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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: contest_sanity on July 08, 2011, 10:12:27 AM
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I've been wanting to make this thread for a while, where people who are either already educators or people soon to be so (I know there are at least a few of us: myself, Jamesman, Splent, DTVT, etc.) can discuss shit of particular relevance to the profession. Of course, this doesn't preclude anyone else from participating as well, but I just thought this could be a place of support and collaboration for those of us with educational vocations. So go ahead and discuss whatevs:
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So I guess I'll be first. My 2 main concerns right now are finishing grad school/earning my degree and finding a job. Regarding the former, I have to give an exhibition in about 2 weeks where I talk for 30-45 minutes, synthesizing my entire experience in the program (as well as student teaching) into one speech. Talk about a difficult task. Right now I have about 15-20 solid minutes, but I'm feeling so unmotivated to finish the thing. I think I am still exhausted from the Spring Semester when I was student teaching as well as working 25 hours a week at Target.
On the job front, I have sent numerous applications and have not heard anything at all. Nothing. Not even the first interview. I'm getting concerned since it's already July. I know jobs can open up at the last minute, but there are also a lot of other people out there vying for positions (many of whom have much more experience than just student teaching). Anyway, I still have Target and can increase my hours there, but it will still be a big disappointment to not find a teaching job this year. And I think this pessimism is starting to affect my motivation for the coursework I have left.
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Are you looking at college/university level jobs or the primary/secondary school level? I can't speak for primary/secondary, but most colleges and universities prime application season is the fall semester, because they want to weed out who comes in for an interview (a multi-day event for each candidate) in the early Spring so they can make offers March and April. The jobs that are still posted after that either were forgotten to be taken down or became temp positions because they couldn't find a long term candidate or the person they wanted took another position. At least that's my experience.
Also for the college level, I've found the networking I did several years ago to be invaluable.
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Oh, I am looking at the high school level (English). I will only have a Master's degree. I would love to do more at some point, but for right now I need to get some experience teaching first.
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Also for the college level, I've found the networking I did several years ago to be invaluable.
Indeed. When I student teach this fall, I want to make sure I am in good standing with the principal at my high school. I want my name to have good connotations in the education field here. I'm already in greats standing among all the math professors and education professors, and I feel like their backing is in my favor for getting a job and going on to grad school.
Like I said, I am student teaching beginning in six weeks. I am very nervous in a sense, but I have attained enough practice and experience that I know for sure that I just need to get into my groove in the first week or two and all of it will fly by and go smooth. It happened in both "practice" classes that I only had to teach 3 lessons in. The kids loved me (talking high school juniors and seniors), the math was the harder stuff and my mistakes only stemmed from nervousness. The kids got the concepts well enough that they got great grades on their subsequent test and really knew the content well.
Yep, very nervous but so amazingly stoked that all this hard work is culminating in less than 5 months.
I also feel blessed to have chosen arguably the best subject to teach for middle/high school. At least here in Florida, if you are certified to teach high school math, you have a job somewhere near you. I think in my city there aren't jobs, but a 25 minute drive to a high school to work is more than worth it to me (and relocating later is always an option, though the drive would be great for listening to music).
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So I guess I'll be first. My 2 main concerns right now are finishing grad school/earning my degree and finding a job. Regarding the former, I have to give an exhibition in about 2 weeks where I talk for 30-45 minutes, synthesizing my entire experience in the program (as well as student teaching) into one speech. Talk about a difficult task. Right now I have about 15-20 solid minutes, but I'm feeling so unmotivated to finish the thing. I think I am still exhausted from the Spring Semester when I was student teaching as well as working 25 hours a week at Target.
On the job front, I have sent numerous applications and have not heard anything at all. Nothing. Not even the first interview. I'm getting concerned since it's already July. I know jobs can open up at the last minute, but there are also a lot of other people out there vying for positions (many of whom have much more experience than just student teaching). Anyway, I still have Target and can increase my hours there, but it will still be a big disappointment to not find a teaching job this year. And I think this pessimism is starting to affect my motivation for the coursework I have left.
Not to be a downer, but unless you have some experience under your belt, you are going to be hard pressed to find a job. Masters degrees cost more money, at least under every single collective bargaining agreement I've read. With a masters and no experience, you are probably going to have to find an in somewhere to get started, or else you may have to settle for something part time or subbing so that you can get some experience, and then apply for full time positions. I know you are focused on mainly high school, but high schools are hard as hell to get into, because usually they pay more (in certain types of districts... community consolidated districts it doesn't matter, but high school districts it usually is that way); you may want to at least consider teaching middle school to get your feet wet. My suggestion is to apply for EVERYTHING you can and get some experience. You can't be picky right now.
Now don't freak out yet because it's July. My last two jobs I was hired mid-July. Big job openings occur in April (retirements), June, and end of July-August. Job openings slow down now because early to mid July are when most superintendents have vacations. I've been waiting for 3 weeks now to hear from a high school job that's between me and 1 other person to teach high school choir and class piano. Principal can't do anything about it except wait. Just be patient. It will happen. But be liberal in applying. Apply everywhere that seems feasible to you.
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Thanks for the advice, Splent. I hadn't thought of the superintendent vacation explanation, so that's good to know. I am also applying for some Middle School jobs because, as you said, cast the net as wide as possible, right? I'm really applying to anything within an hour and a half of where I live. Subbing/part-time could be a good idea in theory; however, my family's health insurance is through Target. Therefore, I HAVE to keep up full time hours there, precisely because I don't know if I will find a teaching job. Not sure if I can handle 40 hrs a week in retail as well as subbing.
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Perfect timing for this thread, as I just received an email from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing stating that I've just been issued my Single Subject Credential in Foundational Mathematics! Now I just need to pester a couple people to finish their letters of recommendation so I can apply for positions.
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Thanks for the advice, Splent. I hadn't thought of the superintendent vacation explanation, so that's good to know. I am also applying for some Middle School jobs because, as you said, cast the net as wide as possible, right? I'm really applying to anything within an hour and a half of where I live. Subbing/part-time could be a good idea in theory; however, my family's health insurance is through Target. Therefore, I HAVE to keep up full time hours there, precisely because I don't know if I will find a teaching job. Not sure if I can handle 40 hrs a week in retail as well as subbing.
Don't sub every day. Just a few times a week.
Perfect timing for this thread, as I just received an email from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing stating that I've just been issued my Single Subject Credential in Foundational Mathematics! Now I just need to pester a couple people to finish their letters of recommendation so I can apply for positions.
Nice! This is a fantastic year for both of us man, we'll both be certified to teach math. We should start a club or something.
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I've landed a job in church music that includes teaching music in the attached grade school. It's K-8 and about 6 hours of classroom time every week. I don't have any formal training in education, so I'm scared as hell to start. Advice?
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I so don't belong here, but it is a goal of mine to teach one day. :D
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No dawg, come on in. What is it that you envision yourself teaching?
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Well, I plan on going to school for philosophy, then going to law school because being a modern day philosopher is risky business. If shit gets better in the next 6 years, I'll get my degree, masters, and PhD in philosophy and teach at a university. If that doesn't happen and I become a lawyer, I'd love to teach to incoming law students after what will hopefully be a successful career. Either way, I end up teaching.
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Well, I plan on going to school for philosophy, then going to law school because being a modern day philosopher is risky business. If shit gets better in the next 6 years, I'll get my degree, masters, and PhD in philosophy and teach at a university. If that doesn't happen and I become a lawyer, I'd love to teach to incoming law students after what will hopefully be a successful career. Either way, I end up teaching.
My younger brother did his undergrad in Philosophy with a minor in theology, but he became a pastor, which is sort of like a professional philosopher in a sense. One of my roommates in college also did the same thing. I would love to have done a PhD in English to teach at the university level, but it just wasn't quite feasible economically or from a time-commitment standpoint. Maybe one day.
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Yeah, one of my life goals is to get a PhD.
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Let me advise you, then: go straight through. Undergrad, Master's, PhD. Don't take any breaks. If you take time off life can start to get in the way, so to speak (or at least it did with me). Maybe others who have actually completed PhDs will disagree, but that's how I see it.
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Oh yeah, totally understandable. If shit gets better for dudes with their PhDs in philosophy, that's what I'll do.
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I had a teacher..Once...
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I don't have any formal training in education, so I'm scared as hell to start. Advice?
Neither did most of your college professors. I find teaching either comes naturally or it doesn't. It's easy for me at the university level because I can for the most part be myself, let an F-bomb slip occasionally, and be enthusiastic for my subject. Show them the way you learned things when it worked for you, and know alternative methods as back up.
My advice to you is do the same, minus the F-bombs since you'll be in a church.
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I've landed a job in church music that includes teaching music in the attached grade school. It's K-8 and about 6 hours of classroom time every week. I don't have any formal training in education, so I'm scared as hell to start. Advice?
Do you want to borrow some of my textbooks/worksheets if you make it back to your folks' before you start? I'll lend them to you. Do you have a book series or a curriculum? Vanessa has a TON of K-6 stuff she would be happy to burn for you and I have a ton of middle school general music and choir stuff as well.
In other news, I'm STILL waiting to hear back from my job. It's been 3 weeks now. Vanessa waited this long before they got back to her. I was thinking about calling them tomorrow.
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After I get my masters, I was considering getting into teaching like Psych 101 or something at a community college.
But I know nothing about teaching and how to get jobs in it. Advise is not only welcomed but mandated.
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idk im goin be a french teacher at some point so i guess i qualify for this thread
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I intend to go to a strong musical college to major in composition/performance, and then get the necessitate education to be able to teach at a high school level.
My dream job is to be an HS band director.
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After I get my masters, I was considering getting into teaching like Psych 101 or something at a community college.
But I know nothing about teaching and how to get jobs in it. Advise is not only welcomed but mandated.
While working on your masters, you should see if they have any TA positions open. On the job training right there.
As for teaching college, on some levels its probably easier to manage the class because you'll deal with less troublemakers and you generally have to give a sylabus at the beginning of the semester so the administrative part is less and handled up front.
Since college students are generally more motivated, you can give less or no homework, which just leaves writing/grading quizzes, and maybe the occasional essay/presentation (don't deal with those in chemistry often).
In short, there's a good reason that you almost always need a degree in education to teach primary/secondary and don't to teach college. Most of it at the college level is being a good communicator, connecting with your students to make the material relavent and interesting, and knowing the material.
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I intend to go to a strong musical college to major in composition/performance, and then get the necessitate education to be able to teach at a high school level.
My dream job is to be an HS band director.
Where are you looking?
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I intend to go to a strong musical college to major in composition/performance, and then get the necessitate education to be able to teach at a high school level.
My dream job is to be an HS band director.
Where are you looking?
Probably Berklee School of Music or University of North Texas
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After I get my masters, I was considering getting into teaching like Psych 101 or something at a community college.
But I know nothing about teaching and how to get jobs in it. Advise is not only welcomed but mandated.
While working on your masters, you should see if they have any TA positions open. On the job training right there.
As for teaching college, on some levels its probably easier to manage the class because you'll deal with less troublemakers and you generally have to give a sylabus at the beginning of the semester so the administrative part is less and handled up front.
Since college students are generally more motivated, you can give less or no homework, which just leaves writing/grading quizzes, and maybe the occasional essay/presentation (don't deal with those in chemistry often).
In short, there's a good reason that you almost always need a degree in education to teach primary/secondary and don't to teach college. Most of it at the college level is being a good communicator, connecting with your students to make the material relavent and interesting, and knowing the material.
...which is why I want to teach college. :lol
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BTW, lecture prep is much more work than you realize. You may remember the videos I posted of myself giving a lecture (no one got past the second one :'( ) I put a lot of time into that and I didn't have to learn anything b/c I already knew the material.
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I'm fine with lecture prep. I actually like the work it entails because it makes me think about how I would explain it to others so that it makes sense.
Now, I may take that back once I am teaching a lot. I dunno, I asked some people I know who taught/teach math in their first year, they said it's easy if you know your stuff.
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Knowing your stuff and being able to teach it are two different things. I know a few American grad students who can't teach a lick. If they're foreign you can always play the language card. Some people got it, some people don't.
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I agree. I'm just saying I like preparing it...I also like teaching it. Probably why I chose teaching, it feels natural to me. :lol
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Oh hai guyz... I finally got a job interview for a middle school ELA position. It will be my first ever education interview. Any protips from people with experience?
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Oh hai guyz... I finally got a job interview for a middle school ELA position. It will be my first ever education interview. Any protips from people with experience?
Show confidence, indicate that your past experiences have built you to who you are, and will build you to become better... and NEVER ASSUME.
On a related note, do you think it's professional to call a principal 2 weeks after you already did, which would make it 3 weeks after a 2nd interview? I plan on calling today, but I don't want to seem imposing or bothersome... although you would think they would have contacted me by now, and everything looked like it was going my way...
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I taught 7 college level courses as an adjunct. One was a master's level course at Shippensburg University where I got my masters. The rest was a Central Pennsylvania College. I got the Central Penn job because I worked with someone else that was teaching as an adjunct and hooked me up. There needed someone to teach a Web Design class desperately. I taught that class before I walked in my graduation.
I quit teaching a couple years ago because it just didn't pay enough and it was too much work! I also had a frustrating run in with a couple of students that cheated on the final. I was leading a Cub Scout pack at the time and leading my church's praise team. It was too much while still working a full time job.
However, that experience really helped me with my current soft skills and ability to communicate. You really have to have your crap together to stand in front of paying students and give a 3 hour lecture.
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FUCKING OWNED MY CAPSTONE TODAY!!!
And now have a Master's Degree.
Now I just need a job!
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How long after a second interview (where I was one of two people) do people call you back? It's been a month since the interview, three weeks since I've called the principal where she said I had a good chance of getting it. I'm calling tomorrow morning. I know July is a fickle month for administration, with vacations, summer school, etc. But this is ridiculous. I know my wife got called back about 3 1/2 weeks after interviewing. What is the longest period of time you've had between interview and job offer? Please let me know to ease my anxiety. I can only imagine they would have called me either way by now. And it would be common courtesy for them to call me either way since I've had two interviews.
I have another interview on Thursday but it's for a high school where test scores are LOW LOW LOW and it's part of a restructuring program.... I mean a job is a job, but I know that music is not the priority there. Iffy iffy. Although, anything is better than where I am right now.
On another note I just saw that stupid Frosted Mini Wheats "HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR" commercial again... makes me want to cry because I still as of right now am going back to that awful job...
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FUCKING OWNED MY CAPSTONE TODAY!!!
And now have a Master's Degree.
Now I just need a job!
:tup :tup :tup :tup :tup :hat :hat :hat :hat :hat :hat :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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How long after a second interview (where I was one of two people) do people call you back? It's been a month since the interview, three weeks since I've called the principal where she said I had a good chance of getting it. I'm calling tomorrow morning. I know July is a fickle month for administration, with vacations, summer school, etc. But this is ridiculous. I know my wife got called back about 3 1/2 weeks after interviewing. What is the longest period of time you've had between interview and job offer? Please let me know to ease my anxiety. I can only imagine they would have called me either way by now. And it would be common courtesy for them to call me either way since I've had two interviews.
I have another interview on Thursday but it's for a high school where test scores are LOW LOW LOW and it's part of a restructuring program.... I mean a job is a job, but I know that music is not the priority there. Iffy iffy. Although, anything is better than where I am right now.
On another note I just saw that stupid Frosted Mini Wheats "HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR" commercial again... makes me want to cry because I still as of right now am going back to that awful job...
I know how you feel about calling back, you want to walk the line between showing interest and not becoming annoying. Maybe try calling next Monday. They probably know you are still at another school, so if you give them the reason "you want to give them time to find someone else" you'll be showing a very professional and courtious manner toward your job and they should appriciate that.
As for the other job, look at it as a blank slate. You won't be bound to the old cirriculum, if you get things turned around you will open doorsa for getting more state aid for more instruments/equipment, or your dream job.
I wish I would have you as a music teacher...then again I'm pretty sure I'm older than you.
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For anyone interested in this kind of thing, here is a portion of my Capstone Exhibition I gave to complete my Master's. It's basically about expanding the idea of "literature" to include things such as music, films, T.V., etc.
Shut It Shakespeare: Weezy In Da House (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsyx4AFHFa4&feature=related)
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Most people in my area that went for middle/high school math education got offered some sort of job before they were done student teaching. I've been told that the odds of this happening to me are good as well. So I guess I just gotta make all the right impressions. Hell, even if I just get a full time subbing job, I'll be content.
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I just finished my Plan B (instead of a thesis) defense a couple weeks ago, and my Master's will be in the mail soon.
I spent the last two years teaching two advanced audio labs, grading, the whole shebang. I'm an audio engineer/producer, but I would consider teaching again in the future.
I manage to have less respect for academia every day. Right now I'm convinced it only prepares people to be teachers. I've applied around 50 places so far, a few replies, no interviews. I was voted as the hardest worker in my whole program, but now I've likely got an MA that I'm going to have to lie about and say I don't have just to work at a store somewhere. It's rather depressing.
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I manage to have less respect for academia every day. Right now I'm convinced it only prepares people to be teachers.
Maybe in your field, but most people who get advanced degrees in the physical sciences don't enter academia.
If you get an advanced degree in literature though, your only real options are academia or Barnes & Noble.
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Oh man. In a few weeks I'm gonna be student teaching. It's starting to hit me as I mark down things on my calendar and start getting ready in various ways. Only thing I have left to do, technically, is buy proper clothes, resolve the last details of my financial aid, and get a teacher pass. Also gotta call my cooperating teacher.
Also, I'll have free time in most of the days of the next 2 weeks to clean up and fill in a lot of my portfolio due in November. It shouldn't be too hard...just uploading some files, explaining what they are and why they represent things in my professional development. I also have to come up with an education of philosophy, so that'll take some time and thought. Any advice concerning writing that up? I know what I believe, but I'm sure there is advice to be had on that area.
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News.
Bad - I did NOT get the high school job, this is the 2nd or 3rd time where I've been shafted for someone else (basically 2nd place)... I was depressed for like a week.
OK - My old job opened up again... the one that I lost due to budget cuts, but is being reinstated now.
Best - My psycho principal is gone, which makes me feel a little better about coming back to my job this year (if I don't get another job first).
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It's great that you at least have the chance to go back to your old job with less of a monkey on your back. :tup
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GAH!!! 3 weeks from tomorrow, I start teaching K-8 general music in a private school. It is attached to a church where I am also the Director of Liturgy and Music. So much to do still, yet so little really. My fiancee (a 5-year teacher) taught me how to write lesson plans the other day. It's nowhere near as intimidating as I thought. Awesome how EVERYTHING you need to run a 40-minute class period is there in the plan... makes it a breeze (hopefully enough).
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I had entered University last year to become a teacher, teaching grades 10-12 maths. But a month into uni I was placed in a grade 4 class and it was so out of my element...I'm not going back this year. :(
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Sometimes they don't have enough available, certified teachers for the level you wanna teach. You're in it for the degree, no matter what it takes. I know elementary school is such a different beast, but once you get that degree, you're set. Especially that degree, that's probably the best degree to get as far as K-12 education goes.
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But for my first internship they didn't even try to put me into the level that I aspired for and am comfortable with. It ruined my whole experience. Not that I don't like kids, but teaching them just isn't my bag of tricks. The teacher I was put with was also extremely off-putting and rude about everything cause he could tell how uncomfortable I was in that situation, and he did nothing to aide me.
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Don't let one experience drag you down though. Everything about that isolated incident was wrong, yes, but dude, it's worth it once you're placed.
Also, how many internships do you do, and what sort? Throughout my program, I am supposed to do 2 "practicums," which are 20 hours per semester of observation that include 3 taught and graded lessons that I teach. Then is my student teaching which is 12 weeks of full time teaching.
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Well I started uni in September of last year and was placed in a school in October for a full day every week until Christmas. I'm pretty sure if I was to return it is the same thing for the second year, then the whole first semester of the third year is internship.
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Education is all about connecting and delivery. For the student, it's the experience not necessarily content. Anyone can deliver content, to be a teacher is to be a leader and to inspire. In the first year every teacher needs to learn the ropes but by your second year your job is to motivate, inspire and then teach whatever the content is. Your experience in teaching should be the interaction and connection in your delivery.
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But for my first internship they didn't even try to put me into the level that I aspired for and am comfortable with.
Giving you something you weren't expecting/prepared to handle was a test of your ability to adapt. Not everything can be planned out and tightly regimented, and putting you in position you weren't expecting was a test of your ability to adapt as well as a learning experience.
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Had an interview yesterday that went pretty well. I felt reasonably comfortable and not too intimidated. They said I was the first of 15-20 interviews, however, so it sounds like stiff competition. I think they liked what I had to say and also enjoyed some of my technology pieces (like my Transcendentalism WebQuest).
However, the position is VERY strange. It would be 2 periods of repeating 2nd semester 9th (kids who failed 9th last year), 1 period of regular 12th Brit Lit, and then 3 periods where I was actually the inclusion/special ed teacher in another teacher's English class. Isn't that kind of bizarre? Anyway, they said that I could make plans to pass the certification test in SPED and didn't have to already be certified for it.
The department also uses a common curriculum calender and common assessments, which in some ways I really dislike, but if I were to get the job and had to start all this on the fly in October, hell, maybe pre-planned curriculum would be a welcome sight.
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Whoa, they're still interviewing now? Hasn't the school year started already by now?
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^From what I hear, positions open up for random reasons (hey, like my classroom teacher's pregnancy). Things like sickness or someone quitting. That happened at my school last week, lady had a nervous breakdown in the middle of class and she quit.
I am 45% done with my student teaching today. It's flying by so fast. I can't believe I have 6 weeks to go and I am done. Monday through Friday, I wake up just with enough time to get ready and drive the half hour to where I am teaching. I have first period planning, so I can show up a little later though I only show up late once in a while. By the time second period happens, the day flies by. I blink and it's lunch time. And blink again and school is over for the day. I still can't believe that I am 45% done with this.
I am having a bit of hard time managing my 2 classes after lunch. They all love me and want me to stay and are cool kids, but as students and as a whole, they are just bad. I'm not mean by nature (I've been told I am too nice), but these kids are teaching me how to be tough. I had to go through the rules again with my last period class and it looks like I will have to with my 6th period class as well. I feel like I am getting better, though. Some of the kids even like it when I am tougher on them. So guess what, I'll be tougher. I HAVE to be so I do well, and I want to do well and manage the classroom.
Also, in general, I love teaching. It's great. I make rules for all kinds of things but when a student tells me that maybe it should be modified and they give me a good case, I change it. I don't want to be the dictator and everyone is subject to my demands with no say or voice in their education. Although with the aforementioned classes, I do have to be firm and tough and mean at times (but they are really below grade level).
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It's good that some of your classes are challenging you. You need to find the balance between tough and sympathetic. The students need to know that you're genuinely interested in teaching them, genuinely interested in them learning the material, but at the same time you don't take any shit. And if it ever comes down to it, you gotta be mean rather than nice, you gotta kick the butts that need kicking if it means doing your job.
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James -- I have found, and it also is supported by research, that often when you give students a larger voice in formulating classroom rules, they actually adhere to them more because they are invested in them. Ultimately, I think students will only really follow what they buy into, so why not ask them what's important for a well-functioning classroom? If they come up with a set of rules or norms themselves (with your supervision), then they're obligated to themselves and not just some outside authority.
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It's good that some of your classes are challenging you. You need to find the balance between tough and sympathetic. The students need to know that you're genuinely interested in teaching them, genuinely interested in them learning the material, but at the same time you don't take any shit. And if it ever comes down to it, you gotta be mean rather than nice, you gotta kick the butts that need kicking if it means doing your job.
Yes, this was my conclusion as well. I have some heavenly classes and some hellish classes. I am glad I get to sample both to see what both worlds look like.
James -- I have found, and it also is supported by research, that often when you give students a larger voice in formulating classroom rules, they actually adhere to them more because they are invested in them. Ultimately, I think students will only really follow what they buy into, so why not ask them what's important for a well-functioning classroom? If they come up with a set of rules or norms themselves (with your supervision), then they're obligated to themselves and not just some outside authority.
I know! The thing is, my classroom teacher said that won't be a good idea to revamp the rules. I'm wondering if taking 5 or 10 minutes to ask them how we can restructure things so that they behave better would be a good idea...like keep the rules, but change some procedures.
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James, out of curiosity, what makes your "bad" classes "bad?"
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James -- I have found, and it also is supported by research, that often when you give students a larger voice in formulating classroom rules, they actually adhere to them more because they are invested in them. Ultimately, I think students will only really follow what they buy into, so why not ask them what's important for a well-functioning classroom? If they come up with a set of rules or norms themselves (with your supervision), then they're obligated to themselves and not just some outside authority.
I know! The thing is, my classroom teacher said that won't be a good idea to revamp the rules. I'm wondering if taking 5 or 10 minutes to ask them how we can restructure things so that they behave better would be a good idea...like keep the rules, but change some procedures.
I had the same problem in that my supervisor would not let me give the students as much power as I wanted to give them, and sometimes you're really at your supervisor's mercy. But yeah, even if you can't outright change things, some honest conversations with your students about what's really important to them and how it can be achieved could definitely be beneficial.
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James, out of curiosity, what makes your "bad" classes "bad?"
Consistent, unrelenting bad behavior and a general distaste for math/school.
James -- I have found, and it also is supported by research, that often when you give students a larger voice in formulating classroom rules, they actually adhere to them more because they are invested in them. Ultimately, I think students will only really follow what they buy into, so why not ask them what's important for a well-functioning classroom? If they come up with a set of rules or norms themselves (with your supervision), then they're obligated to themselves and not just some outside authority.
I know! The thing is, my classroom teacher said that won't be a good idea to revamp the rules. I'm wondering if taking 5 or 10 minutes to ask them how we can restructure things so that they behave better would be a good idea...like keep the rules, but change some procedures.
I had the same problem in that my supervisor would not let me give the students as much power as I wanted to give them, and sometimes you're really at your supervisor's mercy. But yeah, even if you can't outright change things, some honest conversations with your students about what's really important to them and how it can be achieved could definitely be beneficial.
How could I go about doing that exactly/practically?
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Bad behavior and a hatred toward math. Welcome to 90% of high schoolers.
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Yep! But I feel like I am making them see why they need it. I will make them write down the "why" of each lesson and explain that they are learning it "to become a better analytic thinker" and stuff like that. They're very slowly coming around.
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With all due respect dude, if I needed to write down why I needed to learn the shit I was learning...in math, I'd hate the class too.
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Why? It's one sentence. And my notes are not extensive, trust me.
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re: rules
IDK James - how often do you ask for their feedback on stuff? You could have "Feedback Friday," where you ask for their opinions on things (oral or written).
Or what you could possibly do (I did this) is let them make a student "bill of rights," that is, rights that they have in the classroom. You could say something like, "I know we've talked a lot about my rules, but I've been teaching for a while, and I'd like to know what YOU think would make you more successful in the classroom." The one my students made did address how the teacher treats the student but it was also useful in pointing out how students have to respect one another if all students are to have their rights.
Tough question, though; it's easier to do stuff with rules and norms at the beginning of the year, I think.
With all due respect dude, if I needed to write down why I needed to learn the shit I was learning...in math, I'd hate the class too.
Don't you think it's important that math relate to the actual lives of teenagers? How often do we hear, "But when am I ever really gonna use this?" James is trying to actually answer that for his students.
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It's just the superfluity of it. If the kids are going to sit there listening to you teach them shit about numbers, what's the point in making them do more? I mean, if it's one sentence, that's ok. It is just kinda adding salt to a wound in an educational sense. I always hated questions like that. Just my take, but you'd love me as a student! :P
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I don't think it's superficial at all. If I can't enable a student to understand why what I am teaching is actually important for life in the real world, then what the fuck am I even doing? It's all just bullshit if it makes no impact on your life.
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Don't you think it's important that math relate to the actual lives of teenagers? How often do we hear, "But when am I ever really gonna use this?" James is trying to actually answer that for his students.
Wow. That is actually why I started making them write that...because every class literally had at least 2 people ask "When am I going to use this stuff?" So I have my answer for them prepared for each lesson.
re: rules
IDK James - how often do you ask for their feedback on stuff? You could have "Feedback Friday," where you ask for their opinions on things (oral or written).
Or what you could possibly do (I did this) is let them make a student "bill of rights," that is, rights that they have in the classroom. You could say something like, "I know we've talked a lot about my rules, but I've been teaching for a while, and I'd like to know what YOU think would make you more successful in the classroom." The one my students made did address how the teacher treats the student but it was also useful in pointing out how students have to respect one another if all students are to have their rights.
Tough question, though; it's easier to do stuff with rules and norms at the beginning of the year, I think.
yeah, my teacher is big on "the rules have already been set, just go over them again with them." I did that and the next day they were all angles, but then today it reverted quickly.
I like the idea of feedback friday. I'm thinking about it before really responding, though.
Can you explain the bill of rights thing further for me? Sounds very interesting.
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The true answer to "When am I going to have to use this" is "Most likely...never!"
Honesty.
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It's just the superfluity of it. If the kids are going to sit there listening to you teach them shit about numbers, what's the point in making them do more? I mean, if it's one sentence, that's ok. It is just kinda adding salt to a wound in an educational sense. I always hated questions like that. Just my take, but you'd love me as a student! :P
I very strongly believe that students shouldn't come to my class to learn about numbers and shapes only. They should learn to see connections, to see how goals are met, to see how to take notes of important things, to know why we do what we do. Plus, they even ask me so I may as well show them that I care about answering them and keeping them in the know. Plus, I tell them everything I just said in this post. I ask them "Would you be smarter or dumber with no education?" Even with the unmotivated kids, they answer dumber and realize "Oh, so we think better with more school. That makes sense." I've seen some of my students turn around and actually start working more by organizing my powerpoints to include the "what" and "why" of the lesson. Plus it is pedagogically sound.
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The true answer to "When am I going to have to use this" is "Most likely...never!"
Honesty.
HAHA! The other day this student who used to have a class with the teacher I am working with came in to visit. He is 20 now and works for the military. He always asked the teacher "When will I ever use slope? I'll never need this for real life!"
Guess what he does now. He does slope ALL DAY LONG for crucial military missions that require little error in his calculations. He told me that he wishes he could tell my current students that they're wrong if they think it may ever pop up in their lives again.
And even barring that, learning math develops your analytic thinking skills. You are all the better for taking more math classes for your life. I drill that into their heads almost every day and they get what I mean (well, starting to).
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Oh, I get where you're coming. I'm just giving you a student's perspective. The way I see it, you are going to have kids that dig what you are feeding them, you'll have kids who won't. Your job is to foster the minds of those that want to learn and do their shit so that is what you should do. It's a little elitist, but it is my theory of education. What you could also do is try to make it fun...what classes are you teaching again?
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Here's what my students wrote when I asked them to write a list about how they wanted to be treated:
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e6DCJ7l_8I8/ToUuE_ys4AI/AAAAAAAAAWI/yrOpkK-rv9g/s1600/IMG_20110107_142706.jpg)
You'll see that while a lot of it addresses me, there are also implications for how the students should treat one another. Plus, I need to be doing these things anyway, and it lets the students have a voice.
yeah, my teacher is big on "the rules have already been set, just go over them again with them." I did that and the next day they were all angles, but then today it reverted quickly.
Best typo ever!
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I have a financial math class and where I have the issues is with geometry. The students are below grade level.
See, I break down every section to the bare minimum. I don't give anything extra, nothing irrelevant to their homework or test.
What is hard in the "making it fun" part is that I have a very strict pacing guide that says I need to cover x amount of topics for the year. There isn't enough time to teach what is mathematically true and to make it fun. I wish I could have all sorts of fun activities, but since it doesn't guarantee the eventual correct exposure to the required learning of mathematical concepts, it is out of the window.
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I love that, c_s. I'm gonna ask my co-op teacher about that.
And omg at that typo. I didn't even mean that. It's so acute.
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Ok, I'm going to make a comment that will get me shot by most of DTF here because I am stereotyping and being biased, something I always talk about not doing. However, relate everything to sports and music. Odds are, they're into it and sports is great for geometry. The financial math class could be good with sports too.
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I wish I could have all sorts of fun activities, but since it doesn't guarantee the eventual correct exposure to the required learning of mathematical concepts, it is out of the window.
But exposure doesn't automatically result in understanding, either. Believe me, i understand living under the burden of "the test" and its subsequent standards, but you can cover all of the math there is and them not understand the first bit of it.
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Yeah, which is why I do a short (as possible) powerpoint, give a worksheet and walk around help students. My powerpoint includes some examples relating to worksheet, and the worksheet relates to their chapter test, and the tests all relate to their end of course exam, which they must pass.
Still, one instance of proper exposure is better than wandering in the dark knowing only less than the proper exposure, imo.
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But where is the fun?
I am a firm believer in fun.
Get them to have fun and that's over half your battle for relevance right there.
Of course, maybe it's easier in Lit than in Math, but we've all got to find our ways.
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What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?
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In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.
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Not to mention, geometry sucks. I hated it. It's gonna screw me on the SATs though.
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>:( Whatever, geometry is awesome :censored :censored :censored
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Algebra is the best thing ever. It is one massive puzzle and the more complicated and intricate, the better.
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What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?
Well, right now I'm still looking for a position (just had an interview this week). But last year in my student teaching I taught 11th grade (full semester) American Lit, 10th grade a unit on Southern Literature, and 9th grade a unit on research.
In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.
Again, I totally understand the disapproval of the supervising teacher. I think mine really thought I didn't "teach," simply because I never really lectured. But I think you've got to get some fun and relevance in there somehow, or the kids aren't going to even have a desire to want to understand it. Also, if kids feel the class is boring, that's some of your behavior problem right there. Not that I am saying I know how to make math fun because I don't, but I am saying that you should at least give it a shot.
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What did you do in your 11th grade American literature class?
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Algebra is the best thing ever. It is one massive puzzle and the more complicated and intricate, the better.
I agree. And calculus is like taking that puzzle and adding all kinds of cool...i don't know...tricks to it. Or making the algebra relevant to something else.
What Lit classes do you teach and to what grade?
Well, right now I'm still looking for a position (just had an interview this week). But last year in my student teaching I taught 11th grade (full semester) American Lit, 10th grade a unit on Southern Literature, and 9th grade a unit on research.
In my current situation, I just don't see it happening with much approval from my co-op teacher. Definitely from observers from my college who are into the theory. I don't want to screw over my co-op teacher either by taking too much time off the pacing guide, who is ultimately responsible for their academic progress.
Again, I totally understand the disapproval of the supervising teacher. I think mine really thought I didn't "teach," simply because I never really lectured. But I think you've got to get some fun and relevance in there somehow, or the kids aren't going to even have a desire to want to understand it. Also, if kids feel the class is boring, that's some of your behavior problem right there. Not that I am saying I know how to make math fun because I don't, but I am saying that you should at least give it a shot.
Hmm. The section I am currently in wouldn't allow for that, because it is all "reasoning and proof." And then I have parallel/perpendicular lines next to teach.
Maybe some sort of game involving the concepts. Not like a bingo game but something fun like that that gets them using the ideas learned...
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Oh god...geometric proofs!!! BURN IT WITH FIRE!!!!
If I had to prove why something is an ASA triangle one more time, I was gonna shoot someone.
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Bitch please
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What did you do in your 11th grade American literature class?
How expansive of an answer do you want? But here's one example of how I intro'd Transcendentalism:
https://www.gchstranscendental.blogspot.com/
The main project for that unit was for students to create a scenario in which they were arrested for an act of civil disobedience. They then had to argue their case in front of a jury using at least six quotes from Emerson and Thoreau as part of their defense.
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That sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thoreau was a beast.
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Bitch please
This is how you should respond to your students whenever they ask a question.
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Bitch please, if you want a right angle i'll show you how far i bend your mama over before i spank her
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That sounds awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thoreau was a beast.
His ideas really are quite radical and have influenced the likes of Ghandi, MLK, up to modern day protestors. And one kid made a video about how marijuana should be legalized. Talk about controversial (think small Georgia town). Thought my supervising teacher was going to have my head.
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Bitch please, if you want a right angle i'll show you how far i bend your mama over before i spank her
I wish you had been my math teacher.... :(
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haha no i'm not actually like that
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I think civil disobedience is one of the most important political concepts ever. Too bad it isn't more prevalent in society.
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Maybe if more people studied their fucking Thoreau in school....
contest_sanity school of civil disobedience: starting the Revolution, one student at a time!
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haha no i'm not actually like that
I don't believe that.
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Maybe if more people studied their fucking Thoreau in school....
contest_sanity school of civil disobedience: starting the Revolution, one student at a time!
Hell yeah man. I'm sick and tired of the crap I'm learning in my English classes.
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Which is what?
BTW - I think I'm sigging your quote about Henry David.
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It's just shitty shit shit. English class has now become, "read and interpret class" which is fine and all, but it gets annoying when I need to be told what a simile is 1000 times. Right now, I am in AP Language and Composition so we are studying rhetoric and it sucks balls. Over the summer, I had to read To Kill a Mockingbird, Life of Pi, The Scarlet Letter, and Of Mice and Men and do some shit with that...
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See, the school I taught in was primarily black, so I used a lot of rap content. For an intro to rhetoric, why not something along these lines:
"But even when a rapper is just rapping about how dope he is, there's something a little bit deeper going on. It's like a sonnet, believe it or not. Sonnets have a set structure, but also a limited subject matter: They are mostly about love. Taking on such a familiar subject and writing about it in a set structure forced sonnet writers to find every nook and cranny in the subject and challenged them to invent new language for saying old things. It's the same with braggadacio in rap. When we take the most familiar subject in the history of rap - why I'm dope - and frame it within the sixteen-bar structure of a rap verse, synced to the specific rhythm and feel of the track, more than anything it's a test of creativity and wit." (Jay-Z)
And then play a video clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LzdKH1naok&feature=related
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I just want to have a class where I have to read a lot, but not focus on bull shit things like what was in the essay I showed you.
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You know in all honesty I kind of prefer talking about shorter things like poems, essays, or short stories because I really like doing "close" readings, which is just so hard to do with novels or even plays. Like I just can't imagine spending a month on Macbeth with a class. i mean, I know everyone does it, but man that seems like overkill to me.
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I want to read more plays too. I love plays and the only real one I ever read (besides Shakespeare) as a part of a high school class was Twelve Angry Men. Come on! Where's the fire and passion in that?
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BUT THEY WERE ANGRY, THOSE MEN!!!!
ANGRY!!!
I'm shocked you've read so few plays in your high school program. Death Of A Salesman was the best them.
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I've read Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Twelve Angry Men. I'd love to read Death of a Salesman.
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haha no i'm not actually like that
I don't believe that.
I meant in the classroom, but I'm only like that when drunk and around people with a good sense of humor IRL
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By the way, two movies that all teachers should watch: Stand and Deliver and To Sir, With Love.
Stand and Deliver is a true story and I happened to watch it while I was taking my Math Ed classes. It was also my introduction to the amazing Edward James Olmos. To Sir, With Love is a classic black-and-white, I'm not sure if it's true or what, but Sidney Poitier is awesome. One day in class, I happened to notice that I say "Next!" a lot, and I wondered where I'd picked it up. Then TSWL came on TV, and I realized I'd been channelling Sir without knowing it.
Anyway, rent both of these movies now.
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Added both to my queue (SAD was only for DVD, but TSWL is on instant watch)
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So I passed the Prof. Ed test today. It was kind of hard and ridiculous.
I have 13 days left of full time teaching and then I am done with that! Then some projects to turn in. I also have to take the certification exam in my subject area (6-12 math) but I have a feeling I should do fine on that.
I am less than 2 months away from my B.S. degree! Holy wow!
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By the way, two movies that all teachers should watch: Stand and Deliver
Oh, and I had some 10th graders recommend me this movie because they think I'd like it. That was pretty cool and surprising.
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Here comes Captain Buzzkill!!! In Stand and Deliver, the kids really did cheat.
Now, I toured a college today with the hopes of checking out the philosophy department because I want to teach that one day. I figured that pertains to this.
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I am less than 2 months away from my B.S. degree! Holy wow!
I always knew you were full of bullshit James, now you can prove it :)
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I am less than 2 months away from my B.S. degree! Holy wow!
I always knew you were full of bullshit James, now you can prove it :)
Ironically funny, since a lot of the classes I took were bullshit. :lol
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Here comes Captain Buzzkill!!! In Stand and Deliver, the kids really did cheat.
Seriously? I've never heard that.
There was the earlier scene (the "tic tac toe" scene) where all the students get the wrong answer, but they all get the same wrong answer. The math they'd been learning was actually a bit past their level, but he'd managed to get most of it into them by drilling some rote routines into them. But there were several steps, and it wasn't hard to take a wrong turn somewhere. Then he has his attack and you forget what triggered it.
But then later when the kids are accused of cheating because both their right answers and their wrong answers all matched, I was thinking back to the earlier scene where they made the point that that tended to happen.
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What happened was, the kids had a few minutes left on the test, and a bunch of them were stressing out. Then, one of them passed around a paper with the "answer" on it. They all then proceeded to get it wrong. College Board thought something was up because they all got the same, wrong answer using the same, wrong variable. They made them retake the test and they still did well. However, a reporter from the Washington Post was interviewing a student of Mr...(I forget) and he admitted to cheating on the AP test as he thought he was being interviewed off the record.
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Whoa. I had no idea.
Now I'm thinking they included the "tic tac toe" scene just for that reason. They showed us in the movie that the students were accused of cheating, but I don't think they made it clear whether or not they actually did.
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No. What you are thinking about is something else. In the movie, they allude to the fact that they were accused of cheating, but it wasn't until many years later that the student actually admitted they did.
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There was a scene in the movie, set many years later, where a student admitted they cheated? I guess I don't remember.
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Less than a week til my Bachelor's degree is in my hands! :)
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Congrats!
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Just stopping in here to give appreciation to our educators! Whoo! You guys rock.
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Here's a short film I made of what is probably still my favorite poem of all time. It was originally made in 1999, but I re-cut it recently to make it tighter, fix some things, change the music, etc. Forgive the non-HD quality, but, like I said, 1999.
Also, if you have a youtube account and like the video, give a thumbs up or share your thoughts. I'm trying to use the video as an example of my work to show to future education employers, so more views always helps.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTtQ8G9fYM&list=HL1334673829&feature=mh_lolz)
Any feedback or discussion is welcome.
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There was a scene in the movie, set many years later, where a student admitted they cheated? I guess I don't remember.
The book that confirmed that they cheated came out after the movie had already been released. Hence, why you don't remember that scene. :)
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Here's a short film I made of what is probably still my favorite poem of all time. It was originally made in 1999, but I re-cut it recently to make it tighter, fix some things, change the music, etc. Forgive the non-HD quality, but, like I said, 1999.
Also, if you have a youtube account and like the video, give a thumbs up or share your thoughts. I'm trying to use the video as an example of my work to show to future education employers, so more views always helps.
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTtQ8G9fYM&list=HL1334673829&feature=mh_lolz)
Any feedback or discussion is welcome.
youtube dogs removed the video before I could see it.
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There was a scene in the movie, set many years later, where a student admitted they cheated? I guess I don't remember.
The book that confirmed that they cheated came out after the movie had already been released. Hence, why you don't remember that scene. :)
Disappointing, and it does cast that whole part of the movie into a different light.
I taught in a magnet program for years, and those kids were under serious pressure. The cream of Montgomery County, mostly kids of doctors, lawyers, CEOs, and political advisors, the program was insane and there were kids who just couldn't do it. But they also couldn't go home with anything other than straight A's, so they did the only thing they could do: they cheated. I honestly felt sorry for them sometimes, but I had to bust them hard any time I caught them. Which, from some candid conversations with students I knew pretty well, was only a fraction of the time. They figured it was worth the risk.
I guess that's what happens when you place success above your own morals and self-respect in the heirarchy.
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Here's a short film I made of what is probably still my favorite poem of all time. It was originally made in 1999, but I re-cut it recently to make it tighter, fix some things, change the music, etc. Forgive the non-HD quality, but, like I said, 1999.
Also, if you have a youtube account and like the video, give a thumbs up or share your thoughts. I'm trying to use the video as an example of my work to show to future education employers, so more views always helps.
Any feedback or discussion is welcome.
youtube dogs removed the video before I could see it.
New link at Vimeo for anyone who cares:
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (https://vimeo.com/43555554)
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Massive Bump....
Any more fellow educators here now?
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Massive Bump....
Any more fellow educators here now?
STILL HERE BRUH
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Percussion teacher reporting in.
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Me too. I'm a mathematics teacher. I've worked in a few high schools (including the one I went to) for 4 years, and for the past 2 I've also worked at the local University (together with my old Algebra teacher).
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Being a music teacher I've been the victim of job cuts a few times already… I'm looking for a job now that's much closer to where I live because my current position is over an hour away from where I live, and I teach between for elementary schools… That's tough enough without the commute, but the commute makes it 100 times harder
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I feel bad now, my last two jobs found me (chemistry for those that don't know).
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You feel bad that your jobs found you, as opposed to you having to beat the streets to find them? I guess I don't follow.
My degree is in education, and I was a teacher for six years. But once we started having kids and thinking more seriously about buying a house, it became painfully obvious that I could make more money programming. Like, lots more. But it wasn't about money, it was about providing for my family the best I could (which -- ha! -- comes down to money).
I loved teaching, and it scared the hell out of me to leave it and venture forth into a completely different field, but I did it because if I stuck with what I liked and was comfortable with, we'd still be living in a shitty apartment in Elgin, broke as hell, and with no sign of that changing. When they laid me off, I interviewed with a dozen school districts in the area, but entry level programmer at United Airlines got me 5K a year more than the best offer I got in teaching, and it only went up from there.
If I could teach math and computer science and make the kind of money I'm making now, I'd do it. But you can't have it both ways.
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I've thought about switching careers, but there really isn't a career path that really follows anything I am experience with other than teaching… It would have to be a job where my years of experience teaching would be advantageous to that company… I don't know any company that would do that especially with a music teacher…
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You feel bad that your jobs found you, as opposed to you having to beat the streets to find them? I guess I don't follow.
The way I read it, he felt bad for Splent (who hasn't had the best of lucks with his profession), because apparently for him it didn't involve much effort to find the job (well, besides studying a lot).
Anyways, I read what you wrote. Good for you! Hopefully at a later stage in your life (when your kids are older?) you'll get to be able to teach again.
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You feel bad that your jobs found you, as opposed to you having to beat the streets to find them? I guess I don't follow.
The way I read it, he felt bad for Splent (who hasn't had the best of lucks with his profession), because apparently for him it didn't involve much effort to find the job (well, besides studying a lot).
Ah, that does make sense. I guess I read Dr. DTVT's comment in too much of a vaccuum, and didn't consider the context (that is, that it followed Splent's comment).
Anyways, I read what you wrote. Good for you! Hopefully at a later stage in your life (when your kids are older?) you'll get to be able to teach again.
For a while, I used to think I'd do that, but I think that at this point, it's not a real possibility. I've been out of the game for over 20 years now. Returning to teaching, with kids no better than they were before (and likely worse) and me now a cranky old man, it just wouldn't work. Also (and I'm not trying to brag, just giving some perspective), I now make more than three times as much as I made when I was teaching. The cut in salary would devestate our finances. Right now, I'm not really working to support my kids so much as I'm working to pay for their college. That's a huge debt that's not going away any time soon.
At my last job, I also a lot of training, wrote training manuals for various processes, and even put my web experience to use running the company's first website. That kept my teaching jones in check for a while as I got through the withdrawal. Where I am now, I just do programming, and I've finally come to think of myself as a programmer. I mean, I still consider myself a teacher (since "teaching" is a pretty broad term and I do have the degree), I still consider myself a cook (seven years in the kitchens, and I still cook at home), and of course I'll always be a musician. But if there's a career I would not go back to at this point in my life, it's education. As much as I loved doing it before, the kids would eat me alive now. If I had to, I could go back to the kitchens, and if I wanted to really bust my ass, I could probably play for a living. But teaching... wow, that's just gonna have to be one of those things I "used to do".
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You could always sub :rollin
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You wanna hear something wacky? I liked subbing. I graduated Winter Quarter back when Michigan State was still on the quarter system, so for part of March, all of April and May, and the first week of June, I was on the sub list for six different school districts in my area. I had my degree and my teaching certificate; I was ready to go. Then I did summer school, too, because my first regular teaching position wasn't til that fall. There were days I'd get calls from two or three different schools and get to choose. Back then, I was still young, hungry, and idealistic. I wanted to get out there and teach, and it was great because the lesson plan was done for me, all I had to do was deliver the lesson, and I didn't have to grade the homework or tests or anything.
Sure, half the time it was just a movie or some other waste of time because the regular teacher wasn't going to trust the presentation of new material to a sub, but sometimes they got sick that morning and there wasn't a choice. I got to teach science, math, history, music, English, even Spanish. The best was scoring a long-term gig. I had a two-week stint teaching math the nicest high school in the area, and it was sweet. The teacher had surgery scheduled and knew weeks ahead of time that he'd be out, and had lesson plans prepared every day for every class. By time I was done, the students were telling me that they wished I could just teach them the rest of the year because they liked me better than their regular teacher. They liked him, too, but I made it fun. And yeah, they learned. Algebra II & Trig, Advanced Geometry, that kind of stuff. The smart kids, the ones who actually liked learning and did the work.
One time I covered two days for the band director at the school where I'd done my student teaching. Solo & Ensemble was coming up, so the notes just said to let the kids practice their stuff. Well heck, my first major was music education, and I knew half the kids from teaching math there for three months, so I went around helping them all, giving them pointers, etc. They loved that.
I did a three-day gig teaching history, and they were just starting a unit on World War II. I always started each class by writing my name on the board... in Chinese. Then I'd write it in English in parentheses and make some kind of joke. With the World War II unit, I didn't joke, but instead said that I was Chinese, not Japanese, so get it straight because Chinese people do not like Japanese people. Every class, someone asked why. This was Lansing, Michigan, in the 80's. Most of them had never even met an Asian before, and if they'd heard of Chinese or Japanese people, we were all the same to them anyway. So I told them about the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, completely unprovoked, lots of deaths. Talked about how you almost couldn't blame the Japanese, since they had all those people crammed onto a string of little islands, while China had this whole huge area (draw some rough maps on the board), but it still wasn't cool what they did. Heads nodding. Talked about the escalation, and how Japan somehow got it into their heads to bomb the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, which is how the U.S. got involved. It started with them thinking they'd get the sub talking, and they'd get out of learning anything that day, but instead we talked and they learned half a chapter from the book before they knew what was going on. And they were engaged. By the third day, they didn't want to see me leave, either. I had kids telling me they'd learned more in three days than they'd learned all year from the regular teacher. They never realized that history could actually be interesting.
In other words, subbing might not be as ridiculous a suggestion as you think. I've never thought about it before, but I think it would be fun. Thanks for reminding me about that. Those were good times.
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Bumping this...
I've been teaching for 10 years... In various places... I've had 2 former students go missing and be on the news. I've had students who's cousins, aunts, uncles, and parents, and other family members die. But never this. And I was waiting for it. And it sucks. I had a former student get shot and killed in Chicago last night. I do keep up with a few of my former students who are now adults, but not him... However one of his best friends I do keep up with. Many of my former students use nicknames as their names, and I didn't recognize him... But I remember his real name... And I'm just numb now. I'm sick.
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Damn, that sucks. :( I taught for six years, over 20 years ago now, but it's what I have my Bachelor's in, and I'll always consider myself a teacher.
I taught in a magnet program, so the teachers and students got pretty tight over the four years together. During my time there, we moved from an apartment to a townhouse, and two of my students volunteered to help. I bought them lunch and stuff; it was a pretty fun day, actually.
As it happens, both of those guys are now deceased. One was an avid mountain biker, and died just last year in an accident. The other passed about ten years ago. Suicide.
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Well, crap. Re-reading this thread, I realize that due to my shitty memory, I've mentioned three times in less than five pages that I taught in a magnet. (Ha, four times now!)
To clarify, it was never to brag, but to point out how bonded I was to my students. When you have the same students for four years, and fewer of them (about 100 total), you get to know each other pretty well. Also, I'd moved halfway across the country for that gig, so my wife and I didn't know anyone there. The students were the closest thing I had to friends. They're the ones I looked forward to seeing every day, they're the ones who I talked to in my off time. I was in awe of and frankly intimidated by most of my co-workers, all veteran teachers with Masters and many with PhD's, and here I was some punk rookie with a BS. So I didn't really hang out with them. I spent lunch periods hanging in my room, or out on the lawn, with the students. I was even closer in age to them than to most of my co-workers. 20 years later, I'm Facebook friends with over 40 of them, and correspond with most on a regular basis.
The deaths of my students always hit me hard. These are my "kids", and also my friends. That's all I was trying to say.
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It's a grey boundary with students at times, but that is awesome Orbert. Teachers that strike up similarity rapport with students will almost always IMO be a more effective teacher, regardless of what the content is.
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Orbert, where did you teach? Where you in a magnet?
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The official title of the program was The Montgomery County Public Schools Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Magnet Program. The MCPS MSCS MP. The title was as ridiculous as the program itself.
Public schools in Maryland are organized at the county level, and Montgomery County borders Washington, D.C. on the north, so it includes many established communities, including Bethesda, Potomac, Silver Spring, and Chevy Chase. The children of doctors at Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins, researchers at The National Institute of Science or The Smithsonian Institute, CEOs of national and international companies, and others, apply to be in this program. Out of thousands of applicants every year, only 100 are accepted into the program.
The focus is on learning how to use math, science and technology to further research and use them in anything where you can apply math, science and technology, which is everything. I came in with a B.S. in Math Education, minor in Computer Science, with certificates to teach both, but I was in the Computer Science department. I taught Algorithms and Data Structures, and also a class designed for students who, even within the accelerated scale of this program, were considered "advanced". The ones who'd already been programming (mostly recreationally) since junior high or grade school. I can't remember the name of that class, the geekiest of the geeks. This was in the early 90's, so way, way ahead of most of the rest of the country. You put together a lot of brains and Type-A personalities with plenty of financial resources, and you can get a lot done.
It was a great teaching gig, very challenging, but not for everyone.
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Wait, are you saying you taught in a magnet? ;)
I have an interview at a middle school a little closer to home tomorrow, so send good vibes, prayers, thoughts, whatever floats your boat my way.