Orb Publishing
My perception and ideological views have changed drastically since going to work with juvenile felons behind bars. But, it is fun to reflect on yesterday.
I have been a teacher for the past twenty odd years and I thought that I would never say this, but I burnt out. If not burnt out, certainly I’m nearing the threshold.
When I entered this proud profession, I uncounted these warped and frustrated old educators railing against the onslaught of their young charges and shaking their fist at the heavens.
I promised myself that I would never become them. I’m reminded of a conversation that I overheard in the main office during my first week on the job:
“Theses kids aren’t bad, John,” the veteran teacher alleged, sarcastically. “On the contrary, these young people are our future. One day this nation will be in their hands.”
The administrator gave the teacher a long skeptical look. “Well, when that day comes, I hope that I’m dead,” responded the vice principal before turning and walking away.
I am happy to say that I haven’t sunk to such depths, and most likely never will. However, my idealism has vanished, and my passion fading fast.
I recognized my calling after viewing “To Sir, With Love” starring Sidney Pottier. In the film, Sidney played Sir, an unemployed civil engineer who took a substitute teaching position in the slums of London ’s East End . To say that his students were hostile toward him would be like saying that Hitler disliked the Jews.
There was the usually age difference, but there was also a racial, class and cultural difference to overcome. Sir was educated and urbane, his social refinement and sophistication ostracizing him even more than his skin color.
But, in the end, he succeeded at winning them over, finally transforming this group of rowdy seniors into a gathering of young adults, fully aware of their unlimited potential. Sir’s very presence transformed their dingy, dirty little district into a somewhat clearer and brighter place. In the finally scene (the English version of the American senior prom) he was honored with song and awarded a token of the gratitude. Swept with emotion, I cried.
My own start in education was not all that different. I aspired to be a city planner. After graduate school, I took the city planners exam. While my score was more than respectable, I was informed that it would be a year before the city began calling up promising applicants. With my fellowship award money gone, I followed the advice of a teacher friend and applied for and received a sub license.
A star was born. I was a natural. Sir had nothing on me. In the classroom I was technically flawed, not having had any formal training, which may have worked in my favor. I employed the trial and error technique, keeping what worked and discarding what did not. Other than insisting that they obey my every command without question, I had no hard, fast rules.
The classroom became my stage, and there I performed. Nothing ever came so easy. I was entertaining, young, educated, and street. Perhaps, most importantly, I was strong enough (physically, mentally, and emotionally) to keep the peace. I never became the sled driver, instead; I opted to become the lead sled dog. So, while I was clearly in charge, I was one of them.
You can guess the rest of the story. When the city finally called me up for an interview, I declined and remained a teacher. After all, who wants to be just another grain of sand on the beach when one can be a star in the sky?
That was over twenty years ago. Since then I has changed from an optimistic young educator to an increasingly pessimistic middle-aged History teacher. Who or what is the blame for this. Is it the students, the school system, the community at large, or myself that is the cause? I have a hunch that it is all of the above.
I sensed that something had changed with in me after viewing the movie “Lean on Me”, starring Morgan Freeman. He played the role of the actual Joe Clark, the controversial principal of East Side High in New Jersey
His philosophy was simple. A certain percentage of students in any city school will succeed in spite of the school systems failures and ineptitudes. Another percentage will wind up dead, in jail, or impoverished despite the school’s best efforts. So, the only ones that ready count, are those in the middle. Those teetering on the fence, uncertain where come down.
With little or no deterrence, many of those on the fence will come down on the wrong side. But, you wage an all out war on the hard core problems and most will come down on the right side. It’s as simple as that. The war is fought over them. The souls of these undecided students are what’s at steak.
While he got results, neither the community nor the state approved of his methods. As a result, he got canned. I mention him because I’m a Joe Clark disciple. Sir had ceased to be my role model, my inspiration. I no longer believed that teachers in the trenches would eventually win the war, not without a Joe Clark to give up a fighting chance. Every garden needs a gardener to prune and clip and clear away the weeds. Without this careful maintenance, what’s beautiful becomes unsightly, and what’s full of life and vitality become stagnant and dead.
Walk into any public secondary school and you’ll be, alarmed by the violence, stunned by the profanity, incensed by the disrespect and dejected by the indifference to life.
But, disruptive students are nothing new to the public school system. I myself was a card caring member of the Vice Lords and an irritation to any classroom teacher. However, they represent about ten percent. By the time I became a teacher, the percentage had grown to about one third. Now, disruptive behavior is whitened to about half the class in many inner city schools. It has become the norm.
To make things worse, along come the federal funded “No Child Left Behind” program. It of objective was and is to bring national accountability to public education. Granted school systems across the nation were failing miserably and were in need of reform. Washington
I have a ton issue with the NCLB, but the primary one is that it forces school to play the numbers game. If Johnny doesn’t come to school, the school doesn’t get x amount of dollars. So, no matter what Johnny does, short of assault, murder, or rape, Johnny has to allow back in.
Well, there are dozens of Johnnies in every school who warrant long-term vacations for the good of the school and to send an important message to other would-be Johnnies. Among other things, NCLB ties the hands of administrators and forces teaches to deal with chronic disturbances.
Also, the “mainstreaming” of special needs students is a great idea, but when the teacher is overburden with regular-ed students, and is not give the assistant (teacher’s aides mandated by the law) the result is a farce. Many schools do not have the resources to comply with the law, so they simple ignore it.
As a result, the teacher may have a class of 28 students, which includes 6 special needs student reading 4 or 5 years behind the others. These special needs student are not able to complete the assignment without one-on-one attention. In the end, it’s a farce that is costly to all involved and even criminal.
In regard to the community, we are seeing less and less school envelopment for a number of reasons. This includes: single parent families, parent forced to work two jobs, grand parent who are elderly forced into parenting roles, etc. For the last 5 years I’ve less that 5 percent on parent/teacher night.
In sum, there are a lot of great teachers, administrators, and students in the country. And, America
I not sure what the future holds for me, but I know that its time to call it quits. It’s time to walk away from the profession that loved with all of my heart. I will take with me all the fond relationships forged in the fiery furnaces of the classroom, including students and peers. Their salubrious faces will follow me all the days of my life. Walking away now is one of the hardest thing that I’ve had to done. But, If I don’t I fear that I will come to loath the very student that I’ve come to love so mush.
May I add in closing that I prayed for a teaching God help every step of the way. And, He’s been where with me. There’s no doubt in my mind that he put where he wanted me to be. That being the case, I ask for your forgiveness, Lord. May You have mercy on my soul.
Read My Little Jail House
