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After reading only the first page, I wanted to give you some thoughts about how to enjoy teaching. Maybe take a semester off, observe some teachers who are enjoying their job, change your methods up so that you can come in and really build some good working relationships with the kids you teach. When you have a competent administrator who ran a good school, like I did my in my first teaching job, teaching can be a real joy.
After reading the last couple pages, I'm glad you're moving on into a career you'll love more. I applaud the poster who stood up for herself by having the police take care of what the school wouldn't. I pray over the violence in our inner cities and the state of our inner city schools. Here's hoping public schools in those areas change for the better, and that incompetent administrators in any school setting won't last long.
I have been teaching Biology for 8 years and am currently in a middle-class, predominantly white suburb of Tulsa. I guess more than anything I just need to vent.
I have been in my current school for the last two years and have virtually no support from administration. Kids say and do pretty much whatever they want whenever they want because the administration is afraid of their parents. I've had discipline referrals thrown out because I didn't fill out a form properly. Yesterday I had a kid (who's behavior has been escalating since August) call me a buckin' snitch. (We'll see if that makes it through the sensor). I have countless other stories but don't have the time or patience to put them down here.
I went to work this morning and arrived with a panic attack. I stopped by the nurse's office and my blood pressure was 158/108, I was shaking like a leaf, and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. Many days I have severe facial flushing because of the work-related anxiety. I never know from one day to the next what to expect. I'm on constant pins and needles.
I am working on a plan to get out of there ASAP. I am taking the RN-NCLEX exam in a month and I'm hoping that will be my ticket to freedom.
I'm wondering if there are any other teachers out there with similar problems? Is it just the particular school I'm working in, or is there a general deterioration of public education in this country? I don't consider myself all that old (36), but I can see a definite decline just in the 20 or so years I've been out of school. Thoughts? Ideas?
OP I hear what you're saying. If I had gone through with my plans, I'd be in the same boat as you. I know just what you're talking about. But you probably have a BA in Biology, right, and that's how you're transitioning into the RN field? What about teaching at the community college level -- have you ever looked into that?
I've been teaching 33 years and can certainly tell you that the student clientele has changed dramatically. I used to get the occasional smart "butt" that would tell me they were paying my salary, yada, yada, yada... Now it's the "my child can do no wrong, and what did you do to provoke the behavior" mentality from Mamma Bear. I could write a book about the downfall of administrators as well. The one who is the master of all the marionettes was never a teacher in a public school classroom. The style of micromanaging is unbelievable, the credibility of the Principal is questioned every day, because we never know if it's coming from within or the higher up's in the big house. Crazy. Yep, I'm finished in June, but it was a great run!
I've been teaching 33 years and can certainly tell you that the student clientele has changed dramatically. I used to get the occasional smart "butt" that would tell me they were paying my salary, yada, yada, yada... Now it's the "my child can do no wrong, and what did you do to provoke the behavior" mentality from Mamma Bear. I could write a book about the downfall of administrators as well. The one who is the master of all the marionettes was never a teacher in a public school classroom. The style of micromanaging is unbelievable, the credibility of the Principal is questioned every day, because we never know if it's coming from within or the higher up's in the big house. Crazy. Yep, I'm finished in June, but it was a great run!
Yep, I finished my student teaching in December at an urban middle school, now I'm looking at grad schools so I can teach at a higher level. It wasn't the amount of work that bothered me, since I can plan well and work efficiently. Mostly it was the kids that didn't want to be there, and the parents/administrators who didn't offer up much support. In just a semester I broke up several fights, prevented other fights from happening, got sworn at, called a liar, and yelled at by parents. Each individual incident didn't bother me too much, but it wore me down day after day. Thankfully I had an exceptional cooperating teacher who helped me out from day one (even though she just threw me in saying "sink or swim"...), but I wouldn't trade places with her for anything.
There were the obvious benefits- I had 2 classes I had no problems with, and they were a joy. The kids loved to learn, I had fun teaching them, the parents cared, and everyone had a pretty good time. Unfortunately 3 out of the other 4 were nightmares.
I can't help but think that I probably would've loved it if I had gotten an experience in a community that still values basic humanity, but the chances of that happening are so low that it's not worth worrying about. Now I've just got a year and a half to find something to do that's in line with appropriate pre grad-school experience.
I understand what you're saying but if someone can't handle that as a teacher, they're sure ain't gonna like being a nurse!
Yeah- but I can make twice as much money being a nurse. I can pretty much deal with anything knowing that I can go to Cancun. Right now, I can't afford to pay attention let alone get away from my stress for a minute.
After reading only the first page, I wanted to give you some thoughts about how to enjoy teaching. Maybe take a semester off, observe some teachers who are enjoying their job, change your methods up so that you can come in and really build some good working relationships with the kids you teach. When you have a competent administrator who ran a good school, like I did my in my first teaching job, teaching can be a real joy.
After reading the last couple pages, I'm glad you're moving on into a career you'll love more. I applaud the poster who stood up for herself by having the police take care of what the school wouldn't. I pray over the violence in our inner cities and the state of our inner city schools. Here's hoping public schools in those areas change for the better, and that incompetent administrators in any school setting won't last long.
Been there, done that. I'm great at what I do. I don't need an example. I AM the example. I have tried everything, but when you are not supported by your administration or the parents anything you do is pretty much futile. I invite you to spend a week with me and see why I want to quit. I cannot change the school, so I will change ME. Time to move on.
OP I hear what you're saying. If I had gone through with my plans, I'd be in the same boat as you. I know just what you're talking about. But you probably have a BA in Biology, right, and that's how you're transitioning into the RN field? What about teaching at the community college level -- have you ever looked into that?
I actually have a BSN- Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It's my original field.
It will be your ticket to insanity.
I'd sooner become a hooker.
What else should I do? I mean seriously. I have invested 4 years and a TON of money into this degree and I need to find a way to use it.
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