i want to say a lot of things about the start of the new semester - and thoughts on the ending of the last semester - but I'll reconcile with just a few. To start, teaching has been my life the past two years. It is fucking difficult. It is fucking draining. It is fucking amazing.
1.) Teachers are often more detrimental to a student's success than themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blame teachers. The entire structure of education - let alone society - is against us. I'm one of the few who is crazy enough to put in endless amounts of time into this profession. I credit this most to the fact that I'm single and young. Married teachers with kids don't have this privilege. However, given an adequate amount of prep time and REAL professional development that involves REAL intellectual inquiry into pedagogy, teachers can overcome many problems. Unlike many other working class jobs, what I love about teaching is that I have complete control over what goes on in my classroom.
2. PROCEDURES. I can't stress this word enough. Procedures are key to the inner-city classroom. Many of these kids don't have consistency in their lives. Some of their fathers are in and out of the prison industrial complex. Some of their mothers are only around at night for just a few hours before they go to sleep. Many of them don't have a consistent means of getting to school. Even if they appear to fight strictly laid out routines and procedures, they really love them dear.
3. Students will literally do anything you ask them to. Modeling is key. If you model something, have a few students model something, and then have the entire class practice something, they will all do it. Some might refuse initially, but they always catch on. Modeling breaks the ice. It's important to make mistakes during modeling, because modeling teaches students that it's okay to fail. The productivity is in simply trying.
4. Students love to learn. They really do. Give them the opportunity to learn real content that they care about and they will reach for the moon. Ask them what they want to learn. Fuck the curriculum, no one should follow it to the T. Teach students what they are interested in within the wide parameters of the subject matter. Most importantly, teach them the skills of the subject. Teach them to be historians, mathematicians, writers, poets, actors, dancers, musicians, etc. Students love to be treated like adults because many of them can achieve what adults achieve. They may be young and lacking in skills, but many students are hungrier for authentic learning experiences than most adults I know.
5. Love your students. Loving your students doesn't mean saying "yes" to their every wish. It means putting effort into everything you do. It means smiling at each student and greeting them with a happy "good morning" (even if it is 2 PM in the afternoon). It means doing everything you can to help them make up assignments. It means never giving up on them, even if it seems that they are destined to fail the class. Students appreciate teachers who are crazy. When I say crazy, I mean those who refuse to become jaded and dream big for possibilities within the school and the world. None of these things require extra money or materials. It requires hope. They need us to believe in them, because it is often so hard to believe in themselves. I fucking love my students.
1.) Teachers are often more detrimental to a student's success than themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blame teachers. The entire structure of education - let alone society - is against us. I'm one of the few who is crazy enough to put in endless amounts of time into this profession. I credit this most to the fact that I'm single and young. Married teachers with kids don't have this privilege. However, given an adequate amount of prep time and REAL professional development that involves REAL intellectual inquiry into pedagogy, teachers can overcome many problems. Unlike many other working class jobs, what I love about teaching is that I have complete control over what goes on in my classroom.
2. PROCEDURES. I can't stress this word enough. Procedures are key to the inner-city classroom. Many of these kids don't have consistency in their lives. Some of their fathers are in and out of the prison industrial complex. Some of their mothers are only around at night for just a few hours before they go to sleep. Many of them don't have a consistent means of getting to school. Even if they appear to fight strictly laid out routines and procedures, they really love them dear.
3. Students will literally do anything you ask them to. Modeling is key. If you model something, have a few students model something, and then have the entire class practice something, they will all do it. Some might refuse initially, but they always catch on. Modeling breaks the ice. It's important to make mistakes during modeling, because modeling teaches students that it's okay to fail. The productivity is in simply trying.
4. Students love to learn. They really do. Give them the opportunity to learn real content that they care about and they will reach for the moon. Ask them what they want to learn. Fuck the curriculum, no one should follow it to the T. Teach students what they are interested in within the wide parameters of the subject matter. Most importantly, teach them the skills of the subject. Teach them to be historians, mathematicians, writers, poets, actors, dancers, musicians, etc. Students love to be treated like adults because many of them can achieve what adults achieve. They may be young and lacking in skills, but many students are hungrier for authentic learning experiences than most adults I know.
5. Love your students. Loving your students doesn't mean saying "yes" to their every wish. It means putting effort into everything you do. It means smiling at each student and greeting them with a happy "good morning" (even if it is 2 PM in the afternoon). It means doing everything you can to help them make up assignments. It means never giving up on them, even if it seems that they are destined to fail the class. Students appreciate teachers who are crazy. When I say crazy, I mean those who refuse to become jaded and dream big for possibilities within the school and the world. None of these things require extra money or materials. It requires hope. They need us to believe in them, because it is often so hard to believe in themselves. I fucking love my students.
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