Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What would be some reasons not to take it? If parents push their kids to excel, that would be a good thing, right? Wouldn't it mean well-behaved students who get reinforcement with academic work at home? Thanks for the help!
I work in a school where parents push their kids to excel and I get pushed to inflate grades and complaints when I don't. To quote one of my students just a month ago, "It's not about learning. It's about the grade.". If you take a job in a school where kids are pushed to excel (translation: pushed to get the highest GPA possible for parental bragging rights), don't make the mistake I did. Give out enough A's to stay popular or you will not keep your job.
It is at an elementary school but does have a middle school attached, however. I am a Caucasian female who would be teaching an elementary grade. I don't know Spanish. Would that negatively effect how the kids respond to me? Would I have a difficult time communicating with the parents?
From the latest post, it sounds like many Hispanic students tend to behave like many African American students when they are the majority in the classroom in an area that is middle to lower class economically. Does this tend to be true?
This ^ is extremely offensive and you may want to work on that before taking any position charter or non charter.
Just in your experience, how has a classroom full of African American students behaved? What evidence do you have from your previous experiences with children that gives you the assumption that Hispanic children will do the same?
I am a veteran (17 years) elementary educator. I have taught 14 years in Title I schools. I spent the first 11 years in all black school in metro Atlanta that boasted a free/reduced lunch rate of 98%. Did we have fights and unruly children? Yes we did. Was it a zoo? No it was not. Could you teach them and have control in your classroom? Yes, most definitely and it happened.
I left that school and moved to an adjacent county and taught in a diverse school (still Title I). Now, I had African American, Hispanic, African, Korean, etc students and no more than 50 Caucasian students (in a school with over 1300 students K-5). In other words, a classroom full of various shades of brown children. Not a single problem.
In Northern Va., I taught in a school that was majority Hispanic. 17 of my 18 students were Spanish speakers first and I do not speak Spanish. Did the language barrier make it difficult? Yes, especially during the first few days of school. Did my students learn? YOU BET THEY DID and they excelled!
Bottom line, you can teach ANY child regardless of race if your mindset is right. Going in with preconceived notions about how a group of children that you are meeting for the first time will behave because of a social status that they have no control over..............I just can't.
The driving factor is home life. If education is not pushed at home, the children won't care as much right off the bat. Please do not assume that ALL (or "many" according to who?) African American children will fit this bill. (or even Latino children). Is this more prevalent in lower classed African American communities? Yes it is (and I am typing this as an African American). Should an entire race of children be written off because of their circumstance? NO! Should you enter into a classroom with this type of thinking? I pray to GOD that you do not. I've had enough during my career of working with adults who look at 'those' children in a different light instead of looking at each child as a individual full of potential to become a life long learner.
I did not mean to be offensive but please understand I would need this job to work out if I take it. I have worked in Title I schools as well. I loved both classes I taught. One was more challenging than the other, but my teaching is strong, I genuinely like kids, and I didn't have any problems. The worst behavior I have seen has honestly been from white students. I enjoy teaching black, white, Asian, Indian, Hispanic, etc. students. But I have never had a class with majority Hispanic students. I am curious. The few Hispanic students I have had in class have been quiet, soft-spoken, making efforts to pay attention especially when praised (this applies to black students too of course). Generally, do Hispanic students tend to be on the quiet side or on the loud side? In general, do Hispanic students work hard in school or do they need external rewards set up for that to happen? I have had plenty of quiet black students too (and many, many hardworking, internally motivated black students) but in general, I think especially in a classroom setting, black students tend to be louder and more outspoken than say, Asian students. I find in general black students are not shy about voicing their opinion (which can be great), passionate, friendly, etc. (but not everyone).
I just don't want to I walk into a classroom where kids are talking over me right away, won't listen, have no parental reinforcement at home or stressed out / angry parents that come in. I go out of my way to teach and help my students. I genuinely care about each and every one of them. I don't deserve behavior like that.
You are still making assumptions by asking about Hispanic students in general. Who knows what the kids in your class would be like? Expecting to get an answer based on a question about Hispanic students in general suggests that you see them as a monolith. That's a really unhealthy outlook for a teacher, and leads me to wonder how you still maintain it despite the classroom experience you claim above.
No one deserves behavior like that, however, it is found in classrooms all across America. Children are products of our current society. There is little regard for each other and a general lack of respect for adults in authority.
Whether or not students walk all over you depends on you. You are the adult in the classroom and it is your responsibility to establish rules and expectations. You will not always be able to 'control' every child in your classroom, but you will learn to manage behavior.
maf763, I could not rep you any more. I totally agree with your post above. As educators, we have to look at children through different set of lens. We have to look at the environment from which they are coming to us and not focus on race. Children need to know that we genuinely care about their well being. You will not always connect the them, but you can empathize with them. As a black woman, I can connect with my black students to a certain point because I understand the struggles, etc. I will never know what they (or ANY child of another race) feel growing up in an environment where there is only one parent, where shootings happen regularly, where people have little regard for authority, where they go to bed hungry, etc. Those are not my experiences. I can, however, embrace each as an individual in my class and provide a safe learning environment without making assumptions ...wondering if they will be like _____________ (fill in the blank).
You might want to ditch your preconceived notions about race and ethnicity before walking into a classroom. It's a formula for trouble.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maf763
You are still making assumptions by asking about Hispanic students in general. Who knows what the kids in your class would be like? Expecting to get an answer based on a question about Hispanic students in general suggests that you see them as a monolith. That's a really unhealthy outlook for a teacher, and leads me to wonder how you still maintain it despite the classroom experience you claim above.
Plus Ambersmom advice.
I am surprised by your hesitancy as well as your preconceived notions about a specific group of children.
If these children do not meet your expectations, I expect you will be unhappy and have problems
with discipline.
I would take it as a foot in the door! It's not easy to acquire a teaching job now and you have nothing to lose. I would love to teach in an arts charter school if I can find one. This may sound flip, but so what that you can't speak Spanish. You were hired there. Use google translate to talk to parents. I have limited Spanish...very limited. I have had to use the computer to communicate with parents in the past.
Very sad the comments on this page. Hispanic children are no more disrespectful than "white" children. Actually Hispanic parents are often times stricter on their children vs. the American kids who are never told no. As a teacher you should have compassion for ALL children and I would never want my child to be in your class. Shame on you. And for the comment that said the children have less supervision (as parents worked long hours) do you realize we are in 2013? Successful Hispanics are around every corner and you should try to open your racist eyes because not every Hispanic is a migrant farm worker picking tomatoes!!!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
