students [and] they came and were very supportive to me and helpful in giving me things to help this transition,” Long said.
With such a great attitude towards the hardships he’s faced, Long mentioned that the most difficult adjustment has been his energy and keeping up with his students in the classroom.
“The hardest thing for me has just been time, and getting used to how much time things take and managing how tired I am,” Long said.
When asked about his experience as a younger teacher, Long mentioned how at first he struggled a little to be seen as an authority figure, but he feels that he is able to connect on a deeper level with all of his students. As a student in his Academy AP World History class, I can personally attest to this, as Long makes a conscious effort to speak with and build relationships with each of us every day in class.
With these connections he builds, Long also described how his students have been his favorite part of his position. Long’s fiancee is also a teacher and they share stories about their students each evening.
“My fiancee, she’s a teacher as well. We talk about our days and funny things that students said or funny things that you all did, [and honestly] I’ve just got a great group of students and it’s just really refreshing,” Long said.
Long’s mom is also a high school teacher, and he credits her with his interest in teaching. He tried several different pathways throughout high school, but always came back to teaching.
Chase Long has had an amazing start to his teaching career and will continue to be successful in whatever future roles he takes on. The HC community will continue to support him along the way, and he has a bright future ahead.
