Tonight is the last night...
I'm pretty bummed out tonight. I have spent the last 10 weeks doing projects on the farm, staying up late, sleeping in, being a bum and a little bit of traveling. Tomorrow is my last day of Summer break which means tonight is my last night to stay up late.
Last year was my first year being a school teacher and it was HARD. I mean like I had several days where I was on the verge of quiting. The kids today seem so different from when I was in school. I think a large part of it is that I am working in a relatively poor district and allot of the students come from broken homes or live with Grandma and they are not getting proper upbringings.
This situation makes for a classroom where kids openly curse, talk about sex, fight and even throw desks across the room when they get angry. Bring a former police officer none of the above really bothers me. What does bother me is that these kids get lunch detention for terrible accts and are right back in the classroom. This means they have no concern about punishment and continue the negative behavior. Now, the week behaved kids suffer from all this nonsense and do not get the education that some of them actually want. I find this very stressful and aggravating.
This coming school year I am going to approach things differently. I'm still working on my classroom management plan but I do know that I'm not going to put up with the nonsense. This will help my sanity and will definitely help the learning environment. If any of you feeling teachers have any suggestions drop them below.
As I was saying. It's going to be hard to transition back to not only working but an environment that I found to be toxic.
I have three kids, the oldest of which is going into fourth grade and I would really like for that to be the last grade he is in this district. The ideal situation is that we homeschool our children next year and that is going to be my goal. The only way this goal can be achieved is if I replace my income over the next year.
Bit of a rant but that is what is going on in my life. Cheers to freedom!
It's sad how kids act, but you do need to give them structure! They are actually longing for structure and rules. My whole family has been teachers - 2 sisters and my mom. My sisters are still teaching. I worked as a substitute and a math/reading tutor in a Title 1 school in Texas. I have lots of teacher friends. I've seen lots of bad behavior and heard more stories about bad behavior. Don't be too easy on them! Our world needs children that know that school is a place to learn and be loved. It's okay for them to make mistakes in their school work, but they need to respect their teachers, themselves and their fellow students. Hang in there and I hope you have a great start to your school year!
I totally agree with you. I went into last year wanting to be the laid back teacher that everyone loved. Give an inch and several miles were taken. By the time I figured out that being laid back was a huge mistake it was like trying to herd cats getting things straightened out.
This year I am going to be kind but also very firm. I really hope this approach works! I come from a family of teachers as well. My wife has been at it for 11 years, and then two aunts and two cousins. I'm also teaching in a title 1 in Texas.
Lol, yes!
Good Luck and I believe in the power of prayer!
I'm very happy to see that you are a teacher. The best teachers I have ever met are in Texas. It sounds like you have a solid plan and if you work the plan you will have a great year. Kids are different than they used to be I think also. Many have to deal with a lot more problems at home and still try to function at school and it is a sad situation that is wrecking our country. It is an economic problem I think first and foremost.
When people don't have money for an okay place to call home, food for their aching bellies, electricity or running water, clean clothes that are not wore out; it is hard for the kids to focus on education. I'm not talking about a third world country I'm talking about right here in Texas and the USA. The greatest thing about being a teacher is that you can teach them that education is hard work and by advancing your education you can limit having hardships in life.
Good paying jobs are tough to find in rural or inner city areas. Health care costs are through the roof. This is my 3rd year straight at taking a net pay cut in a similar situation as you. We are trying to plan on doing the same in regards to homeschool. Just need a little more income to make it happen! We both will reach our goals!
Kids are different, families are different. It is really a very sad state that I see our society in. I had a student come to my class on a Friday as soon as school had ended. She had seen me eating peanuts earlier in the day and asked if she could take some home. After some going back and forth I found out that she rarely eats on the weekends and school was where she got her meals. I was talking too my principal about this and he said that it was actually more common than you would think. I had another kid that always wanted to talk to me, constantly stopping in between classes. His mother came in one day and she gave me the run down about how this boys dad had been raping him for years and was now in prison. She also thanked me for always supporting him. I honestly thought of him more as a pain but I was always positive. After talking to his mom I had a whole new perspective. I've got several other examples but it's depressing. What so many of these kids endure is terrible and I know this is why they act the way they do. I'm just hoping that I can keep that in perspective as the year progresses.
That's cool that you have the same goal. I really think in this day and age that a proper education at home is the way to go, you just have to do it correctly and make sure that your kids stay social. My wife was reading me a post on Facebook last night and a kid was completing his senior year in home school AND his bachelor's degree at the same time, debt free.
Fortunately my nephew is in a great school and after his sophomore year of of high school he also almost has his bachelors degree from college. He should graduate both at the end of his junior year allowing him to have a masters before he hits 19...Some schools do it right and allow the kids that want to learn and work to do so and not drag it out.
Wow that is awesome! That would be incredible to have a master's by the age of 19.
Keep steeming ... i was going to school to be a teacher but i changed my major! Too competitive around where i live to be a teacher. 400 applications for 1 job! But the kids are likely better behaved? Everywhere is different i guess.
I really can not advise anyone to go into the field. My aunt retired in May and she is already going back to work due to how terrible the retirement is. I ran into my department head at a restaurant a few days ago and she was going to retire at the end of this school year but she said the insurance costs has just risen and it was going to be around 1,000 a month after retirement which puts her retirement up in the air.
400 people for 1 job is crazy! We can't find enough teachers here, major shortage. The district I'm in sucks so bad that 37% of the teachers left at the end of this part school year and I know the district is still scrambling to replace them.
Sorry to hear that your past year was so stressful. I think everything in the world is getting more unruly every day. The Bible says there will be an outpouring of the Spirit and also a Rise in Evil in this time. The one seeking God will become closer and the Evil in this world will increase more every day. You can really see a spirit of Anti Christ in many people anymore. I pray you have a much better year and you will be able to complete all your plans. May God Bless your path and everything you seek to do for the Glory of God!
I believe that too but I didn't know if just years of being a police officer had made me cynical and see evil all around me. Thank you very much and I am certainly planning for the best.
It is probably dangerous to be a teacher this day and age with all the anger kids have. I am sure you have your hands full. The nice thing is you can be a positive force in the kids life and make a difference. It sounds like from what I read you have a good plan. BTW I was born and raised in Texas and one of my brothers is named David. haha .. Look for it to be different this year and make it more fun since you have to teach for now.
I'm definitely going in without a positive attitude, otherwise I'll just hate every minute of it. Really it's the kids that want to learn and actually try that keeps me going.
What part of Texas? I've loved all over except for the Hill country.
the hill country is beautiful..not sure why you don't like that part.. I grew up mostly in southeast Texas.. my family is now in Houston and otherwise scattered about .. my Aunt who is 103 years old lives in her own house in Troup Texas which is not far from Tyler.. where are you?
All my family is in League City and Friendswood, between Houston and Galveston. I live in Beach Grove which is in east Texas, good luck finding it on a map lol. I do like the hill country, I just haven't lived in that area (yet). 103 years on her own is awesome, my great grandmother made it to 99 living on her own.
Be strong boss those kids need you. There's def a bigger disconnect between the youth now and the generation before it..probably more than any proceeding generation ever. Technology in the last two decades has changed the way we do everything, our habits, manners and social interaction and everything.. for good and bad. We're moving so fast as a species.. Not me, I'm laying on the couch
I here that. I limit my kids on the tech, they would spend all day on it if they could. I kinda miss the old days where we didn't have instant communication and if you wanted to get ahold of somebody you needed to leave a message on a tape answering machine.
Anyways, huge disconnect with this generation. It really concerns me!
I'm moving at the same place as you bro, only I'm laying in bed.
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