Day two, and I have finished planning for all lessons this week. My marking is up to date, and I know I have made the right decision not to go into teaching. I have taken a step in the wrong direction. If changes are to be made in future years, it will be to get more deeply involved with the children, not less. (Sorry, that looks wrong. Is there such a thing as 'more deeply'? You know what I mean, anyway.) The courses I've done on children's mental health have caught my interest, so that may be a future option. But that's for when I get my restless moments - for the time being, I just want to get back to being a teaching assistant.
Almost everyone I've spoken to has said, 'But what about the extra money?' I would rather have less money and more time. Yes, it's nice to have money and things you want, but I have everything I need. Family, time to write, read and learn new things. Also, thoughts of teaching had kind of spoilt the OU for me. It meant there was pressure to get certain scores, to study the right subjects. Now I can go back to just doing it for me. That Masters in children's literature at Roehampton is looking increasingly inviting, now that it has a unit on creative writing for children. There's no way I could have done that whilst teaching.
What I mean is, there's no way I could have done that whilst having to do the amount of paperwork that goes with teaching. Nobody warned me about the paperwork. 'You're good with children,' they said. 'You're good at taking the class. You should go into teaching.' Where were the honest ones? The ones who would have said, 'You hate paperwork and filing stuff. Steer clear of teaching.'
Almost everyone I've spoken to has said, 'But what about the extra money?' I would rather have less money and more time. Yes, it's nice to have money and things you want, but I have everything I need. Family, time to write, read and learn new things. Also, thoughts of teaching had kind of spoilt the OU for me. It meant there was pressure to get certain scores, to study the right subjects. Now I can go back to just doing it for me. That Masters in children's literature at Roehampton is looking increasingly inviting, now that it has a unit on creative writing for children. There's no way I could have done that whilst teaching.
What I mean is, there's no way I could have done that whilst having to do the amount of paperwork that goes with teaching. Nobody warned me about the paperwork. 'You're good with children,' they said. 'You're good at taking the class. You should go into teaching.' Where were the honest ones? The ones who would have said, 'You hate paperwork and filing stuff. Steer clear of teaching.'
Anyway, I'm going to stop moaning (for now. I'm sure there'll be more to come...). I have 7 weeks of teaching left (Ms Titian says you never count the week you're in because it makes the school terms seem longer). That's 49 days. Minus any Saturdays or Sundays that I don't spend planning. Take away a couple of days of the half term holiday. That makes... well, not too long a time, anyway. I can deal with that.
Actually, I'm not sure if I can, but if I buy lots of wine I think that'll help.
Teaching is a calling that asks the individual to go, as they say in poker, “all in.” It means not only the teaching day, but also the paperwork and lesson planning that takes up evenings and weekends and the staying after school to help students or to meet parents (and meeting parents whose children can do nothing wrong can often be more daunting than interacting with the children). And unfortunately, here in California it also means spending your own money on supplies because the budget doesn’t cover everything. Sadly, here in America, parents too often don’t hold up their end of the bargain and so teachers have been unfairly scapegoated for poor student performance, low graduation rates, reading at below grade levels, poor math skills and in the end students being unprepared for college.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were still in school I was involved as a volunteer in their schools and so I met and worked with many teachers. Most were dedicated caring men and women who chose teaching as their calling. That is essentially what it is – a calling. I also met others who chose teaching apparently because they had nothing else to do. It was just a job. The difference between the two was clear.
I agree. I love working with the children, but don't think I'm doing the best for them by fronting the class. I suppose I want to be involved in their 'well-being', not just their education. I also feel I am letting my own children down by not spending time with them. They are growing up fast, and won't be at home forever - I don't want them to look back and say, 'You weren't there when I needed you.'
DeleteI also feel that teachers are made to jump through ever moving hoops just to satisfy school inspectors. They are being judged on a 20 minute observation. It doesn't matter that children are happy, hard-working and motivated for 99% of the time - if that tiny segment of teaching doesn't satisfy, the teacher has 'failed' at their job.
I have the greatest admiration for those who teach because they want to. They have a love for the children in their class, and have managed to sort out that work/home balance. As you say, there are those for whom it is a 'job'. They have no interest in the children in their class, and the children know that, sadly.
I'm glad to have had the experience, but know that being 'in the thick of it' is where I want to be. I want (need) to help the strugglers. I want to support those with problems. I feel far more valuable to those children when I am a teaching assistant.
This discussion recalls three of my son’s teachers. His 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Lewis, was an outstanding teacher. She had something of a gruff exterior but when you got to know her you discovered just how much she loved those kids. She challenged the children. Mined them to pull from them the best that they had in them. She knew that my son was smart. He was easily ahead of most of the children in the class and could have skated and gone through the motions and received good grades. Mrs. Lewis wouldn’t let him go into cruise control and she continually fed him all he could take in. As gruff and demanding as she was, her students loved her as much as she loved them. When she retired from teaching, students and parents from years past came to honor her.
DeleteA year later he had an algebra teacher who simply took up space in the classroom. He was a track coach on the side (or more properly he was a track coach and the shadow of a teacher on the side) and he spent much of his time in the classroom handing out assignments to be done in class while he planned his track workouts. Suddenly my son was getting poor grades. I complained to the principal; tried to get him moved to another class, telling her that my son didn’t suddenly become stupid. He limped through 7th grade math. There had been complaints about this teacher for years but disciplining or having a teacher shown the door is as easy as getting Congress to do something (unless moral turpitude is involved). I suppose that it’s not surprising that I’ve put his name out of my mind.
In 8th grade his new math teacher Miss Lakey saw that Matthew had a knack for math and worked with him to help him regain confidence and to get back to the level he belonged. I suppose at that point I should have gone to the principal and asked her to explain just how Matt could struggle under one teacher who had a litany of complaints lodged against him and flourish under someone who actually did her job.
In high school Matt completed his college math requirements; didn’t have to take a single math course in college. This goes to show how much influence a teacher, bad or good, can have on children.
You're right - teachers have a huge influence on the children in their class. My eldest son's love for history came from a supply teacher he had for just one term in primary school. The teacher's passion for his subject so influenced my son that, over ten years on, he still has a fascination for history (and cricket. This teacher used to let the class stay in during breaks to listen to the cricket on the radio.)
DeleteIn my opinion, teachers have to come with the 'whole package': an interest in the children means they get to know the likes and dislikes of each character, and how to best appeal to them. You can't just talk at the children and expect them to excel at lessons.