Be Pregnant: A Tip for Starting New Jobs
What to do in your first year of a new managerial arts high school job where you oversee 140 high schoolers and 23 teachers?
1) Be calm and firm
2) Be constantly building rapport
3) Be empowering students
4) Be pregnant
It does not seem like typical advice, #4. But if there’s any way to get pregnant about 1 week before you start a new job in a new city, I highly recommend it. It has fast tracked a few elements of numbers 1-3 that I would’ve otherwise taken more time.
1) BE CALM and FIRM (Classroom management)
Pre-pregnant scenario: students breakdancing on the floor a minute before class
Me: Good afternoon! Let’s calm down. You have ten seconds to get in your circle or you’re tardy. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Jack? Kenya? Okay…here is your quote of the day…
Pregnant scenario: Students breakdancing on the floor a minute before class
Me: Good afternoon! Let’s calm –
Student: SHUT UP SHE’S PREGNANT
**silence**
Me: …Here is your quote for the day…
2) BE BUILDING RAPPORT
***a note on rapport. First, I spelled it “repore” for many years. Second, it is most difficult to build when you enter a school where the oldest students have lived school life without knowing you for 3 of their 4 years there. After having founded two schools and always being there from the beginning, this type of rapport building is new to me.
***a note on the current seniors at ChiArts. They are tough. So getting them to change any kind of behavior takes time and can’t be demanded from a group that bristles/kicks/punches/does the opposite of whatever you’re asking.
Pre-pregnant scenario / (when I was hiding my pregnancy the first month of school):
Me: So Anna, why do you keep leaving school early?
Anna: It’s just a thing I gotta do. My mom says it’s fine.
Me: Well I need to know what it is…also I need an outside activities form.
Anna: Nope.
Pregnant scenario:
Me: So Anna, why do you keep leaving –
Anna: Ahhhh! He’s getting so much bigger? You wore a “Thing 1, Thing 2 shirt”?! Can I touch your baby?
Me: No but you can touch my stomach.
Anna: What are you going to name him – and can I throw you a baby shower?
Me: Don’t know yet, sure, and do you have an outside activities form for me yet?
Anna: Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll bring it tomorrow.
Me: For real will you?
Anna: Yeah.
(and she did)
3)BE EMPOWERING STUDENTS
Pre-pregnant scenario:
I moved the chairs.
I wrote things on the board.
I led the physical warm ups.
Pregnant scenario:
The kids have jobs for all this while I sit and catch my breath.
Pre-pregnant scenario musical pep talk:
Me: “Keep up the good work everyone! Proud of all your hard work!”
Pregnant scenario (Les Mis pep talk week before break):
Me: “Wow. You guys gave me a heartbeat moment…my body chemistry changes when I see magic in art and this doesn’t happen often in youth theatre. It happens during powerful group numbers and moments of incredible partner connection… When a heartbeat moment occurs, you are giving me/the audience a great gift. The gift to want to share this moment, this magic. Maybe in some it will manifest in a longer hug or one that wouldn’t have happened in the first place. For me, you’ve made me want to go home and write something!” (the prego hormone/emotions have a way of finding their way into words more easily than normal...)
I’d like to reiterate that "be pregnant" may be something ed professionals should consider in teacher manuals and professional development trainings as it seems to have a wide variety of benefits in the school related workplace.
FOOTNOTE: Notice my careful choice of words – that “be pregnant” is said with a knowledge that “new job with infant at the same time” may in fact be the worst possible thing you could do in your first year at a new demanding job.