My First Year

I met the new TFA '06 corps for Miami-Dade last week. Even though I only have a year under my teaching belt, I felt like a wise owl. I did not bother trying to explain the hardships they will face. It would have been impossible to relate the agony of my first month. I don't think agony is too strong of a word. There were days early first semester when I lost hope. Students would swear at me. My feet hurt. My mind raced with questions about the next day. Miami and my entire living environment were stained by the job. It really really sucked.

There was no reason to tell this to the new corps members. For the most part, they seemed to have the necessary ingredients for success in their first year. True, some had misconceived notions about what teaching in an inner city school was actually like. For example, one '06 told me he planned on getting materials from his professor for his high school social studies class. I wanted to say, "You might want to check with your eighth grade teacher for reading materials." But this is small stuff that you can't really be told. You must try and fail, figure out why you failed, make the necessary corrections, and try again. The necessary ingredients I mentioned might look something like this.

1) Optimism: You need to believe that teaching will get easier and your students will continue to learn better as you get better. Pessimism at my school was everywhere, and was as tempting as most sins are. Stay out of the teacher lounge, believe in yourself, your kids, and your mission as a teacher.

2) Persistence: It's sort of a cliche within Teach for America, but persistence might be the most important ingredient. It's hard to believe, but your students will want you to swear at them in rage or even give up completely on them. The door is never far away, and most corps members have other options. You will see other teachers quit. If you do quit or swear at them, it will simply confirm their own experience. But if you persist, and greet their disrespect with a firm love, they may begin to believe in themselves. By second semester, you might even begin to believe in yourself.

3) Humility: Guess what? It's not your school. It's theirs. It's the students' school. Most walk from public housing to it everyday. They know where the dope boys hang out, but they also know how to avoid them. They know who they terrible teachers are, and they know who the good ones are. If you run out of hall passes, ask them. They collect them for opportune moments. It's also the permanent teachers' school. Ms. Jackson has been at Northwestern for 38 years. That is love. My contribution pales in comparison. Don't think that what you learn at Institute for 5 weeks gives you a right to tell other teachers how to do their job. It is true that more learning occurs in my class than most, but I work 60-70 hours a week for that result. I am young, idealistic, and most importantly, I have only been fighting for one year. Always treat your students with respect. Serve them to the best of your ability.

4) Friends and Family: Don't hide your agony from friends and family. Once they understand your mission, they will give you more support than you can imagine. Soon, you will find immense pride in telling what you are doing to others. Don't think that just because you're out of college and in the "real world" you have to be the rock of Gibraltar. You are human. Call Mom crying if you need to. Then, get back to work. People who love you will always be there.

I taught seniors Social Studies my first year of teaching. First semester, I taught Government. Second Semester, I taught Economics. It was the same periods and the same students, but a whole new class.

My kids did not learn very much first semester. I can't even talk about "data" because I did not assess them enough. Let me recap the mistakes I made first semester and the steps I've taken second semester to change them:

• The Notebook System: The idea was that students did everything in their notebooks and handed it in every three weeks. Not a good idea. If the student forgets their notebook they have an excuse not to work. Some students didn't do any work during class and copied from their friends outside of class. Plus, the students were being informed of their progress every three weeks rather than constantly.
  

Second semester, there was no notebook. The required materials were pen and paper. If a student didn't have either of these, I provided. There was no excuse not to work. I threw paper at them (luckily, the copy machine worked most of second semester). I organized their work and posted grades every week. Students always knew their grade. Sometimes they would complain when they saw how much failing a test hurt their grade, but it's worth it to keep them informed.

• "Behavior Focus": This one might be controversial. First semester, I reacted everytime someone used profanity. When you have 12 people swearing in every period, that's a lot of phone calls home. I must have written 20 referrals.
  

I taught them Economics second semester. My kids vocabalary measurably improved. They know how to create and use supply and demand schedules. They know what a ticker symbol is, and what the different options are for investing. They can write checks, and they can tell you about shopping for credit cards. They are also still immature. I tolerated some disrespect, but when they crossed the line I quietly asked them to leave. No referral, no conduct cut, and no pulsing of veins. Just leave. It put the burden on them and away from me. They still swear and are irresponsible at times. But I don't think I could have taught them responsibility or manners in one year. But they have useful knowledge, and they know what hard work, decorum, and drive look like. I modeled all three every day.

This will be my last blog for 7 weeks. I am going to Mexico soon, and will be laying low for the rest of the summer. Next year, my blog will be more consistent but with shorter entries.

John