All together now...

Ms. Mynx recently posted a link (in one of her comments here) to some guy talking about education and teaching and such. I thought it'd be fun if I gave the link it's own post so everybody could get in on the conversation, so here goes. Check it. Comment away.

My thoughts: There are a lot of reasons why "nick"'s views could be considered unrealistic -- especially in a traditional high school setting. When you have to "teach" 120 students on a pre-determined curriculum and have little freedom to change things, you're damn right it's unrealistic to think you can reach every student. However, there's nothing unrealistic about the need to reach every student. In fact, it's basically a necessity of any public education system. That's what "public" education means -- education for the public, or everyone. However, I don't think it's fair of "Noreen" to say that, unless you reach the most disinterested and hardened bastard of a student in your class, you're not a good teacher. It may not be possible for you personally to reach every student in your class (especially under the conditions of most public high schools), but that doesn't mean you can't have some imperceptible effect on them that won't manifest until years later.

One day, I think Noreen will realize that you can't go into teaching expecting to be "The One" for all of your students. It won't happen. You aren't everybody's personal Jesus Christ. The only time you see Jaime Escalante-esque results is in the movies (and it's important to remember that "Stand & Deliver" leaves out the fact that Escalante had another teacher helping him). Well, sometimes you see them in real life, too. But they happen rarely enough that you shouldn't expect them to be the standard for your teaching experience.

In short, it's a hard motherfucking job, and extremely frustrating on a regular basis. Which is probably why I don't do it anymore.

One other thing, Ms. Mynx: Nick and Noreen are talking about a very different type of teaching than what you do, you know. Teach For America (which, as Noreen briefly stated, is evil-by-accident) deals with the most extremely difficult and frustrating schools you could ever encounter. I am amazed at how many people actually say they enjoy doing it. I think it's because TFA brainwashes the people that work for them. In any case, the bastards you, Mynxie, teach are there because they choose to be. They're paying to come to your school, for chrissake. If they want to be shitty, that's their problem, not yours. Oh, and I think you should bring Potatoes with you to a class sometime in case any of those scumbags try to hit on you again. Just have him sit at the front of the room, dressed all in black and glaring at your students throughout the class. That'll keep 'em in line.

On a semi-related note, I had a dream last night that Ms. Singer (that's my high school English teacher, for those of you who don't know) was teaching me how to be a teacher. We spent the entire lesson going over how to take attendance. It was the best teaching lesson I ever had. At the end of it, I said to her, "Thank you so much for teaching me this; we never learned how to do it and it always bothered me. I'm so glad I know how to do it right now." I think this is a reflection of my feeling that, despite all the cool books and great discussions I had during my teacher training, I never learned the essentials of how to be a teacher. That is, how to get along with people, how to form relationships, how to build rapport, etc. etc... All of that still eludes me.