Mr. Long teaches subjects at Glenn in which he is fond of (AP Seminar and English ll), and takes on many roles at Glenn (such as being a National Honor Society Advisor and a Senior Class Committee Sponsor), and goes above and beyond! 

Before becoming a teacher at Glenn, Mr. Long’s ambition was to become a music teacher. But, once he went to UT, his ambitions changed, and he ended up getting a communications major, and applied to a teaching program. This has led him to being the teacher that he is today. 

“So, for the longest time, all throughout highschool, I wanted to be a music teacher. I was the biggest band kid in high school and I wanted to play the tuba for the rest of my life. Well, my interests changed a bit, and I ended up getting a communications major. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I saw there was this teaching program and decided to apply. Once I applied, I started thinking that I really wanted to teach.”

Mr.Long also mentions an important factor that played into his ambitions of becoming a teacher.

“But, there was one person specifically who inspired me. Her name is Ms. Sutherland. She was my AP Literature teacher in highschool. She was the most incredible teacher–the perfect combination of hilarious, relatable, dedicated, and brilliant. I learned so much from her and I still talk to her all of the time. We even teach the same class (AP Seminar)!” 

He also brought up what it feels like (for him) to be a teacher:

“Okay–honestly, a little weird? It honestly feels like I was just in high school (even though it was 7 years ago), so sometimes it is weird to be a teacher. With that being said, there are ups and downs. I genuinely love my students and my coworkers, but with any job, there are parts that bring me immense amounts of stress and there are parts that bring me tears of joy! I think the thing I love most about being a teacher is the students. I love getting to know my students and supporting them in their four years in high school. I love being able to have conversations with my students about their lives and I love watching them grow over a few years before they graduate.” 

Mr. Long’s overall goal of being a teacher is to teach his students that their words have power, and that empathy is important. 

“I think, at the end of the day, I want to teach my students how to be more empathetic. Yes, in English ll, we have a STAAR test and in AP Seminar, there is an AP exam. However, the most important thing that I can teach students is to try to understand where other people are coming from. I think it is so important that we learn about other people, their cultures, and their traditions. When we do this, we grow empathy, and we can grow new, positive understandings about people. I think the world is a better place when we are understanding and have empathy for each other.” Mr. Long said. 

Mr. Long also notes that it is important for students to recognize that there is power in their words, and how they use that power can affect people.

“I think right now, in the age of social media, students have such a unique opportunity to spread messages of hope throughout the world. Not to be cheesy, but I think that students often underestimate the power of their own voice. Just because you have to come to school and sit in class and learn doesn’t mean you can’t make meaningful change in the world. I want to encourage all of my students to find their voice and to use it.”