Before fame came calling, these celebrities actually spent time working as teachers. ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda worked as a substitute seventh-grade English teacher at Hunter College High School in New York before becoming famous for his songwriting and acting. Miranda had actually attended the school himself as a student before returning as a teacher. Looking back at the experience, Miranda said, “I invariably found the more I listened, the less I spoke, the more effective I was as a teacher.” Then there’s Liam Neeson, who actually trained to become a teacher for two years. While speaking with ESPN in 2012, he described teaching as the “most difficult job” he had ever tried to master. He also recalled an incident from that time when he punched a 15-year-old student who had pulled a knife on him. Many fans may not know Billy Crystal once worked as a substitute teacher at Long Beach Junior High School in New York. This was long before his decades-long career in comedy and acting, which eventually saw him host the Academy Awards not once, but an impressive nine times.
Teach for America offers fully paid, two-year teaching roles with benefits and support, with options for recruits to continue in education or transition to other careers after their tenure.
