Teaching sucks ass
Okay, teaching itself doesn't suck ass. It's the kids who suck ass.
No, it's not even the kids. It's SOME of the kids.
See, teaching at Suck Ass Academy has gone seriously downhill since, oh, Christmas break or so. There are two main reasons for that:
1) We started getting all the "problem students" who were kicked out of the public schools. Fighting? No problem. Attitude issues? We'll take 'em. Drugs? Sure!! We're a charter school; ie, a FOR-PROFIT COMPANY! WE'LL TAKE THEM ALL!!
2) And once they're here, we won't kick them out, for ANYTHING! WE'RE A CORPORATION! WE'RE ALL ABOUT MAKING MONEY!!
Yeah.
The problem is that administration does NOT have our back on "disciplinary issues." We have kids who are REPEATEDLY sent down to the office, for blatant disrespect, insubordination, classroom disruptions, etc. And five minutes later, the office sends them right back up. It's become a joke (albeit a very unfunny one, at least to us teachers). It's gotten to the point where kids actually say to me, "Why do you even send them down, Miss K? Nothing's going to happen to them anyway."
And that's exactly the problem--first, that nothing's going to happen and second, that they KNOW nothing's going to happen. Therefore, they can do pretty much anything they want in class because there are no repercussions. Lunchtime detention? Yeah, they sit at the "detention table" with their friends. We had to discontinue it because after a while, lunchtime detention was the "cool" place to be. After-school detention? Yeah, we don't have that. The TEACHERS have to run their own detention, and call me undedicated, but I'm not going to spend an extra hour after school with the same damn kids who drove me crazy all freakin' day. Plus, I'm busy after school 3 days a week with the yearbook and the spelling bee. In-school detention? Sure, if the VP or principal ever GAVE IT TO THEM. Call the parents? "Shoot, call my mama, I don't care," one kid told me. And no wonder. I left several voicemails and have never heard back from his mama.
So frankly, I just don't know what to do, besides look for another job at a public school, where 1) at least they DO kick kids out 2) they have little things like "detention" and "ISS", because they have funding to pay for such staff members 3) the benefits are better and you have to pay less out of pocket 4) the pay is higher 5) you don't have to buy your own "extras"--you know, like copy paper and pencils.
Otherwise, I could stay at Suck Ass Academy and teach a slightly younger grade, where at least they're still somewhat intimidated by the teachers. Also, it's a lot easier to set up specific routines and procedures when you have the same 25 kids all day as opposed to 125 kids for various 45-minute increments. (Then again, you also have that same annoying-ass kid ALL DAY LONG.) And the thing is, I really do like middle school. And I like the majority of the kids, too. That's what makes it so sad. I could name about 5 kids in the entire middle school who should be kicked out for blatant (and REPEATED) disregard for authority; it would make a huge difference in the individual classes AND in the middle school as a whole.
I don't know. I'm so damn frustrated and tired. And it's barely February.
10 comments:
My advice don't give up with the parents. See if you can get a parent meeting. It is a big hassle for parents to come down, but sometimes it work wonders. Also see if any have parole officers, if they are this bad they might just have them and that can be an ace in your back pocket. Hang in there!
Well it is just too bad you couldn't have found a teaching job back home. at least that way you would have had snow days :)...No seriously, I agree with JH...do they realize how important education is or do they JUST NOT CARE?
I hear the charter schools here are much better. :-)
Say what you will about King Herod, but he did have a way with children!
Well, I walked into work today and found out that there's a "leadership team meeting" with the principal tomorrow, and from the grumblings I hear around the school, a lot of the problems/issues to be raised are about this very thing. Ironically, I am the one representing middle school at this meeting tomorrow (our team leader is out for surgery and somehow I was elected the spokesperson....they seem to think I'll be more "outspoken," lol). So we'll see what happens. But if it's any consolation, it's not just middle school that is having this problem.
And for the record, today was a MUCH better day....namely because that one particular student wasn't there. Really, it's amazing how much difference ONE kid can make.
Sorry that you have to deal with this crap. I was gonna go on a rant about how kids just don't have any respect for anything or anyone nowadays (yes, every generation says this, but today's kids seem very amoral and disrespectful, IMO), so you'd pretty much end up with at least one jerkoff kid no matter where you teach, but no sense is going there.
All I can say is stick to your guns and just keep going about your business as best as you can. Don't let the jerk kids know that they're getting to you, otherwise they'll prey on you. Don't let some jerks destroy your dreams/career. Oh and drinking cures just about any problem (j/k).
The spelling bee?
Aw-w-w-w....
you were in the spelling bee.
Did you see Akeelah and the Bee yet? Now you have to.
yeah, and I was eliminated on the first round cuz of "grammar" (or, in my world, "grammer"
But don't you hate to give up on those kids? If they get kicked out of school, then what happens to them? Maybe the reason they're like that is cuz nobody really cares. What if you sat them down, one by one, and said, 'Look, I care about you and your future - what can we do to improve this situation?' Watch a bunch of white-teacher-in-the-city movies. There must be books about this with ideas that work. What about a reward system or something that they can work towards? There must be something that would work.
LOL - I forgot about the spelling bee fiasco. Did you really miss that one??
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