By VICKI NGAN
If one was to walk past the door of J360, do not be fooled by the dark, plastered with advertisements, sticky notes, and messages. English teacher Christine Day is indeed still in the classroom, perhaps teaching with the projector, or— if this happens to be after school hours on a Tuesday or Wednesday—in the library of Malden High School, working her part time job supervising the area. An avid reader since she was young, she “secretly always wanted to be a librarian,” Day laughed. With a love of teaching and being able to help develop skills in students who are still “fighting that battle” of high school and have the potential to succeed, Day finds that her favorite aspect of being a teacher is “definitely working with the students.”
Growing up in the South Shore of Massachusetts, Day has not always wanted to be an English teacher.Her family moved around to many places, and she sought refuge from her rowdy family of six siblings in the library, where she was able to explore many books targeted for adults, since young adult novels were not as common. Her favorite authors range from Truman Capote, to John Irving, to Curt Vonnegut. As a child, Day was timid, but she fondly remembers her ninth grade English teacher who prompted her to recite poetry. Her “hippie teacher,” who played guitar and wore stylish clothing, had reminded Day “not to memorize the poem, but to internalize it,” Day recalled. She can still recite some of her poems even now.
Day did not know what she wanted to be then, and had majored in European Literature in Boston University in her undergraduate years. From there, she had the opportunity to teach as an English conversation teacher for a year in the Czech Republic, due to the large number of recruiters who were searching for native English speakers. Although Day’s initial motivator was the chance to travel to other European countries because of how close and how many the Czech Republic bordered other countries, Day came to love her role as a conversation teacher. “I liked the planning,” she described, as well as the challenges, creativity, and autonomy over her class, all of which had sparked her interest to pursue teaching. For her graduate, Day went back to Boston University for a Masters in education.
Besides one’s working hours, regular, everyday activities might seem commonplace, but as many eventually learn, it is the simple things in life that makes people happy and unstressed. On Day’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dog Rufus, cooking ethnic foods, reading, and working out.She loves watching television shows as well, as such as Downton Abby.
Currently teaching grade 10 English and English Secondary Language II, Day likes to switch up her classes every year or so, from teaching freshman to junior classes. Now in her 13th year at MHS, her favorite classes to teach are freshmen and sophomores, because they are the “deciding grades,” or years where students make important choices that affect their high school career. Because of the great diversity at MHS and the many different sorts of discussion topics that can be generated from many culturally unique students, Day finds that MHS is the place where she “could really benefit the students,” and help them “make it.” “I had [Day] freshman year and I thought that she was very compassionate and a great teacher who really made me enjoy English class,” stated junior Sarah Bazir.
