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I recently had the pleasure of interviewing a former teacher
named, Anne. Anne has a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education and a
Master's Degree in Education.
She taught for 25 years. My conversation with
Anne was informative and shed light on the experiences many teachers go through
everyday.
Although only in her late forties, Anne has left the teaching
profession for good. She currently works in a supermarket and is quite content
to keep doing so.
1. Why did you become a teacher?
I've always
enjoyed working with young children. It seemed natural for me to pursue a
career, where I could use my talents to educate them.
Also, when I finally
decided to go to school to become a teacher, my daughter was just a baby.
I wanted
a job where I could spend the most time with her. Since public school teachers
get the summers off, I knew that was the best option for me.
2. What grade did you teach?
I taught
Kindergarten.
3. What was your favorite thing about teaching?
When I
first started, I loved the creativity Early Childhood Education allowed. It was
so much fun designing lessons and watching the children learn from them.
4. You said, "When you first started". What
changed after you started?
Everything.
Play was taken out of the Kindergarten classroom and replaced with the more
standard instruction you find in the upper grades.
Naps were eliminated from
the full-day program. Young children get tired and need to rest during the day.
It helps them reorganize their brains and process what they've learned.
The amount
of paperwork I was required to complete grew worse every year. I found some of
the student expectations outrageous.
Some Kindergartners just aren't ready to
start reading and writing, especially if they've never been to school before.
Often, when these particular students don't accomplish these goals, the teacher
is penalized.
It doesn't matter that the students have made progress in
accordance with their own development, or that there aren't enough resources to
support them.
If it's not measurable on a report card the district will hold
the teacher accountable.
5. What was your least favorite thing about teaching?
The lack of
support I received when students in my classroom acted out.
6. Can you elaborate on the behaviors you mentioned?
Some of the
children would get very violent, throwing chairs at other students or me.
Sometimes they would run out of the classroom or leave the school building.
One
year my entire classroom had been remodeled.
Within six weeks of school
starting, the classroom was ruined.
Many of the students had written on the
floors, walls, tables and chairs. They had poked holes in the library
furniture, torn up a lot of the books, and stolen a fair amount of the math
manipulatives I had on the shelves.
7. Why didn't you receive the support you needed?
Lack of
funding. The monetary cuts made to the public schools have caused a lot of
these behaviors to flourish.
There just aren't enough personnel anymore to deal
with the overcrowding in classrooms and the social/emotional needs of many
students.
8. Can you think of any solutions to solve this problem?
Yes.
Politicians need to let teachers teach. They also need to stop attacking
teacher unions and value the teaching profession.
Did you know that teaching is
one of the only professions, where furthering your education has little
benefits?
When I earned my Master's Degree I didn't get a raise like
professionals in other careers do.
We also
need to focus our resources on the mental health of our students. Many children
have experienced horrible trauma that needs to be addressed.
If we could pursue
mental health in the schools with as much vigor as literacy and math we may be
able to cut down on school violence.
9. That sounds like a daunting task. How would we even begin
to accomplish such a goal?
Well it
won't be easy, but if we all worked together, I really believe we could do it.
I once suggested to my principal, that we should partner up with college
students who were going to school to become psychotherapists.
There has to be a
way to allow college students to complete their internships by working with
school age children.
10. Do you have any you suggestions for new teachers just
starting out?
Don't teach
to the standardized test; teach to the students.
Be an
advocate for your students.
Document
everything. You never know when an incident may turn against you. If you have a
paper trail, you have leverage and protection.
I would like to thank Anne for her time and
insight. I hope this interview helps people understand the challenges public
school teachers and their students face everyday.
In order to change the state
of public education in our country, we must listen to those people on the
frontlines, the teachers.
What are your thoughts on how to address mental health problems with students?