Who'd be a teacher these days? (Maybe me?)

I tried teaching after college in the late 1990s, but I soured on it quickly and switched to the other slave-wage profession — journalism.

 

What did you find especially difficult? What chased you away from it, if I may ask?

 

Just started this week. Best thing I've ever done. Can't believe how fun it is. Of course, it's one period at 8:30 a.m. Got it made.

 

Great question. The school I taught in had very lax discipline and the principal just let kids run amok with whatever, as long as it didn't rise to a point. Classroom management was almost impossible. I had an opportunity to punch out for a full-time newspaper job and took it.

 

That's great, GBNF. I'm happy for you. I know you've been seeking/questioning the best things to do, job-wise, for a while. Maybe you should dive in deeper if you get the chance...

 

I just happened to see some school pick up/drop off instructions for a guy's daughter I know. You'd think they were exchanging classified documents or something with how exact the instructions are.

 

Many years of working with special pops did not prepare me for suburban parents. I consider it, but reckon all it would take is one tantrum from a tanned, toned, undereducated upper-middle class White woman and I'd be toast. I subbed at one school that I swear was populated by beings who were created by electrodes attached to puddles of loogies and shredded volumes of Lillian Hellman's plays.

 

I appreciate the responses. Baron's point about being a substitute first is a good one, and as there'd be schools right near where I'd be staying if I made the switch that might be the play.

This does give me pause. I have a slight stutter and a tendency to second-guess myself, and what teaching experience I do have -- mainly teaching English to surly Japanese teenagers -- has shown me that kids will jump on anything to flex on authority or just look cool to their peers. It's an unavoidable occupational hazard, though, so it'd be on me to deal with it without getting too roasty in response.

 

I hear you on that. I’m dealing with a few kiddos now who try things for laughs and it’s been a little challenge to get them to focus. But making progress through making students switch seats, talking with them and getting on the whole class.

I found it also helps if you can laugh at yourself sometimes and to be flexible when the situation calls for it. I have a group of girls who consistently won’t listen to me when I’m giving instructions and will talk back when I address an issue with one of them. But the last two days they started trusting me more because I started listening to some complaints and let a class discussion go in a direction I wasn’t expecting. Along with some strategic 1-on-1 conversations, they are coming around.

And not every lesson will be the best lesson ever but if you can mix it up and have clear expectations it helps.

But that comes from royally fucking up in my first round of student teaching. And what works for me isn’t the same for everyone.

Subbing will give you a great idea if you like the kids. But just know it isn’t the same as your own room, so a little grain of salt. Subbing is fun sometimes. And I had a sixth grade class tell me subs never come back. So I made sure I did. And they were stoked. Had another kid try to draw me into a nonsense discussion about what gang I affiliated with. He asked am I red or blue. I told him I’m ‘Merica: I’m red, white and blue! His brain couldn’t take it and I had the class for the rest of the period.

 

A sense of humor is one of the most important tools in the toolbox. I had a friend who has been teaching middle school for almost 20 years tell me she won't even let them see her smile the first month and that approach seems to work for her, but I think being able to laugh and get the students to laugh is probably a better approach for most. The humor doesn't even have to be all that good. I have another friend, a high school teacher, who incorporates dad jokes into his plan just about every day. Sure, the students are mostly laughing at how bad the joke was, but it is still helping to build those connections and let them see a more human and fun side of their teacher.

I'm glad you pointed out that subbing is very different from having your own room. It is a lot less responsibility, but it does help someone get an idea if they would really enjoy working with young people or not.

 

Whew. In my daughter's high school (she's the teacher) they were told the first full week needed to be "ice-breakers". Get to know one another. Don't start a lesson plan. Most of her students are (considered) brown and (considered) black. She's an English teacher. She started with a lesson on surnames, how you got them, what they mean. History of surnames. Her ice-breaker was what does your name mean to you. Share with the class. One student commented it seemed like a deep subject to start on, and she thanked the student for recognizing that. The students were engaged, willing and cooperative. She teaches highest level students, and low level. This was in her low level. They're hooked now.