Parry Doogan works as a teacher at Morton East High School, where he has been employed for 21 years. He completed his education at the University of Illinois.
Q:What inspired you to become a teacher?
A:Growing up, my mother helped me to love learning. I have always enjoyed learning about new and interesting things. Also, in high school, I had some amazing teachers who had a big impact on me, and I felt like teaching would be a great career to pursue.
Q:How did you choose your subject or grade level?
A:I always wanted to teach at the high school level because the topics covered were the most interesting to me.
Q:What kind of education and training did you need to become a teacher?
A:I was able to teach after earning my bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Illinois. After I started teaching, I earned a master’s degree while teaching here at Morton.
Q:How long did it take you to become certified or licensed?
A:It took 4 years for my bachelor’s and 2 years for my master’s.
Q:Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher?
A:I always knew that teaching was among a handful of things I would like to do.
Q:What does a typical day look like for you?
A:I get to East at about 7:30 and work on lesson plans, grading, or responding to emails and messages. Sometimes students need extra help before second-period class starts as well. Once class starts, I teach five total classes throughout the day with one period for lunch and to prepare for classes. Personally, I teach four classes of Civics and Economics and one class of Sociology. After teaching all of that, I can be pretty exhausted, and at 3:30, I go home!
Q:What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
A:Connecting with students. Seeing students work toward their future goals, learn something new, or just joke around for a minute or two in class with each other are the most enjoyable parts of my job.
Q:What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a teacher?
A:Being able to manage all of the necessary duties of the job. Time management is a very important skill when teaching since we have to deal with many tasks at the same time.
Q:How do you handle students who are disruptive or struggling?
A:I treat every student the way I would like to be treated if I were a student in the class. If a student is struggling academically, I give them the support they need to accomplish the tasks that will get them ahead in class or help them achieve their goals. When students are disruptive, I cannot let one student get in the way of the rest of the class’s learning, but I try to help them find what they need. If I cannot provide that support, I will find the right staff member who can help them.
Q:How much time do you spend preparing lessons outside of school hours?
A:I have been teaching for 21 years. During the first half of my career, I spent a great deal of time outside of school grading and preparing lessons—several hours per day. At this point, I get most of my work done while I’m at school. I still get ideas for lessons while I’m at home and will work on developing those lessons, but for the most part, I really try to complete as much as possible while I am at school.
Q:Do you feel like you get enough support from the school and administration?
A:Yes. Administration here at Morton has been very understanding and supportive whenever I’ve needed help. I try not to bother them unless I don’t have a choice, but every time I’ve needed something, they have been there for me, and I am very appreciative to work with everyone here at Morton.
Q:What opportunities are there for growth or advancement in teaching?
A:A teacher can continue their personal education, take on extra duties, or take on an administrative role if they have the right degree. However, this is one area of weakness in the teaching profession. Overall, teaching is a slow-growing career. Compared to other professional careers, there aren’t as many opportunities to drastically advance your career quickly.
Q:Have you taken on any extra roles, like coaching or leading clubs?
A:I used to sponsor the Chess and Guitar Club when I was at the Freshman Center.
Q:Would you ever consider becoming a principal or working in school administration?
A:At this point, I am very happy teaching in the classroom.
Q:What do you think makes a great teacher?
A:I think a great teacher, above all, cares about people. I believe that when students understand that you care about each student’s individual humanity, they are much more able to focus on the lesson being learned. The material we learn is important, but the most important thing is helping people have a good experience and work toward their goals.
Q:What advice would you give someone who wants to become a teacher?
A:Make sure you want to help people achieve their goals. If you are choosing between several careers, weigh all of the positives and negatives of each. There are other careers that are more financially rewarding, but teaching offers some very powerful and unique rewards that you cannot duplicate in other fields.
Q:How do you stay motivated, especially on tough days?
A:I think about my responsibilities to my family and to my students.
Q:If you could change anything about the education system, what would it be?
A:I would like to see more services offered to students outside of academics so that teachers can focus more on students’ academic development.
Q:Would you choose this career again if you had the chance?
A:Yes.
