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So, teaching.; I doez not lieks it.
Topic Started: Dec 4 2011, 08:10 PM (263 Views)
Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
So for the past couple weeks now, I've been teaching math and english to a couple of classes on the weekends. The classes themselves are something in between a tutoring center and a regular classroom; it's "extra" classtime outside of their normal schedule but it's just as regular, and has terms that coincide with their public and private schools.

I have to say, I ****ing hate it, it's awful. I'd much rather wash dishes for 80 hours a week at minimum wage and that's no exaggeration.

Each day can potentially be different and there's a lot of swapping around going on between classes and teachers, but I always have at least the same three classes on the weekends: a group of two kids who are doing year 3 mathematics, just one student for year two math(s), and a group of six year fours who are in advanced English.

The first class is by far the most tiring. One of the kids, Jacob, is a total ****ing bastard. I don't mean he cuts up in class or doesn't stay on task, I mean this kid absolutely does not care about anything at all. He has absolutely zero respect for his parents (who in my opinion command none), and he has no fear whatever of failing all his assignments. What's fascinating is that he can do the work; he's actually a smart kid. But he doesn't even care enough to coast by on what he knows. We had an assessment exam last week during class, and he just sat there smiling, not doing the test. I didn't yell or swear, but after 20 minutes I was very candid with him about the importance of finishing. He laughed again, but did actually write down a handful of answers after that. He still failed, though, brilliantly. I saw him with his mom out in the parking lot after he gave her his results. She scolded him and he laughed about it.

I'm pretty sure his parents don't know what to do with him, so either they think sending him to extra schooling will set him straight somehow or they're just tired of dealing with him and just want him out of the house. I've tried a couple of things to get him into his work but it's not that he has a learning disability, he's got some serious psychological problems, the kid's a borderline sociopath.

The other kid in that class is about the sweetest kid you'd ever meet. He's not very good with the math and struggles through it, but he does get the concepts after awhile and so I do work hard to teach him some things. I honestly don't care about Jacob, he's not even worth trying to work with.

The second class, the one with only one student, is alright also, but I feel really bad for the kid. His parents are immigrants and English is their second language. They think the kid should be learning phonics and other crazy sh!t because he keeps doing poorly on his English exams in public school. But it's not that, the problem's obvious: he doesn't practice his English, ever. He has Chinese parents who speak Mandarin and Chinese friends who speak Mandarin. The only time he tries his English is in the classroom, and he's not an energetic kid so I'd be surprised if outside of our sessions he says ten words of English a day. The kid's not stupid, he doesn't need phonics or anything else. Hell he doesn't even need our tutoring school, he just needs to practice more. If he watched more western movies without subtitles, played more video games in English and had a couple aussie friends there would be no problem. Why can't anyone else see that?

The third class is by far the most disheartening. There are six kids in there and they're all VERY sharp. They speak fluent English, read well above their level and are fantastic with mathematics. They're at our school because their parents want them to qualify for a selective high school when it comes time to apply.

When these kids aren't in regular school, they have piano lessons, ballet lessons, violin lessons, soccer practice (which the boys don't even like all that much), archery (yeah, archery), volunteer work at various organizations and then they get to top it all off with going back to school on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, during summer break, to read Shakespeare passages in the off chance the admissions board two years from now quizzes them on such things. They have no time, absolutely no time whatsoever to be children and that's just ****ing tragic.

Another teacher at this place is a girl ('bout 22 I'd say) who had a very similar background to these kids. She's getting her PhD at a great university and teaches on the weekends for some pocket money. She is entirely, completely humorless. She doesn't smile, has no enthusiasm about anything, doesn't ever laugh, finds nothing amusing. And it's not a cultural thing, her background is the same as these kids and they find everything hilarious.

So you know what, we don't do a whole lot in that class. I go over maybe half of each two-hour lesson and then talk about whatever they want to talk about. They do the in-class assignments for homework anyway (how could they not? They've been very well programmed), and they don't need this extra bullsh!t, they're not learning anything, it's mostly just busywork for them. So whatever, we take a vote each day on what it is they want to do. If they wanna tell fart jokes and talk about American movies for an hour I let them, so long as they get their assignments completed to keep their parents of their back and mine. I try to give the conversations context at least, like if we're talking movies I try to tell them some extra stuff about their favorites or tie it in with the source material. Other times we play word games and such or they teach me some Mandarin characters (they have Chinese language classes right after my English one).

It's interesting, because the kids all see each other not only in their regular classes, but also in all these other extra-cirriculars; I'd say they spend more time with each other than they do their own families. They're very nice to each other--no one in the group is mis-treated--but they are so competitive it's unhealthy. During their assessments last week, there was a discrepancy between two word definitions in their exam (finally vs. ultimately). The exam was written by someone else who learned English as a second language so the right answers were crap, so I told them that either/or would be okay. However, that decision made it so that Caitlin and Stephanie both tied for highest grade in the class. Not only did that mean Caitlin didn't get the highest grade, but this also put her "most outstanding student" award in jeopardy since she might not get the clean sweep across all the subjects like she had planned. She had a total ****ing meltdown about it and wouldn't talk for the rest of class. And it's not her fault, I know damn well that she'll catch hell at home if she doesn't win that award. How ****ed up is that?

My boss had some questions for me at the end of classes this week. She wanted to know why I let Jacob not finish his exam and why there was so much noise coming out of my English class. Instead of telling her to go **** herself, I told her that Jacob didn't finish his exam because he outright refused to do so, and there was so much noise because the kids are just that jazzed about learning about adverbial phrases. Really.

I won't ever be doing this as a career. My dad's been putting up with it for longer than I've been alive and I have no idea how he does it.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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Dewey
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HOLY CARP!!!
Hang in there, Aqua. There will always be the Jacobs of the world. But there will also be the ones whose lives you'll have had a positive influence in. Yes, some of them, and their parents, are insanely competitive, and some of them aren't able to simply be kids. Do what you can to alleviate that, and don't kick yourself for what you can't. From what I hear, I'd be very happy to have you teaching my kids.
"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
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Mark
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HOLY CARP!!!
I don't think I could be a teacher either.

I have a very low tolerance for stupidity.
___.___
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o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
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brenda
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..............
Aqua, I'd say you're doing a GREAT job!

#1. You care. You care enough to notice all these things about your students. Not all teachers care enough to even notice what is going on around them in the classroom. That's a sad thing.

#2. You tailor your lessons to the audience. You notice what works and what doesn't. You give the students the style of teaching they need. Not all teachers are capable of that.

#3. You are honest with your students. You tell them what they need to hear, not what you think they want to hear. Good!

For several years, as part of my regular teaching load, I taught at a federal prison. I taught a variety of college economics and business courses, even a stats course. Talk about some interesting teaching situations .......
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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AndyD
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Senior Carp
Did you think you would like it?
Did you enjoy school and sit there thinking I'd like to be a teacher like him?
If you are not a natural teacher, suck it up as good work and life experience.
Decades ago I taught for over a year just to get a job and honestly, it's one of the few things I can look back on and say I really truly disliked. Day after day you always have marking, you always have lessons to prepare, you always have good and bad students, you always have to stand front and centre and perform.
But it looks good on you CV.
Every morning the soul is once again as good as new, and again one offers it to one's brothers & sisters in life.

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The 89th Key
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Mark
Dec 4 2011, 10:40 PM
I don't think I could be a teacher either.

I have a very low tolerance for stupidity.
And you still hang out with us? :lol:
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
I wasn't going to touch that one, 89th. :lol2:
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
I wouldn't totally cross off teaching based on this, Aqua. You're dealing with a special crowd here, not groups of regular kids, with the interesting variety involved.

I'd be pretty turned off dealing with only kids like this too; those with wealthy pushy parents.
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apple
one of the angels
just pretend you are Robin Williams
it behooves me to behold
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Jolly
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Geaux Tigers!
You gotta kiss a lot of frogs, before you find a Prince. Or, in this case, a Princess.

Suck it up and git 'er dun. It's good experience, it's good for your resume and it will make you appreciate teaching at the collegiate level twice as much.

The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
AndyD
Dec 5 2011, 12:46 PM
Did you think you would like it?
Did you enjoy school and sit there thinking I'd like to be a teacher like him?
If you are not a natural teacher, suck it up as good work and life experience.
Well yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing. It's not like this was a serious go at any new career, it's a summer job.

I don't mind certain parts of it. Preparing lessons and actually teaching I don't mind at all, and yeah marking is tedious but isn't it always.

But no way would I ever do this long term. For another thing, it's a serious act I'm pulling. I mean me a teacher, are you serious? For the sake of the students (and my job, I guess), sure I'll pretend, but that's not something I'd be at all comfortable with for any prolonged period of time.

Also, the lessons are a serious drag. I don't mind walking the kids through stuff and yes it is great when they finally get something, but adverbial phrases, are you ****ing serious? It's not that it's uninteresting, it was ininteresting 20 years ago when I did this **** the first time.

Yeah, I'll see this through, and I do care and try to do right by the kids, but this ain't no career path.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
Jolly
Dec 5 2011, 04:38 PM
You gotta kiss a lot of frogs, before you find a Prince. Or, in this case, a Princess.

Suck it up and git 'er dun. It's good experience, it's good for your resume and it will make you appreciate teaching at the collegiate level twice as much.

Yeah that's likely true.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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