Educating Children
I’m contemplating becoming a school teacher. It’ll be a difficult choice. As an anthropology major I’m afraid that my desire to teach children may not match my ability. I would have to seek an alternative certification amongst face many other challenges. Last year I decided that becoming a substitute would be a good way to survey the classroom and move toward a decision.
I currently work in a low income school district. I attended this district myself and thought it would be a good way to give back to the teachers who taught me. Also these children are what people call “at risk.� In many ways I didn’t understand how at risk these children really are.
Every morning on each different campus (6th -12th) I hear and see cops, yelling teachers, cursing students, and obscene amounts of sexual connotations (homosexuality included). Take into consideration that many of these children are overly medicated (I think), parentless, abused, angry, and generally neglected then sent off to school for 8 hours.
Managing these children can be compared to trying to keep a top pressed firmly down on a boiling pot without getting burned. What can I as a substitute do? Better yet what can their teachers do but try and then stay out of their way.
Today, as I filled out an assault form against a 12 year old boy, I felt helpless. I watched as the defiant police officer walked the boy down the hall into the “risk� of his life. This was supposed to bring protection to me yet I couldn’t help but wonder who’s protecting him. There’s has to be a better way than this.
I thought back to Oprah’s show last week just maybe there’s a small light at the horizon.
http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200604/20060412/slide_20060412_284_101.jhtml
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April 17th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
You can do a LOT! I’m one who knows…I understand the bad (hard) days…I’ve worked with some tough kids (some from the streets of North Phili, some from E. St. Louis…and with all of them LOVE is something they just don’t get a lot of…so keep loving them.
My wife worked with some tough kids in Arizona and each morning she went around the room and prayed for each kid (all boys!) as she passed their desk…it made a HUGE difference!
I’ve got friends teaching and know kids at St. Hope. I’ve been in the office and toured the campus with one of the principals. It is a campus with lots of problems (even still) but with hope and plans for a future. The cool thing with KJ is that he’s a bulldog, he never gives up–a person of vision. He’s got plans to be there in this part of Sac…not too pretty –I used to live about a mile from Sac High (St. Hope)…but he’s got NO plans to leave OR give up. It was a fight for him to get in too!
He’d want you to find your passion for teaching and go for it! I’ve been teaching (in various schools and outdoor centers) since 1987…had some real hard days (hard years)…but I still love it!
And I’ve had the honor and pleasure to love and know some great kids (and parents) along the way!
Eric
April 18th, 2006 at 11:05 am
I pray over the classroom and desk before they come running in as well. Good or bad days I do love these children. It’s nice to see your steady commitment. I’ve been afraid that I would lose my passion and turn negative with hard times. I see it doesn’t have to be that way. Thank you for your encouragement.
April 18th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
If we all ran from the hard places in life where would those who often hurt the most find Hope?
I am proud of you for what you do now and what you will do in the future. I trust God will lead you to that place of greatest influence, and once you arrive He will provide you with the grace needed to sustain a movement of His Spirit.
April 18th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
There’s no question that teachers in our public schools put up with a lot and that they have a very valuable job. My mother is facing a generally less-challenging school environment right now and I know that even it’s a challenge. Thanks for working there. Our community needs it.