This is my 30th year teaching. Just as a test of my memory, I’m going to try to list every class I have ever taught, or am teaching now. The italics indicate the subjects which I am most confident I can teach well, whether I am teaching them currently, or not. Bold indicates courses which are in my current teaching assignment.  As for improving the ones not in italics, I’ll work more on that . . . when I have the time. 

1. Algebra I
2. Algebra II
3. Algebra III
4. Algebra Lab
5. American History to 1877
6. Anatomy
7. A.P. Biology
8. A.P. Physics
9. Area I Mathematics at Arkansas Governor’s School — a course focusing on polyhedra
10. Arkansas History
11. Biology
12. Bridge to Algebra II, which I can’t help thinking of as “Algebra 1.5”
13. Chemistry
14. Chemistry I (no, I have no idea why that particular school called it that; I never found “Chemistry II” there)
15. Civics
16. Economics
17. Environmental Science
18. Formal Geometry
19. Geography
20. Geometry
21. Geometry Lab
22. Informal Geometry
23. Integrated Chemistry
24. Integrated Science 8
25. PAP Algebra II
26. PAP Physical Science
27. Physical Science
28. Physics
29. Pre-AP Chemistry
30. Psychology
31. Religion, 9th grade (at a private, religious school)
32. Religion, 12th grade (at a private, religious school)
33. Study Center / Credit Recovery
34. Study Skills (while student teaching)
35. Summer School Transition Camp (for incoming high school students)
36. University Studies (my only foray into teaching at the college level; basically, an “Intro to College” course, for entering freshmen)
37. U.S. History Since 1890
38. World History (while student teaching)
39. World History Since 1450

X. In-school Suspension (ISS), also known as SAC, which stands for the horribly-misleading euphemism, “Student Assistance Center.” I used an “X” instead of a number because, as a student or a teacher, SAC is not a class, nor a subject. It is, rather, a non-class which one endures until the merciful ringing of the bell at the end of the school day.

XX. “Saturday School,” which is like ISS/SAC, but even worse, for all concerned. (I really needed the extra money at that time.)

To anyone now working on becoming a teacher: you become much more employable if you become certified in multiple certification areas, as I have. This is a two-edged sword, though, for it definitely increases the number of subjects you may be asked to teach in any given year, and that’s also the reason my list above is so long.

One other thing I definitely remember is my first year’s salary, to the cent: $16,074.00, before any deductions. You can make a living in this field, in this country . . . after you’ve been in the classroom for a few years . . . but no one should expect making it, financially, to be easy, especially for the first 5-7 years.