Lessons from the Field: Interview with Edie Parrott

This post is part of the The Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers.

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Edie Parrott, who has been teaching for 32 years, teaches AP English Language and Composition to seniors at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, GA in suburban Atlanta.

Below is our interview with Edie:

What inspired you to teach?

Linda Savage McCord, one of my high school English teachers was my greatest inspiration. I wanted to have as great of an impact on my students as she had on me.

What classroom methods are most helpful in pushing students towards their goals?

Extensive reading, writing, and discussion with heavy doses of teacher compassion, enthusiasm, and laughter.

What is the one thing you wish you’d known when you started in the classroom?

I wish I had realized how important organization is to teaching. Organized teachers don’t have to work as many hours and their kids learn more with less frustration. I was so disorganized when I first started teaching that I spent hours trying to find things and clean up mistakes that I had made. I wish I had been required to take what I now term Teacher Organization 101!

What did your training teach you that was most helpful in preparing you to enjoy and thrive in a classroom today?

I think I learned two valuable concepts in graduate school:  extensive instructional methods for classroom variety and a great appreciation for looking at educational research and applying it to the classroom.

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Do you know someone with great insights to share with young teachers, or do you want to be considered for an interview? If so, please email us at hello@certificationmap.com.

This is a guest post from our journalist Alex J. Mann.  You can subscribe to his blog here and follow him on Twitter here.