better/worse school

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better/worse school
By Julianne

I have been teaching for 25 years off and on. I started out in one of those "bad" schools and worked there over five years. I left in the middle of a school year because I just simply burned out. I was doing too much with
too little support. There were extenuating circumstances, but mostly I just didn't know how to handle the pressures of the job I was supposed to be doing.
I came back to teaching in a roundabout way, through community education classes. By the time I came back I had three kids of my own and a vastly different outlook. I also got the chance to teach at two of the "good" schools.

Here's what I can tell you about the differences.

The good schools have all the same problems as the bad schools, just not as many of each kind. You still have parents who neglect their children, kids who have ADD and ADHD, teachers on your grade level who don't care or are new, rivers of paperwork, standardized tests to give that don't seem to fit what you're expected to teach and students and parents who don't respect you. At the good schools you find parents who have the time to come volunteer in your classroom. You also have parents who have time to come complain to you when they don't like every little thing you're doing. At the good schools your students will be better dressed. They'll still have head lice.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's not so much the difference in good versus bad area of town as it is your own ability to deal with it. I learned that nothing I did would make the students perfect. I learned how to craft my lessons so most students could learn. I learned good classroom control. I learned when to refer a student for more help and where to refer him. I learned how to keep my own feelings out of the mix whenever possible.

Much of what you're describing has to do with being in the profession only two years and being required to shoulder a great deal more responsibility than you should have. If there were more experienced teachers in your grade level you could sponge ideas off of them, learn their discipline policies and practices, ask for feedback on particularly difficult students. Even in a good school you might not find that kind of help.

I'm back at a "bad" school now. And I love it. The kids are great. They are mostly Hispanic and are very respectful of adults. They are learning English, I am learning Spanish! If you decide to stay where you are, I would suggest using your energies to develop a good discipline system. Make it a point to find out what your district has in the way of alternate programs and referrals for your problem students. Also, get out of as much leadership as possible right now. You need time to grow as a teacher before you mentor others.

You sound like a dedicated teacher in a tough situation. I hope things get better for you soon.