Re: Just started a new teaching position....

Posted by Brett on 10/15/05

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On 9/22/05, Still feeling overwhelmed wrote:
> Hi,
> Thanks for the reply. I am still feeling very overwhelmed a
> week into this new position. The maintenance man at my school
> ( a super nice guy!) came and boarded my door up for me so
> that it could not be broken into. He also chatted me up about
> how he thinks its atrocious that the school would put a
> classroom of little ones outside and leave the music class and
> inside the main building....
>

Holy cow! And I thought I had it bad MY first year (last year)!
I can really relate to your concern about urban kids who don't
even know their own birthdays, and who talk like "sailors"
instead of little kids, but even my school gave me materials,
supplies, and furniture for my room. I guess the good news, like
one of the other posters said, is that it surely CAN'T get much
worse than this! Hopefully, in a few years, you'll be able to
look back on this and laugh, and write a best-selling book about
it.

Until then, I guess the first question I have for you, since I
don't know where you work, is whether you and your fellow
teachers are represented by a union that you can join? That may
be an avenue for you to pursue to at LEAST get the planning and
break times you are legally entitled to by your contract.
Otherwise you might try talking to someone at the district level
about fixing your problem -- if you work in a large district,
they may be totally unaware of your problems at the local level.

Also, if you haven't already, you should begin submitting new
and updated resumes to other school districts to apply for jobs
for next school year -- at least that will give you more hope
for the future. Right after the first of the year (Jan.or Feb.)
is a good time to start applying.

I believe you said you work in an urban school district, and I
know you stated that there are gang problems at your school (so
sad, especially at such a young age, but I can relate to that,
too). A good book for you to try to read in your "spare time"
(ha-ha) is "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" by Dr. Ruby
Payne. This is a fairly easy read that might help you better
understand the mindset and culture of children (and their
parents) who live in poverty.

I've already learned that a teacher in a poor urban school
cannot expect much student support from home. Many times
students will come to school dirty and unfed, tired from being
up half the night, and often wearing the same clothes 2 or 3
days in a row. (Fortunately ours is a uniform school, so the
other kids aren't as apt to notice. Also fortunate for our kids
is the fact they get fed lunch AND breakfast every day at
school.) And even the students who WANT to do their homework
often have no place at home to sit down and do it, or they are
out and about with mom at work or elsewhere most nights until
bedtime. The families many times don't have cars, so they rely
on public transportation to get around, which is great, except
that it can take such a long time to get somewhere. And they
don't have medical insurance, so they spend long hours in an
emergency room any time one of the kids gets sick.

Also, don't expect a parent to rush right up to school if there
is a problem with a student. Often the parent doesn't even have
bus fare. I had an IEP meeting for one of my students a couple
of weeks ago. The first meeting was postponed due to rain -- Mom
called to say that she couldn't make it because she didn't have
bus fare, and couldn't walk to school because it was pouring
rain (understandable). That was a Thursday, and we rescheduled
for Tuesday. Tuesday she phoned me at the meeting time to say
she had been unable to find a ride, and wanted to know if I
wanted to reschedule, or wait for her to walk to the school. I
said I could wait. She showed up 45 minutes later. (And this is
actually one of the more supportive parents I have dealt with --
she has actually walked her son an hour to school when he has
missed the bus, so that he would only be tardy instead of
absent! She even stopped at McDonald's to feed him because she
knew he would have already missed breakfast at school.)

Poverty also results in a very transient student population,
meaning you can expect to have a high turnover of students
throughout the year, as families move out of (and into) your
school or district boundaries. It also means you may have a
difficult time keeping current home contact information for your
students (especially since they're probably not old enough to
remember a phone number that may change monthly due to moves or
the parent's inability to pay the bills). You may have better
luck contacting grandparents.

I am sorry to add to your worries by saying such things, but
hopefully such knowledge will help you to be more proactive when
you start to experience the reality of what I'm saying in person
(if you haven't already).

Another poster alluded that you should work on relationships. I
wholeheartedly agree with that. Build community first; then
worry about the academics -- if you're lucky, maybe the school
will have delivered more teaching materials by then. :-)

To sum up, it sounds to me like you are doing a truly
outstanding job so far with the limited resources you have.
Please don't give up! And please don't forget to give yourself a
much needed break at the end of each day, and at least one day
each weekend. You deserve it! Plus, you'll be absolutley no good
to anyone if you don't stay healthy, physically and mentally!

Finally, make up your mind right now that no matter how bad
things get, you will keep a positive attitude about it because
you know you have done YOUR best. Make it a point to laugh about
these impossibly difficult situations that are beyond your
control. Doing so will help you to keep your sanity.

Oh, and one last thing: maintain that postive relationship with
your custodian! Be sincere, and thank him or her daily for his
or her efforts. (And don't be surprised if he starts "finding"
things for your neglected classroom during the performance of
his daily duties!)

Brett

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Just started a new teaching position...., 9/17/05, by Not ready!.
• Re: Just started a new teaching position...., 9/18/05, by sue19468.
• Re: Just started a new teaching position...., 9/22/05, by Heidi.
• Re: Just started a new teaching position...., 9/22/05, by Still feeling overwhelmed.
• Re: Just started a new teaching position...., 10/15/05, by Brett.
• Re: Just started a new teaching position...., 9/08/09, by Concerned.