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Well, I'm going into teaching, but I've heard its very hard work, and I'm not sure exactly what I should expect. So far, though, I've had very positive experiences working with high school students. Granted, though, I've only been directed to magnet schools and honors classes. A fresh teacher is most likely to be employed in the under privledged and low-income areas. I've heard its such a challenge, but I'm very curious. Please tell me your experiences.
The work is much harder with lower performing students. The discipline is also often harder as too many of these kids have already given up on themselves.
On the other hand, the reward is HUGE when you can make a difference.
Do you have nerves of steel? The patience of a saint? Can you speak jive (apologies to Barbara Billingsley in Airplane!)?
The most valuable advice my education professor gave me was to drive through the zone for the school to which you are assigned. My school used to have all the teachers load up on buses on our first day back to ride through each of our zones neighborhoods before the students reported. It was a way for the old teachers to see their former students while the new teachers could get a concrete idea of where the students would go home each day. I wish we still did it.
If you want to get a somewhat skewed view of underprivileged and low-income schools, then you may want to check out a few old movies. Some that I can relate to are Stand and Deliver, Lean on Me, and Dangerous Minds. The district where I teach is not quite as extreme as the ones in these movies, but our students do hear gunshots every night. Life is a struggle on every level for many of our kids, and academics don't rank nearly as high on their priority list as sheer survival.
Wow, yeah, I still think I want to teach in one of those areas. Who knows? Maybe I'll like it so much that after I've served my time, I will want to stay. Although I grew up in a decent neighborhood, I remember attending schools that were less than ideal. Plus, maybe I'm still exploring the idealistic world that's been presented to me, but perhaps the under-privledged learners will appreciate a dedicated teacher a bit more than those who have life all together?
Wow, yeah, I still think I want to teach in one of those areas. Who knows? Maybe I'll like it so much that after I've served my time, I will want to stay. Although I grew up in a decent neighborhood, I remember attending schools that were less than ideal. Plus, maybe I'm still exploring the idealistic world that's been presented to me, but perhaps the under-privledged learners will appreciate a dedicated teacher a bit more than those who have life all together?
My daughter, who teaches in Harlem, would tell you that your last statement is not the case, although that's what she thought in September of last year too. She has found that most of her fourth graders feel that school is pointless and there is no reason to learn. How sad is that?
Do you have nerves of steel? The patience of a saint? Can you speak jive (apologies to Barbara Billingsley in Airplane!)?
The most valuable advice my education professor gave me was to drive through the zone for the school to which you are assigned. My school used to have all the teachers load up on buses on our first day back to ride through each of our zones neighborhoods before the students reported. It was a way for the old teachers to see their former students while the new teachers could get a concrete idea of where the students would go home each day. I wish we still did it.
If you want to get a somewhat skewed view of underprivileged and low-income schools, then you may want to check out a few old movies. Some that I can relate to are Stand and Deliver, Lean on Me, and Dangerous Minds. The district where I teach is not quite as extreme as the ones in these movies, but our students do hear gunshots every night. Life is a struggle on every level for many of our kids, and academics don't rank nearly as high on their priority list as sheer survival.
I also loved most of Jonathan Kozol's books. Particularlly SAVAGE INEQUALITIES, Herbert Kohl's writings are great. Look at I WON'T LEARN FROM YOU.
Neil Postman and Denis Littky have some insight into how the illustrious institution of education operates.
Tory Haden and Mary McCracken will show you what you get out of teaching and why it has been thought of as a job you will LOVE forever or HATE from the first day you walk into your own classroom.
I do not believe there is any middle ground.
You just have to admit to yourself how you feel...
You will know if you love it...cause 25 years later you will look back and wonder where the time went.
I also loved most of Jonathan Kozol's books. Particularlly SAVAGE INEQUALITIES, Herbert Kohl's writings are great. Look at I WON'T LEARN FROM YOU.
Neil Postman and Denis Littky have some insight into how the illustrious institution of education operates.
Tory Haden and Mary McCracken will show you what you get out of teaching and why it has been thought of as a job you will LOVE forever or HATE from the first day you walk into your own classroom.
I do not believe there is any middle ground.
You just have to admit to yourself how you feel...
You will know if you love it...cause 25 years later you will look back and wonder where the time went.
I read nearly all these before I ever set foot in the classroom. My favorite title was Teaching as a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner. I still find inspiration from it. I remain in disbelief that I've been able to teach for 24 years now without any problems. Most of the time has been in an inner-city school.
What matters in such schools is if you can love the children, not as a passive verb, but as an active one. That is, if your love FOR the children exceeds your love OF the children. Then it does them some good. Otherwise, the only person who benefits is you.
An extended metaphor for this philosophy is one of the messages in the classic The Little Prince, by Antoine de St.-Exupery. I strongly suggest that you read it before going into a troubled school. If you can read it in French, all the better.
"Lean On Me"... I chuckle when people refer to this movie. This was before NCLB. The first thing Mr. Clark did was kick out the students who were dealing drugs and skipping school.
In fact, our time and energy is dedicated more now than ever on the very students that Mr. Clark kicked out of his HS. We are desperately trying to get these students to care. These include conferences with students, chasing students with phone calls and letters, home visits, and seeking parents at work in an effort to consult with them. Additionally, man hours can include meetings at school where a group collaborates to brainstorm ideas on what else to do to get the student to come to school, to do school work, and to work on problem behaviors.
For example, mom works at a gentleman's club so she works the graveyard shift. Her son or daughter is left to fend for himself/herself in those hours so getting a decent night's sleep doesn't happen nor does homework or dinner. Mom never graduated from high school herself and must work to pay rent and bills- paycheck to paycheck and bf to bf. The child gets involved in gangs and drugs and the law. As a result, the battle is multi-fold: getting ahold of mom to discuss problems at school, getting the student to school on time, getting school work completed (homework is a lost battle so work time is given at school), there is a lack of respect towards school and authority, attitude needs to be checked, etc.
So, if these are the type of battles you are willing to tackle daily, then go into teaching. For some, it doesn't bother them too much and is worth it when they can make a difference.
There are some that no matter what type of relationship you try to build and what you do for the student and family, you might not get anywhere.
Also, gone are the days where teacher got vacation during the summer. The amount of time dedicated towards continuing education, seminars/conferences, school projects, etc. monopolize that time. Don't forget the number of hours you spend planning at night and weekends. Your days of getting off work and doing your own thing with the family will be gone. THe family will adjust to you doing dinner and then sitting down with papers to grade and school books as you plan your days and weeks. Weekends will include grabbing your school work so if you have spare time you are working on it.
Be sure teaching is what you want to do.
"Lean On Me"... I chuckle when people refer to this movie. This was before NCLB. The first thing Mr. Clark did was kick out the students who were dealing drugs and skipping school.
In fact, our time and energy is dedicated more now than ever on the very students that Mr. Clark kicked out of his HS. We are desperately trying to get these students to care. These include conferences with students, chasing students with phone calls and letters, home visits, and seeking parents at work in an effort to consult with them. Additionally, man hours can include meetings at school where a group collaborates to brainstorm ideas on what else to do to get the student to come to school, to do school work, and to work on problem behaviors.
For example, mom works at a gentleman's club so she works the graveyard shift. Her son or daughter is left to fend for himself/herself in those hours so getting a decent night's sleep doesn't happen nor does homework or dinner. Mom never graduated from high school herself and must work to pay rent and bills- paycheck to paycheck and bf to bf. The child gets involved in gangs and drugs and the law. As a result, the battle is multi-fold: getting ahold of mom to discuss problems at school, getting the student to school on time, getting school work completed (homework is a lost battle so work time is given at school), there is a lack of respect towards school and authority, attitude needs to be checked, etc.
So, if these are the type of battles you are willing to tackle daily, then go into teaching. For some, it doesn't bother them too much and is worth it when they can make a difference.
There are some that no matter what type of relationship you try to build and what you do for the student and family, you might not get anywhere.
Also, gone are the days where teacher got vacation during the summer. The amount of time dedicated towards continuing education, seminars/conferences, school projects, etc. monopolize that time. Don't forget the number of hours you spend planning at night and weekends. Your days of getting off work and doing your own thing with the family will be gone. THe family will adjust to you doing dinner and then sitting down with papers to grade and school books as you plan your days and weeks. Weekends will include grabbing your school work so if you have spare time you are working on it.
Be sure teaching is what you want to do.
For a time our school had a principal who fancied himself a Joe Clark. He did kick the students out. Our school had one of the highest transfer rates to the alternative school. The man did restore law and order in the school before he retired. It's almost like a real school now. But we still have to deal with the same kinds of scenarios that you describe.
OP, frogin was exactly right in every respect. Until you can get a body of experience and work-related documents from which to draw, you will spend endless hours that people typically pass in leisure and family activities. You can sometimes beg out of summer workshops claiming family obligations, but that is easier once you are part of a school "family" where all the employees take ownership over the school, the students, and each other.
It is important to develop positive relationships with all the school staff. My ed professor emphasized that the two most powerful people in the school are the office manager and the head custodian. He was not far from the truth. You need to treat all the custodial, kitchen, and office staff with the utmost of respect. In a jam, they are the ones who can help you be able to function at school. If possible, try to find out something about the office manager. This person can make your life a dream or a nightmare. If the teachers and staff don't have anything nice to say, watch out!
It sounds exciting! Well, I don't know. I don't mind hard work, but I need to feel like I can get it done. The best course of action may be to get a lot of information from teachers, parents, and adminstration about the students I'm planning to work with and the type of instruction that works well with those students. It would also be helpful for me to do a lot of reading about success in inner-city schools and maybe present a very thorough plan with my resume? This way they would know that I've done my research, and we would already be somewhat familiar with each other from the beginning. Maybe it would be helpful to work as a sub in the district in which I want to teach. I could also perhaps volunteer for community services, such as tutoring or literacy programs.
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