Teaching is by far the hardest job I’ve ever held. Before entering the classroom, I worked for major corporations as well as unscrupulous startups but nothing was as challenging as being a teacher. I’ve spent a lot of time reminding myself that, when a kid decides to misbehave, it’s not about me – I’m just the schmuck in the front of the room telling kids to do things they would rather not do. That’s all there is to it.
The challenge has been in putting my ego and expectations aside when faced with conflict, whether it’s the girl who refuses to join her ESE pull out sessions or the boy who isn’t in the mood to work on times tables. Some so-called experts tell you that you have to make learning “fun” by coming up with engaging activities that get kids out of their seats to wander the room in the pursuit of learning how to determine the main idea of a passage. I agree that there are many ways to make learning into a more desirable experience and I strive to be better in this area. Unfortunately, I will never be as engaging as an iPhone or Roblox. From what I see, the kids are so conditioned by technology that anything else requiring some deeper thought processes (like reading) is going to be akin to torture to some of them.
I’ve always worked in Title 1 schools. My kids have dealt with homelessness, food insecurity, chaotic family lives, and poverty. As Diane Ravitch puts it, ““Public education is not broken…. Our urban schools are in trouble because of concentrated poverty and racial segregation.” It’s a pretty big expectation that these kids are going to waltz through the school door and leave their lives behind as they are drilled yet again on finding the main idea of a passage that they can’t read let alone understand. (The reasons for this have been documented in far greater detail than I could ever document here). I’m often amazed at how kids show up at my school every single day full of joy despite what their families are going through. There are plenty of times when I lose faith in my career path and think about chasing the dream yet another time with the next group of internet snake-oil salesmen. When I look out from the balcony and watch the young ones scamper down our halls with glee, I think to myself that I can stick with this and see what I can do to help a kid.