I have to thank the good inner city teachers, I went to a similarly distressed school, but I had several fantastic teachers who made an incredible difference in my life, and the lives of others.
I know that once the heart to put up with the crappy students and the crappier administration leaves, that they are probably safer in suburbia (and I watched my share of good people leave for greener pastures) but I have to let you know that as long as you can stand it, you will be appreciated.
So, um why do you keep showing up and putting your life in danger? It’s not the money. I’d get the hell out. I studied secondary ed and got up to my student teaching and finally realized I deserved to surround myself with people that respect me…no one even took a punch at me. And triple the income ain’t bad neither…
So what makes you return?
I, too, am planning on becoming a teacher. In four years, I will be out in the jungle, fending for my own. Threads like this make me want to cry.
Or you can move to the suburbs and have the somewhat-better-off parents threaten you with lawsuits when you don’t give their kids good grades. Sucks to be a teacher.
Keep your head up, altoid, things WILL get better (and it does seem they are with your new position). I’m finishing up my third year of teaching at one of those cushy new suburban high schools, and things are only marginally better here. I’ve dealt with my share of fights, drugs, sex, extortion, lying, cheating, and disrespectful and rude behavior. I’ve yet to be personally assaulted, though I’m a big guy and likely to kick the living crap out of the kid that tries, and I think they know that (not that I would, but the implied threat is a good deterrent).
I largely blame parents for the difficulties I see with my students. Parents are either too busy trying to meet their material desires to care how their students are doing and/or are unwilling to accept that their children are less than perfect little angels and blame the teacher for any problems. Then you have these kids that have been so over-enabled by their parents that they still need mommy’s help wiping their butts. (case in point: parents of our graduates are calling professors at their children’s colleges to ask for deadline extensions for assignments on behalf of their children; these professors then call our school and ask what the Hell is wrong with these people!!)
Granted, my experience may not be as shocking as yours appears to be, but it has been just as sobering. My first year, I was quite distressed by all the crap surrounding public ed. Now, I’m starting to become to become inured to it all, which upon reflection, is perhaps more distressing. But, regardless, experience does help you cope with it. I figure that as long as the good days outnumber the bad (and luckily this has been the case), I’ll stick with teaching…the rush that comes from helping those that want the help are too great to give up.
Maybe the fact that someone has to do it?
Obviously your school has not heard of “No Child Left Behind”. I am convinced that this will solve the problems you have described here.:rolleyes:
I admire your desire to stick with teaching. I remember my first year of teaching. I cried on the way to work every day. I quit in February of my third year. I ended up back in teaching and I do not regret it. There are some very tough days and I suspect that with today’s political climate, funding will get worse. Still, there are moments in teaching that are very rewarding. There are some great kids out there.
Sorry for my delayed response. This has become less of a rant and more of an “ask the…” thread.
Why do I return?
Well, before I taught I waited tables and bartended. The advice I give to people starting careers in teaching is to do this. Working with people can be frustrating but one can learn to deal with it and find the ways to placate people without doing all that much. These kinds of jobs can give people high asshole tolerance and the steaks are much lower; it’s burgers and beer.
The job gets better after a while. In city schools, many teachers take a job and quit after a day or two because the kids are so different today. The kids see this and it becomes a cat and mouse game, they try to make the brand new teachers quit. On my first day at my new job I broke up a fight and a few kids said to me, “Great first day, huh. Are you coming back tomorrow?”
The kids also respond strongly to who they think you are. I am 27 but I look 20, which is really a strong disadvantage. For my first few months, I wear glasses and wear frumpy outfits that would make their parents clothing look hip. When I walk into the classroom, I put on my Don’t Give Me Any Shit Face and I never tell the kids that I am fairly new.
I am a complete bitch for the first two months of a new class or a new year. This is my least favorite part of the job, it is really stressful and I have to crack down on every petty rule being broken. Any excuse to call a parent early on warrants a call home and this makes my day about nine hours long. When I first call a parent I am very nice, I tell them something positive about their kid, even if I have to really stretch or make something up and then there’s a but… Usually that gets a parent on your side and the kid gets a, “Why are you giving the nice lady such a hard time” speech. (They are still mystified that I can be nice!) I take note of which parents are helpful and I have called them on my cell phone during class to talk to them about a kid’s behavior.
Some parents are not at all helpful and some are downright confrontational. Either I just give up on trying to get the parent involved or I bother the crap out of them with calls at 9:58 PM or 7 AM. Want me to stop pestering you? Well, make your kid behave!
After the first two months, I gradually lighten up. The kids are generally behaving better than before and they appreciate the slack. Many new teachers have had a few hellish years before they learn to take a similar approach. These kids do not automatically respect teachers and think even the notion is hilarious. So, you must annoy them into doing what they should.
Okay, I suppose that constitutes an answer.
Why an Inner City school?
I teach Art and every project has three specific directions that the kids are to follow. Other than that, I am trying to get the kids to be creative about how they approach a project. Kids that want to know exactly what I want to see in their project drive me mad. Often these kids are a pleasure to deal with otherwise, they follow the rules and seek approval. But the kids who curse me out for the first few days, show up to class two out of five days will eventually come up with something really unexpected in their work. The same kid really needs some positive attention, and they become fiercely loyal when they get it. I had a student yelling and swearing at someone and I told him to knock it off. He turned to me and yelled the same phrase without the swears. I already won half the battle since he was no longer swearing. Another student got up and said, “Don’t yell at Ms. L!”
My heart melted.
In my experience, new teachers almost always go through the process of trying be nice, and then realizing they need to come on strong in the beginning to set the proper tone.
Many are reluctant to do so because they are eager for the kids to like them, don’t want to be mean, and want to be better than the nasty teachers they had in school. Then after a few classes walk all over them for a few months, they figure it out. Later on, they realize that many kids WILL like them no matter what, especially if you turn out to be a good teacher.
At first, I used to tell new teachers this. Then I realized they had to learn it on their own. The ones with the onions to keep going often turn out to be quite good teachers.
It’s a shame however, that this is one of the realities of teaching. Compare it to college, where the professor need only concentrate on teaching their subject. They don’t (generally) need to worry about classroom discipline.
Imagine what we could get done in public schools if discipline wasn’t the responsibility of the teacher. This is impossible as things are now set up, because kids need not take any responsibility for themselves. It’s great that everyone is guaranteed an education, but there should be more recourse for dealing with disruptive kids. Both for the sake of other learners, and to keep otherwise motivated and able teachers from departing the field.
This thread makes me seriously re-evaluate whether or not I want to be a teacher. Right now I’m an English major in my Junior year, and most of my classes have filled the requirements for either Career Writing or Teaching. So, if I was able to keep my grades up (unfortunately I bombed this semester but I’m not letting one isolated incedent get me down! 
) I might decided to stick around for the extra year to get my teaching credential.
But I never though about how hard being a teacher could be! :eek: Up until now I had always thought the main challenge was becoming a teacher. I kind of saw myself and realized that I’m not really trying to excel in school, I’m just making halfhearted attempts and getting frustrated at myself. Believe it or not, but this thread makes me think about wanting to be a teacher again.
I had a lot of inspirational teachers in my life. And chances are I’m sure some of them might have had the same challenges in school as I did. So perhaps if they were able to bear all the difficulties in becoming a teacher, and teaching kids, then maybe I can too…
Well, this either proves my dedication or my insanity:
I still want to be a teacher. But I ain’t touching a high school (my methods wouldn’t work there, and this decision was made many moons before I joined the SDMB). I’m doing grade school.
Hey! I was just thinking about this thread last night, and now it’s here again. altoid– my email’s still the same, so I’d love it if you had time to clue me in on any cool textile projects you’ve got, s’il vous plait. So far there’s nothing that engages all of my students for this unit.
As for those who are re-thinking teaching as a career because of his thread, don’t be too hasty. Not all schools are the same and even at a tough school you can carve out a happy, safe spot for yourself. Observation, maybe volunteering, to test the waters would be a good idea. I gripe a lot, but I’m hard-pressed to think of any career that doesn’t have it’s share of drawbacks. For me, teaching’s drawbacks don’t outweigh the plusses. YMMV.
Oops, this thread.
That’s what I was thinking. I’m headed back to get my teaching certification next year, and I just don’t want to deal with high schoolers. I hated my own high school years with a passion, so the thought of having to return there full-time isn’t a nice one.
Reading this thread has scared the shit out of me, though. I know teaching is what I want to do, but this whole thing really freaks me out.
Ava
I lasted for twenty years because of the Beverlys and the Rorys.
Rory was an adorable young man with limited abilities. He worked hard and so did I. On the day that I was able to tell him that he had passed his proficiency test (required for graduation), we literally danced in the hallway together.
Beverly was bright as a new penny. When she was trying to make a decision about what college to attend, our guidance counselor told her that she should go to the traditionally black state school in town because if she went to Vanderbilt she would run into a lot of prejudice. She asked me for my opinion. I explained that I couldn’t make that decision for her. I admitted that she would be likely to run into some prejudice at Vanderbilt. Then I told her that if she wanted to know if she was capable of doing the work at Vandy, she could. And I reminded her that she would face prejudice from time to time in her life, but she would be able to handle it.
Five years later I received a letter with no return address. It was an invitation to Beverly’s granduation from Vanderbilt. Included was a little note that she would be starting graduate school in the fall.
I don’t know of any other job that can give you a high like that. In the inner city, especially, when you can make a difference, it is a big difference. That’s why I kept going.
Oh dear god. I leave for Teach For America training in less than a week. I still want to get in front of that classroom more than anything, and I know I’ll be damn good, but…dear god!
Another teacher checking in. Primary school (is that grade school for you yanks?). None of the violence from the OP (but you check in 2 days before school starts!? We are at school at least two weeks before the year starts and we don’t have a summers worth of holidays!). Teaching is a very hard job, but the rewards are wonderful and endless (as are the confrontations and frustrations) I don’t think there is any other profession with less monetry reward, more frustration, greater personal reward and more time, energy and thought spent on the job then teaching (possible exception medicine). Everyday you are affecting peoples lives in more ways then you are even aware of sometimes.
Everyday you front up with a smile. Trying to do your best. Trying to make this day something that means something to a small/young person. Everyday you fight paperwork, leadership, inane rules and regulations, children that “fight and bite” and sometimes even your own enthusiasm.
But what always holds true for me is the fact that everyone of us got here through school. There wouldn’t be any other professions if teachers hadn’t been there first. Someone has to be there…and you can bet that those people are not money driven, glory driven or career driven. They are driven by doing the best they can do for others and from receiving their satisfaction from the accomplishments of others rather then from money or accolades.
The main reward is a simple one, a smile when a someone has made a connection, a feeling of pride when someone acheives, the “buzz” you feel when a “I don’t know how/I can’t” turns into a “I DID IT”. That is what teaching is about.
The war is huge, but the battles are ever so significant and I can’t imagine coming home from work feeling “I did a good thing” in any other profession.
Good luck and best wishes to all you future teachers.