{"id":80704,"date":"2022-01-31T13:15:21","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T21:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/?p=80704"},"modified":"2023-12-01T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T23:35:27","slug":"catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Surgeon&#8217;s First Year Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kz35rbd9-0227e8328e03975c6d7556471456aa89\">\n.avia-section.av-kz35rbd9-0227e8328e03975c6d7556471456aa89{\nbackground-color:#f3f3f3;\nbackground-image:unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_1' aria-label='ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø English Stories - Catching Up with Alumni: Michael Surgeon\u2019s First Year Teaching - Intro Section' class='avia-section av-kz35rbd9-0227e8328e03975c6d7556471456aa89 main_color 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class=\"avia-bullet\"><\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-text\">Oregon Writing Project<\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-fx\"><span class=\"avia-arrow-wrap\"><span class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li role=\"menuitem\" id=\"menu-item-61585\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-top-level menu-item-top-level-7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/about\/\" itemprop=\"url\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"avia-bullet\"><\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-text\">About<\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-fx\"><span class=\"avia-arrow-wrap\"><span class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li role=\"menuitem\" id=\"menu-item-61579\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-top-level menu-item-top-level-8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/faculty\/\" itemprop=\"url\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"avia-bullet\"><\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-text\">Faculty<\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-fx\"><span class=\"avia-arrow-wrap\"><span class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li role=\"menuitem\" id=\"menu-item-61580\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-top-level menu-item-top-level-9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/contact\/\" itemprop=\"url\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"avia-bullet\"><\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-text\">Contact<\/span><span class=\"avia-menu-fx\"><span class=\"avia-arrow-wrap\"><span class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class='sticky_placeholder'><\/div>\n<div id='av_section_2' aria-label='ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø English Stories - Catching Up with Alumni: Michael Surgeon\u2019s First Year Teaching - Blog Section' class='avia-section av-kz35rqsr-67307b4178d717d21f36cc190744c3fe main_color avia-section-default avia-shadow  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_submenu  avia-builder-el-last  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap fullsize'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-80704'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-86cxn34-23150976f1cf219114468b5cf74752b2\">\n.flex_column.av-86cxn34-23150976f1cf219114468b5cf74752b2{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-86cxn34-23150976f1cf219114468b5cf74752b2 av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-4  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-7ooatxc-88307a0429e9a42972308994fb258bc6\">\n.flex_column.av-7ooatxc-88307a0429e9a42972308994fb258bc6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column 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srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.webp 1920w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-300x129.webp 300w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1030x442.webp 1030w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-768x329.webp 768w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1536x658.webp 1536w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1500x643.webp 1500w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-705x302.webp 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.jpg\" height=\"823\" width=\"1920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1030x442.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-768x329.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1536x658.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1500x643.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-705x302.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" class=\"wp-image-80708 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-80708 avia_image  sp-no-webp\" alt=\"Michael Surgeon with Lady GaGa poster English Stories ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  > <\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b{\npadding-bottom:0;\nfont-size:28px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:28px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b .av-subheading{\nfont-size:18px;\ncolor:#404040;\n}\n\n@media only screen and (min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n\n@media only screen and (max-width: 479px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-kz35qs0a-fc70c1602f9251b03aba369e683ca47b av-special-heading-h1 custom-color-heading blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock  top-30 av-inherit-size av-linked-heading'><div class='av-subheading av-subheading_above'><p>Catching Up with Alumni:<\/p>\n<\/div><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Michael Surgeon\u2019s First Year Teaching<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-6t5ks2o-6920cfc7e10d75699dfbddc7f6a58bf0 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>January 31, 2022<br \/>\nBy Sophia Lorusso (she\/her), Junior English Major.<br \/>\nPictured above: Michael Surgeon in his first classroom, featuring his Lady GaGa poster!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recent ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø graduate with a <a href=\"\/academics\/english\/programs\/\">BA in English<\/a>, Michael Surgeon, has always had an immense passion for teaching. So, when he saw a job listing for a full-time seventh grade teacher at Scenic Middle School in Central Point, he jumped on the opportunity and it has since paid off. First-year MAT students typically don&#8217;t start student-teaching until their second year of the program. However, since Michael got this job on a restricted license, he is able to teach on an emergency license while attending <a href=\"\/academics\/education\/programs\/master-arts-teaching-mat\/\">ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø&#8217;s two-year MAT Program<\/a>. He currently teaches five seventh-grade English Language Arts classes &#8211; totalling at around 137 students!<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">Sophia Lorusso:<\/span> What obstacles have you had to overcome while teaching so far?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">Michael Surgeon:<\/span> Being a first-year teacher who had no previous experience student-teaching, gave me a lot of obstacles to overcome. I knew that I wanted to teach as soon as I could, and my dream was to teach at a middle school. I saw a job opening for a 7th grade Language Arts teacher at Scenic Middle School and seized the opportunity. I started teaching at the beginning of November 2021 and I&#8217;ve been with my students ever since. I would say my biggest obstacles have been this global pandemic and lesson-planning. My students must follow the mask mandate and it is my job to ensure that they are keeping each other safe and healthy. I did my part to get vaccinated and boosted, and I encourage every educator to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>Lesson planning has been difficult because my students have gone through several English teachers with different styles of teaching. I have had to teach them my style and what to expect as a student in my class. The biggest change for my students was doing more collaborative work with each other, and not having to take quizzes or tests. I also do not assign any homework outside of class other than independent reading at home. My teaching pedagogy is built around American author and lecturer Alfie Kohn, who believes in progressive education and having a classroom community that is built around students&#8217; interests.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">SL:<\/span> What kind of support is being offered to you?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">MS:<\/span> I have so much support as a new teacher: from my professors and fellow MAT students at ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø, my fellow teachers at Scenic, and from my friends and family. I have a mentor teacher who I meet with weekly for curriculum and lesson planning support. I have my core subject teachers (math, science, and social studies) that I meet with weekly to discuss how our students are doing in our classrooms. I am constantly emailing my ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø professors for advice on classroom management and how to teach certain units which they are more than happy to assist me with! I also talk to my fellow Scenic teachers for teaching advice, especially the ones who have been teaching for almost twenty years as they tend to have the best insight and humor. My parents and family have been so supportive of me, and they knew I would be a great teacher. Even days when I come home exhausted and emotionally drained, they are there to uplift my spirits and keep me going. I am also encouraged by my wonderful students and their desire to learn.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-63b4jvk-9538755c3f062c4bf33ff95e66bf5fbf\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-63b4jvk-9538755c3f062c4bf33ff95e66bf5fbf .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:26px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-63b4jvk-9538755c3f062c4bf33ff95e66bf5fbf '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock rising-quote av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p class=\"dig-4\" style=\"text-align: left\"><em>&#8220;\u2026as a queer anti-racist and anti-sexist educator <span class=\"amaze-ultra madrone\">I can inspire and uplift all students<\/span> to build a better world for themselves in a future post-pandemic society.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"pop-8\" style=\"font-size: 0.6em;text-align: right\">\u2014 Michael Surgeon<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-kw4hmo-b53068d3b696f182a7300cf51a78989e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span class=\"heavy-man\">SL:<\/span> Has teaching while being in the MAT program bettered you as a student and vice versa?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">MS:<\/span> Absolutely! I can&#8217;t imagine doing anything else with my life as this job has been so rewarding to me. It&#8217;s made me a better student, a better teacher, and a better human being. It has taught me that as a queer anti-racist and anti-sexist educator I can inspire and uplift all students to build a better world for themselves in a future post-pandemic society. It&#8217;s also made me realize the importance of public schools and the need to combat misinformation. People should know that there are a lot of powerful, moneyed interests who have always hated public education and want schools closed. They don&#8217;t want students who can think for themselves, they want obedient workers who will not question their motives.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">SL:<\/span> Are there any specific ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø English classes that have helped you in your classroom? If so, which ones?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">MS:<\/span> Really all of them. I personally loved taking English classes that interested me. So, I took a lot of classes with Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Lundahl that examined issues such as race, gender, and sexuality through the texts that we read and analyzed in class. Dr. Alvarez&#8217;s James Baldwin Literature class is what inspired me to promote primarily the works of BIPOC authors in my classroom. Dr. Maltz&#8217;s Class, Culture, and Feminism in Victorian and Edwardian Britain class allowed me to read and appreciate the works of early feminist authors and it also made me a better writer. Dr. Maltz, I know that myself and my students will be forever grateful for your writing advice. During my undergrad, I took Dr. Lundahl&#8217;s Teaching Literature and Dr. Perrow&#8217;s Teaching Written Composition, which both prepared me for teaching Language Arts at the secondary level. Dr. Perrow and Dr. Lundahl were my biggest advocates in pursuing a career as a teacher, and I&#8217;m so glad I took their advice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-5hz5io0-808e281350b8ff2ee7193c58381868ff\">\n.avia-image-container.av-5hz5io0-808e281350b8ff2ee7193c58381868ff img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-5hz5io0-808e281350b8ff2ee7193c58381868ff .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-5hz5io0-808e281350b8ff2ee7193c58381868ff av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.webp 1200w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-300x169.webp 300w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1030x579.webp 1030w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-768x432.webp 768w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-705x397.webp 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.jpg\" height=\"675\" width=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-1030x579.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Malcom-X-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-705x397.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" class=\"wp-image-80716 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-80716 avia_image  sp-no-webp\" alt=\"Michael Surgeon with Malcom X poster English Stories ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  > <\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-h247ls-59db68cb96e7e93182a716c01274ab91\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-h247ls-59db68cb96e7e93182a716c01274ab91 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:12px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-h247ls-59db68cb96e7e93182a716c01274ab91 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>Pictured Above: Michael with another one of his favorite posters, of Malcom X.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-46ukp8g-295e2c3ac9466943e9f3e8c70e2d4113 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span class=\"heavy-man\">SL:<\/span> Do you have any advice for students who want to be teachers? What about students who may have to balance the MAT program alongside teaching?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">MS:<\/span> My best advice for students who want to be teachers is to get experience working with a teacher in a classroom with students first. See if you like it and visualize yourself teaching these kiddos. If you were like me as a student and often thought &#8220;I should be up there teaching&#8221; while your professor lectured to you then you probably will make a great teacher one day. I always thought I would end up teaching high school, but I taught summer school and worked as an Educational Assistant at a middle school and really enjoyed my time working with those students. Middle school is such an important time in a student&#8217;s life. It is a time when you are discovering who you are and who you want to be. This is also a time when students are facing the dreaded stages of puberty. I like to think of myself as &#8220;a bright light in dark times.&#8221; With humor and empathy, I encourage all my students to embrace the weirdness of growing up.<\/p>\n<p>Balancing the MAT program alongside teaching is totally doable. Not only am I a full-time teacher and MAT student, but I am also a coach and club advisor at my middle school. If you love teaching you will have no problem succeeding as a student in the MAT program. You also have some wonderful professors who will always be there to cheer you on or get you through the term.<\/p>\n<p>If the <a href=\"\/academics\/education\/programs\/master-arts-teaching-mat\/\">ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø MAT program<\/a> is something that you&#8217;re interested in for the 2022-2023 academic year, the program is still accepting applications on a space-available basis. Contact <a href=\"mailto:perrowm@sou.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Margaret Perrow<\/a> or <a href=\"mailto:lundahlm@sou.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Merrilyne Lundahl<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in sharing your story with the English Program blog, or if you know someone whose story we should feature, please contact <a href=\"mailto:lorussos@sou.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lorussos@sou.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Like and Follow the English Program page on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍøEnglishProgram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> for more stories.<\/p>\n<p><em>Interested in the English program at ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø? Learn more about the programs offered below:<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/\">English Home Page<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/programs\/english-ba\/\">English BA\/BS<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/programs\/english-minor\/\">English Minor<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/english\/programs\/teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages\/\">TESOL Certificate Program<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2uw3x8g-13d36b0c6de71f130afb25b490823577\">\n#top .hr.av-2uw3x8g-13d36b0c6de71f130afb25b490823577{\nmargin-top:0;\nmargin-bottom:20px;\n}\n.hr.av-2uw3x8g-13d36b0c6de71f130afb25b490823577 .hr-inner{\nwidth:50;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-2uw3x8g-13d36b0c6de71f130afb25b490823577 hr-custom  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_heading  hr-center hr-icon-no'><span class='hr-inner 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class=\"av-share-box\"><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this entry<\/h5><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href="https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching\/&#038;t=Michael%20Surgeon%E2%80%99s%20First%20Year%20Teaching" aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" href="https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Michael%20Surgeon%E2%80%99s%20First%20Year%20Teaching&#038;url=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/?p=80704" aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue932' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' 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data-avia-related-tooltip='Share by Mail'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share by Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-nnwqm8-8995e5a2e217dd2268c3837f7d1d178c\">\n.flex_column.av-nnwqm8-8995e5a2e217dd2268c3837f7d1d178c{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-nnwqm8-8995e5a2e217dd2268c3837f7d1d178c av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-size:13px\" class=\"pop-4 heavy-man\">Catching Up with Alumni<\/p>\n<p class=\"pop-0\"> Michael Surgeon is a 2021 graduate with a BA in English and a current MAT student. Michael balances being a student and a teacher while he teaches seventh grade at Scenic Middle School in Central Point. In his first few months of teaching, he has already learned so much about being a teacher and his passion has only grown. In this interview-style post, Michael shares his teaching journey thus far and how other English majors can get into the teaching field.<\/p>\n<div class=\"avia-button-wrap avia-button-left\"><a class=\"avia-button avia-color-dark avia-size-large avia-position-left \" href=\"\/academics\/catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Michael Surgeon here\">READ MORE<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":80709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[296,284],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-featured","post_format-post-format-aside"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2021 Alum Michael Surgeon&#039;s First Year in Teaching - ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø English Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"2021 Alum, Michael, balances being a student and a teacher while he teaches seventh grade at Scenic Middle School in Central Point.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michael Surgeon&#039;s First Year Teaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Surgeon is a 2021 graduate with a BA in English and a current MAT student. Michael balances being a student and a teacher while he teaches seventh grade at Scenic Middle School in Central Point.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/catching-up-with-alumni-michael-surgeons-first-year-teaching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø Academic Programs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍøAshland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-31T21:15:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-01T23:35:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/01\/Michael-Surgeon-with-Lady-GaGa-poster-English-Stories-ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø-on-Facebook.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sean Glassford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Michael Surgeon is a 2021 graduate with a BA in English and a current MAT student. 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