English II and Advanced English III teacher Grace Holcombe is one of many new teachers on campus for the 2023-24  school year. Born and raised in Eustace, Holcombe attended the University of North Texas. Previously, she taught for four years at Athens. Her passion in life is teaching and spending time with her students every day.  Wingspan caught up with Holcombe to find out more about who she is as a teacher.

Wingspan: How are your classes going so far? With new students and the new classroom?

Holcombe: “My students so far have been excellent and stellar. I haven’t had any concerns, even academically about them. And they’re all very wonderful, very nice people that I’m getting to know more and more.”

Wingspan: Why did you decide to be an English teacher instead of the other subjects?

Holcombe: “I decided to be an English teacher because I enjoy watching our students grow in their writing. I also enjoy encouraging reading comprehension, reading analysis, and just reading for fun. Books are a very important part of my life and so it’s nice to see other people pick that up as well.  I picked English over the other subjects because I’m good at English and it’s also easy for me to translate that in the classroom, especially compared to STEM subjects and honestly, history. I enjoyed history, but it’s not necessarily something I’m good at teaching.”

Wingspan: How would you describe your class’s environment and the school’s environment for you in general?

Holcombe: “I would describe my classroom environment as very laid back and pretty easy going. I like important rules in place and classroom routines, but ultimately, it’s student-centered, so it’s up to them. Overall, at Liberty, I found that many people are kind of the same way they have classroom routines set up, and everyone else is kind of easygoing, just as long as students are working hard to be nice and doing what they’re supposed to be doing, but everything’s usually pretty good.”

Wingspan: Why did you decide to teach high school instead of other grade levels?

Holcombe: ”That’s a great question. I actually taught middle school for a little bit and while middle schoolers are great in their own regards, it just wasn’t for me. There are a lot of middle school issues and dramas that would come up that I’m not necessarily interested in. For the younger grades, I just never was interested in teaching them.”

Wingspan: How do you think teaching has impacted your life and skills outside of school?

Holcombe: “That’s another good question. It’s really impacted the way I empathize and sympathize with other people. It made me realize how many people don’t have access to a good education or good teachers, and it made me kind of stop and think twice before you know judging someone or even being critical of someone or something. It also forces me, well not force, but it makes me think of the students or young people first in this world, rather than necessarily my generation, or just me.”

Wingspan: What are some of your teaching strategies in this class for your students?

Hollcombe: “Okay, so I like to do group work, and then we move into individual work.  I like to do a variety of note-taking methods that way, it’s kind of differentiating, and all student needs are met. Also, we are trying to do more hands-on or physical things in the English classroom by trying to branch out a little bit more. So we’ve been making posters and things like that.”

Wingspan: In what ways do you try to connect with the students personally?

Holcombe:: “So one of the ways  I’ve started doing that is making a point to memorize everyone’s names before the first six weeks, and making sure I’m pronouncing everyone’s names correctly because that’s an important part of names. Another thing is that I’m getting involved with clubs, I’m sponsoring several clubs. I’m approaching several UIL things, and I’ll be showing up to several of their events. So like athletics, band theater, or anything they want to participate in, I tried to show up to at least one game.”

Wingspan: What is the most challenging part of teaching every day? Is it like the amount of work or grading?

Holcombe: “I would say, the hardest part is probably just the length of the days. If I’m being completely honest, the amount of work is manageable, especially right now. But it’s just a long day for everyone, especially students and that can kind of reflect in the classroom, and that can reflect back on the teacher.”

Wingspan: What is your favorite part of teaching every day?

Holcombe: ”The students. The students make teaching so much more, they can make it easier, and they can make it so much more fun. When I finally get to a point where I can joke around with the class, it makes my day fly by like that and it’s not as much of a process to get through the day, because it’s like, we’re just kind of having a good time. And we’re just making sure we get the work”

Wingspan: Was your initial goal to become a teacher? Or was it another job before?

Holcombe: “Yes and no, I kind of knew I was going to become a teacher, but at the same time, I also wanted to be some sort of author or journalist. The good thing about that is those are two things that can coexist so that I can do both things as an English teacher now.”

Wingspan: What opportunities have you encountered in your career so far?

Holcombe: “Clubs are a big part especially because I’m learning more things about for example, one of the things is that there is going to be a Sanskrit Club, which I know nothing about right now, but I will when that club starts. Another thing is UIL, academics will have the opportunity to do that. Hopefully and potentially,  go to regionals and maybe state.”