Job Story: English Teacher....former Journalist disillusioned with students, administration, parents

[JonnyMaybe]

I understand. I feel for you and respect you. I WILL NEVER forget my teachers. Some of them used corporal punishment, some even slaped me in the face. I had it comming. They had control of the class and even made learning fun. This was in the 1960's rural America.
There is a book series called: THE DESTROYER". It is about a covert government agency that worked outside the constitution to get mobsters and terrorist that always got off in court or could not be caught.
What we need is a secret organization to go out and get to kids that are disrepectful or disrupting class and use corporal pumishment on them or WHATEVER WORKS. Even get the Parents if they are not being parents, especialy the absent fathers or "My Baby Daddy" as they are more commonly called. (Notice I NEVER pointed at any particular culture, race, creed, ect)
Teachers should have the all authority of parents or police in a classroom. NOTHING ELSE IS WORKING.
We now have a WHOLE generation of fatherless children and even motherless children being raised by the grand mother or foster parents. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, ect are all producing children and not raising them. If a woman or man has 2 babies out of wedlock and on govenment asistance..forced sterillization is in order or at least a kick in the butt.

[Unregistered]

I completely empathize with you and your teaching experience. I actually decided to go back to earn my M.A.E. shortly after graduating with an English degree. My university training was hardly sufficient and I have been struggling to keep my head above water. I began teaching in the middle of the year, taking over the job of a teacher on maternity leave. I basically inherited a class with no lesson plans and classrooms of students who have been accustomed to doing as they please. I have no authority within the classroom and teaching my students has become virtually impossible, as they are disinterested and defiant. The school I am working at (Indiana suburb) is staffed by administrators that have failed to support me in the areas of management, lesson planning, materials, etc. With no backing and a complete lack of parental support, I feel I am in a hopeless situation. Like you, I had a desire to positively impact the lives of children, engage them in reading and writing, teach them the art of literature and power of language. So far, I have accomplished adding major stress to my life, straining my voice, and becoming bitter towards the public school system. I am currently pursuing an editorial/journalism career.

[Bradley]

What is junior high? I remember my Uncle congradulateing me when I graduated from 8th grade. He looked at me with this knowing, sarcastic smile and said something to the likes of, "What was the point of junior high anyway? Now you can get on with your life". That was funny, even fifteen years later because it's so true. Junior High was great, but not because of the C's and B's I pulled... but because of the experience. That's when we started dating, were introduced to sarcasm, started seeing our teachers as equals instead of Mr.'s or Ma'am's... Really it was just a little curb time before we were old enough to go to Highschool... why didn't they just call it shortschool after all? I'm sorry you had a bad experience with public schools. But no the system doesn't take that level of education seriously, because parents don't take it seriously, and kids are very impressionable by then... they know. What to do? You're a writer, write about it. Find a school and take it on with your writing skills, rip it up. Inquire why one public school with more kids has less funds then an upstate public with less kids... is if fair to cheat our kids because of property taxes? Hell no! And still it goes on. Let's raise stupid, inconciderate, obnoxious, spoiled, and education deprived kids because no one takes on the system and betters it. Perhaps this is your calling. Go write writer!
www.robothell.com

[Bradley]

I just read that first reply up there... Let me ask you something sir? Have you ever hit a dog? Because it barked too loudly or for whatever reason? Well that's a dog. Perhaps you are being facetious, but rough up a kid and you going to get five fresh rounds burrowed in your back. It doesn't work like that anymore. This ain't the good old days. America had a civil war, then two world wars, your generation killed Martin, Bobby, and Johnny and this is only the beginning of the back lash that we are feeling. Those days are gone friends. But the greater majority of Americans fall asleep soundly in front of the TV. Have you ever heard of Murphy's law? Condoms break. Shit happens. If you are surrounded by crack houses, bars, and strip clubs... you might be the most religious man in your church but you'll go get some crack one day, and go to a strip club just because that's human nature and we are a curious species. But lets go punish our brethern right? Why the hell can't we take care of the situation at the roots. If you mow a weed, but don't get the root, it's not dead. Punish someone, but don't correct their problems... you've got a pissed off human, with more problems, who just so happens to live next to a hill billy that doesn't lock up his gun at night. Get my point, enough parables? Why do people wait for problems to correct themselves? Because we are all spoiled, materialistic, and lazy... stop judging others from behind your T.V., get up and do something. Thank you...
Good Evening...
www.robothell.com

[frieda]

Your story made me so angry! I am half-way through my second year of teaching. I survived the boring, ridiculous, actively anti-intellecual teaching credentialling process here in California, only to meet up with a schedule so gruelling I can't believe I'm using my elite eastern education and U.C. masters degree in literature to put up with this shit!

My students are seventh grade "Language Arts" victims, who have rarely read anything other than the awful and badly written stories in our Holt curriculum. They play the race card whenever they don't get what they want, even though I have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars buying books and xeroxing articles to create a Harlem Renaissance unit for them!!! Their parents support their actively rude and awful behavior...and I will probably quit sooner rather than later!!!

[Unregistered]

Wow, bitter much?

[Englishteacher]

Hi, I really wish that I could give you a big hug because I know exactly how you feel. I also hate that you feel so disheartened and ready to give up. Please don't!
I'm finishing up my first year teaching and came from a writing/ journalism background too. I came into teaching with idealistic notions of making a difference, etc, etc. And in many ways, I know that I did. But in other ways, I look back on this year and believe that there were many times when I failed miserably. And there's not a whole lot that I can do to change it. I messed up. So what? I didn't know better. I chalk it up to my first year and move on. But I think I would have been an even greater failure if I had not learned how to do one very important thing:
NOT TAKE THIS JOB (or MYSELF) SO SERIOUSLY.
I used to sit at my desk and just cry after my last 11th graders left for the day. Why didn't they listen to me? Why didn't they do as I asked? Why didn't they take this class seriously? I was becoming something I never thought I could be. I found myself yelling....snapping at them....just feeling absolutely awful.

The answer to why they act that way is that they are simply living in a different background from you. They have no clue about your wanting to make a difference. They could care less that you want to "save" them. They don't get why you're there. All they feel is controlled and stifled when they come to school, and you're the easiest target. You showing how much they get to you makes it even easier.
So you have to show them something different.
This past semester, when I got a whole new crop of classes, I tried something different. I didn't focus a lot on me OR on them, but instead I totally focused on the material. I showed how excited I was about the literature I was teaching and ignored their misbehavior. You will find that sometimes when they are acting up all kids really need is just a smile from you, or just a genuine kind word or just for you to leave them alone. Put yourself in their shoes for just a second. You will see what it is. They really just want your attention. They want you to believe in them, even if they don't show it. Just laugh with them every now and then. You will enjoy the heck out of yourself if you can learn to let them make you laugh. I tell my freshmen all the time that they are the light of my life. Develop a thick skin. Realize that yeah, that hastily drawn caricature you found in the desk could very well be of you....and yeah, they probably were laughing at you with their friends, but, you know what? who the hell cares? You're an adult-you've got your adult friends and your family and your life outside of school. This job is not everything.
They're kids and sometimes you're not going to be the queen in their eyes that you want to be...sometimes they're going to think it's not cool to like the teacher...you've got power in their eyes, they have none. But if you don't make it about a popularity contest, and instead are true to yourself....then, on the inside, the part of you that they'll carry in their heart is the true you- they're listening to you and watching you, believe it or not. Just don't show how badly you want them to. Show that you are man, just so into this subject and oh boy will they be missing out if they don't pay attention to this amazing stuff... and they'll follow. Use that passion that you've got. You will have to sometimes trip up and make an idiot out of yourself. You'll have to give more love than control. You'll have to turn the other cheek if you want to survive. That's the only way to grow and learn. BUT they will love you for it, I guarantee it. There is nothing better than the love you feel for these kids and earning their love back, or having them say you're the best English teacher they ever had, or that you're they're favorite teacher, or that you know what, you really made them think in this class, or that you listened to what they said, you really challenged them. All the other crap fades away. There is nothing greater than that feeling, and it will be yours if you can just hang in there. Just be yourself and they will love you, and it will feel wonderful, so much more meaningful than generating that pointless copy from behind a desk, I guarantee it.


I hope that you will find it in yourself to do the hardest thing in the world and forgive. You've got the passion and intelligence and your heart's in the right place. It sounds like you're simply at a school that doesn't deserve you and it is not where you're meant to be. Please don't give up teaching. Don't go back there. You care enough to let teaching hurt; every time your heart breaks it grows bigger. You've got it in you. It's in your blood! Please don't give up.

There is a wonderful book called The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer. I highly recommend it for you. I wish you newfound courage and strength and an ability to not put such high pressure on yourself. You are wonderful and just by caring you are doing a hell of a lot better than most. So keep on keeping on. DON'T give up!!

[lisa68lander]

To the frustrated Palm Beach County English Teacher:
We are looking for a tutor for our 11 year old son. Have you thought about privatizing your efforts to teach? I hope you still look at this site. I am not sure when you wrote this.
I am in the Acreage area if you are interested. He is very loving and really needs help. tlcmort@bellsouth.net