This will be a rather informal post since I am absolutely exhausted and yet have very little else I can do at the moment other than write...I am currently "serving" detention supervision. There is something so ironic about this. When I was teaching in my previous school, a school full of disrespectful and defiant students, I never had to serve detention duty. Now, while I am teaching at a school full of kind, thoughtful and very respectful students, I have detention duty. How am I supposed to take this seriously?
The majority of these students are here because they were late to school. Ok, I get it: we are teaching them adult world skills and tardiness is not tolerable in the adult world. They must learn to be responsible young adults and make school a priority. I agree and think that if we let students arrive to school without consequences they would be late every single day, so a consequence needs to be put in place. Yet these guys must write a two page reflection about how tardiness is disrespectful. They need to write a letter to their teacher and then one to their parent.
Once again, though I understand that tardiness should not be tolerated I cannot help but think the following...
Last year I had students tell me to "fuck off". I had students call me a "bitch". I had students refer to each other as "niggers". I had students threaten others, come to school drunk or high (or both). I had students punch walls, throw things, scream and assault police officers.
TARDINESS IS NOTHING IN COMPARISON TO THAT!!!!!
Its all about perspective. This I know. But still. I think its going to take me a very long time to get used to this kind of school environment. Though this was the kind of institution in which I was raised, its amazing what just two years teaching in a "ghetto school" will do to you. I am forever changed as a teacher. The world will never quite look the same to me.
A part of me misses it. I miss the fact that every day felt like life or death. I miss their crazy stories and their jokes. I miss how much they adored me -- without meaning to sound too full of myself, I really was the only person in many of their lives who cared about them and showed them love and respect.
My students here are lovely and I am already beginning to forge such strong bonds with several of them, but its different. At the end of the day I know that if I can't be there for these children, someone else will be. A friend, parent or other teacher will step in and offer a helping hand. The students here love me too, but they don't need me the way my students needed me back in Boston.
The majority of these students are here because they were late to school. Ok, I get it: we are teaching them adult world skills and tardiness is not tolerable in the adult world. They must learn to be responsible young adults and make school a priority. I agree and think that if we let students arrive to school without consequences they would be late every single day, so a consequence needs to be put in place. Yet these guys must write a two page reflection about how tardiness is disrespectful. They need to write a letter to their teacher and then one to their parent.
Once again, though I understand that tardiness should not be tolerated I cannot help but think the following...
Last year I had students tell me to "fuck off". I had students call me a "bitch". I had students refer to each other as "niggers". I had students threaten others, come to school drunk or high (or both). I had students punch walls, throw things, scream and assault police officers.
TARDINESS IS NOTHING IN COMPARISON TO THAT!!!!!
Its all about perspective. This I know. But still. I think its going to take me a very long time to get used to this kind of school environment. Though this was the kind of institution in which I was raised, its amazing what just two years teaching in a "ghetto school" will do to you. I am forever changed as a teacher. The world will never quite look the same to me.
A part of me misses it. I miss the fact that every day felt like life or death. I miss their crazy stories and their jokes. I miss how much they adored me -- without meaning to sound too full of myself, I really was the only person in many of their lives who cared about them and showed them love and respect.
My students here are lovely and I am already beginning to forge such strong bonds with several of them, but its different. At the end of the day I know that if I can't be there for these children, someone else will be. A friend, parent or other teacher will step in and offer a helping hand. The students here love me too, but they don't need me the way my students needed me back in Boston.
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| Photo of me and some of my students last year on a field trip to Walden Pond |
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