Moving up

Transitioning from teaching middle school to high school can be a difficult task, however one teacher’s strong passion for English and literature motivated him to take on the challenge and pursue a teaching career here on campus. Wingspan’s Melody Tavallaee sat down with English teacher and soccer coach John Singleton to talk about his transition and working here at school.

Wingspan: How long did you teach for before coming here on campus?

Singleton: “This is my twelfth year to teach. I started out teaching in Lewisville ISD and taught there for three years before I came to Frisco; where I spent my entire time between then and now teaching at Fowler Middle School, with the exception of last year, I taught in a small town outside of Houston.”

Wingspan: Did you prefer teaching middle school or high school better?

Singleton: “Well they both have their own benefits and their own challenges. One of the things that I really like about high school is the chance to get to work with older kids and students who are a little bit more mature.”

Wingspan: What has been the most rewarding part of teaching here at school?

Singleton: “Well it’s early yet, so it might be too early to tell. One of the things that’s most rewarding about teaching in general is the chance to get to work with young people and to help them get closer to achieving their goals. At Liberty, one of the things I’m excited about is working with some kids that I’ve already known before and seeing them in a more grown up version than I used to know them at middle school.”

Wingspan: How does it feel whenever you see your old students now in high school?

Singleton: “I really enjoy it and I like getting to talk to them about the things that they’ve done between then and now. So many of them have become really successful and really good at a wide range of things, whether it be sports and fine arts or their academic careers and I love to get to hear about it.”

Wingspan: What made you choose to become an English teacher?

Singleton: “Well, I love language and so helping people learn how to use language to communicate is something that I really enjoy. I enjoy the process of helping people to learn writing. I also really enjoy helping them to discover literature.”

Wingspan: Can you describe some of the biggest changes between teaching high school and middle school?

Singleton: “I would say some of the biggest differences are students are older and they have more to say and they have a more mature voice with which to say it. So if you want to get the best out of students you have to treat them in a more grown up manner here than you did in middle school. There are a lot of things that are the same though. They are still young people, they still want to be treated well, and it’s still very important to them to know that you care about them.”

Wingspan: When you are at school, how would your ideal day go?

Singleton: “My ideal day would be a lot of interaction with students, getting to talk through the good ideas that they have, and absolutely no papers to grade.”

Wingspan: And if you weren’t at school, what would your ideal day look like?

Singleton: “If I were not at school, my ideal day would be spent with my family, getting to get outside and play with my kids, getting to watch a little bit of soccer on TV, and, again, absolutely no papers to grade.”

Wingspan: What would you say your biggest accomplishment was and how did you you feel when you received it?

Singleton: “That’s a great question. Well, my biggest accomplishment is not in a single moment. My biggest accomplishment is raising my own children and that is still an ongoing process. It is incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding everyday.”

Wingspan: What do you like to do in your free time?

Singleton: “In my free time I love anything to do with soccer. Playing it, watching it, coaching it, reading blogs about it, listening to podcasts about it, rooting for my two favorite teams- other than Liberty High School- FC Dallas and West Ham United. I also really enjoy cooking.”

Wingspan: What is something on your bucket list that you want the most and how do you expect it to go?

Singleton: “I would love, someday, to go to England and visit the home of my favorite English soccer team, West Ham United, and watch a game there. I hope it will go with my team winning.”

Wingspan: Can you describe yourself in three words?

Singleton: “Well anyone who knows me knows that three words is nearly an impossibility because I use a lot of words. If I had to give three words though, I would say passionate, sometimes dry, that counts for two, I know, so technically that’s three, and I would say interested. I am interested in our students.”