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Faculty meeting today. Not like those with our previous principal. But the thing is, I think the previous principal knew that no one really wanted to double/triple our duties and so never approached the topic. I know she appreciated our desire to just teach. But with that acknowledgement she overlooked what was happening at our school.
I have mentioned elsewhere that I teach at a poor urban school. I wouldn't call it inner city, but we are starting to have all of those problems such schools have. We have a severely shrinking population. Anyone who can switch schools and who can afford to do so, does so. If they are smart enough to go to a magnet school and they are aware that that option is open to them, they switch. What's left are the true trouble makers, the thugs, the gangs, the kids whose lives are so lousy that they can't seem to find their way out except through rebellion and gang excitement.
So the new administration is trying to tackle all this. I think they didn't realize that our problem with scores was really due not to our lack of attention to standards and standardized testing, but to the behavioral issues and gang involvement. Yes, even at middle school. I also don't think they knew what they were getting into when they were hired.
And I bring all of this up because we are very busy dealing with things that aren't teaching related. Here's the thing: teaching is often about politics and environment as much as anything else. It doesn't matter whether you're at a university or high school or middle school. There will be hoops to jump through. Politics, duties, responsibilities, committees, whatever. But you shouldn't believe that you can just teach and do research in some sort of heaven. Does that really happen anywhere?
So here we are at my school. And until we have the gang and other behavior issues under control, we really can't just settle down and teach. The problems invade the whole school and cause us all to lose time we'd rather spend doing other things. Like morning duty, patroling the front of the school and making sure that students are going where they are supposed to.
And why I'm writing about this here, I don't know. I guess because I've lost my morning work time this week due to "duty". Today the principal said that of our two conference periods, one was hers--that is, she had the right to say we had to be in meetings, had to have duties, had to give up time that we had mistakenly thought was our own. I had been game to follow up until now, I admit. But one of the younger teachers did point out that it truly is district policy. I didn't know. Of course, being part time I've never had a proper contract. I suppose I need to contact human resources and stop acting like I'm eternally grateful for a job.
God, we're all suckers sometimes, aren't we? We think what we do is so almighty important, so critical, so valued that we put up with things... is that it? I mean, I'm constantly asked why I teach at my school. Why stay where the conditions are as they are? Next to no PTA, never enough money, never enough resources....
But today I got a thank you note from a parent. I currently have her daughter, who has hardly had a chance to get to know me. But I had the girl's older brother. The boy was a quiet student, able, and dedicated. His elder brother has Aspergers (as does my youngest son, though mild) and so this boy, I think, always felt in his shadow--hiding, hoping not to be noticed while the Asperger's child got the sort of attention special needs kids get. But this student ended up being my only gold medal NLE winner so far. He took a couple more years of Latin and then, with my blessing, ditched it because his teacher was, shall we say, lacking in what he wanted. He was/is still interested in Latin, and I gave him one of two copies of the new Wheelock which I happened to have. His mom wrote me the loveliest note, thanking me for the kindness I showed him, the sound advice, and for being the dedicated Latin teacher that I am.
So, I suppose, it must be worth it to me somehow to teach at this school, where most of the kids have nothing more to look forward to than "sex in the spring" in science class. My first group of students graduate high school last year. None asked me for recommendation letters. I keep telling more recent students that I really can help them with college, that I really do know professors all over and can help direct them....
Oh, hell, what am I talking about.
I showed my PowerPoint to the 7th graders today. Was it worth it or not, I don't know. I'll have to see how the year goes and how well the students take to morphology.
And I guess again I'll have to seriously think about whether I should continue doing my model sentences, or whether I need to crater and do a noun chart. But how can I ever tell whether what I do is good or bad in the long run if my students don't end up with Latin teachers who can teach???
I'll shut up now....
I have mentioned elsewhere that I teach at a poor urban school. I wouldn't call it inner city, but we are starting to have all of those problems such schools have. We have a severely shrinking population. Anyone who can switch schools and who can afford to do so, does so. If they are smart enough to go to a magnet school and they are aware that that option is open to them, they switch. What's left are the true trouble makers, the thugs, the gangs, the kids whose lives are so lousy that they can't seem to find their way out except through rebellion and gang excitement.
So the new administration is trying to tackle all this. I think they didn't realize that our problem with scores was really due not to our lack of attention to standards and standardized testing, but to the behavioral issues and gang involvement. Yes, even at middle school. I also don't think they knew what they were getting into when they were hired.
And I bring all of this up because we are very busy dealing with things that aren't teaching related. Here's the thing: teaching is often about politics and environment as much as anything else. It doesn't matter whether you're at a university or high school or middle school. There will be hoops to jump through. Politics, duties, responsibilities, committees, whatever. But you shouldn't believe that you can just teach and do research in some sort of heaven. Does that really happen anywhere?
So here we are at my school. And until we have the gang and other behavior issues under control, we really can't just settle down and teach. The problems invade the whole school and cause us all to lose time we'd rather spend doing other things. Like morning duty, patroling the front of the school and making sure that students are going where they are supposed to.
And why I'm writing about this here, I don't know. I guess because I've lost my morning work time this week due to "duty". Today the principal said that of our two conference periods, one was hers--that is, she had the right to say we had to be in meetings, had to have duties, had to give up time that we had mistakenly thought was our own. I had been game to follow up until now, I admit. But one of the younger teachers did point out that it truly is district policy. I didn't know. Of course, being part time I've never had a proper contract. I suppose I need to contact human resources and stop acting like I'm eternally grateful for a job.
God, we're all suckers sometimes, aren't we? We think what we do is so almighty important, so critical, so valued that we put up with things... is that it? I mean, I'm constantly asked why I teach at my school. Why stay where the conditions are as they are? Next to no PTA, never enough money, never enough resources....
But today I got a thank you note from a parent. I currently have her daughter, who has hardly had a chance to get to know me. But I had the girl's older brother. The boy was a quiet student, able, and dedicated. His elder brother has Aspergers (as does my youngest son, though mild) and so this boy, I think, always felt in his shadow--hiding, hoping not to be noticed while the Asperger's child got the sort of attention special needs kids get. But this student ended up being my only gold medal NLE winner so far. He took a couple more years of Latin and then, with my blessing, ditched it because his teacher was, shall we say, lacking in what he wanted. He was/is still interested in Latin, and I gave him one of two copies of the new Wheelock which I happened to have. His mom wrote me the loveliest note, thanking me for the kindness I showed him, the sound advice, and for being the dedicated Latin teacher that I am.
So, I suppose, it must be worth it to me somehow to teach at this school, where most of the kids have nothing more to look forward to than "sex in the spring" in science class. My first group of students graduate high school last year. None asked me for recommendation letters. I keep telling more recent students that I really can help them with college, that I really do know professors all over and can help direct them....
Oh, hell, what am I talking about.
I showed my PowerPoint to the 7th graders today. Was it worth it or not, I don't know. I'll have to see how the year goes and how well the students take to morphology.
And I guess again I'll have to seriously think about whether I should continue doing my model sentences, or whether I need to crater and do a noun chart. But how can I ever tell whether what I do is good or bad in the long run if my students don't end up with Latin teachers who can teach???
I'll shut up now....
