Re: Teaching Hell

On 2/02/10, Disillusioned wrote:
> That's ok. I just never thought I'd have to deal with children choking
> their classmates because they got in front of them in line and they're
> only in Kindergarten. And I have auxilary teachers calling me for help
> because my kids are running in her class, standing on the table and doing
> cartwheels on the carpet. The administration doesn't quite know what to
> do with this bunch either. Sometimes it really is the students.
> On 2/02/10, happypre-k wrote:
>> On 2/02/10, Dissillusioned wrote:
>>> How excatly do you think I'm treating these kids?
>>> On 2/02/10, Dissillusioned wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Interesting...but why did I hate it this year and love it last
>>>> year?
>>>> On 2/02/10, happypre-k wrote:
>>>>> On 2/01/10, Disillusioned wrote:
>>>>>> This is my second year of teaching and I hate it. The
>>>>>> children are so unruly and nothing I've done(and believe me
>>>>>> I've tried everything) has helped. I've involved the
>>>>>> administration as well as the parents and have gotten no
>>>>>> where. Even the auxiliary teachers complain about my
>>>>>> class. I never thought I'd never say this but I hate my
>>>>>> job. I can't sleep at the night before the week begins
>>>>>> because I dread going to work so much. Help!
>>>>>
>>>>> If you hate it now, get out. You should love it the first 15
>>>>> years or so!! Kids are kids. They probably aren't taught the
>>>>> way you would teach your children at home. They don't all
>>>>> have parents that think they are wonderful. That's your job-
>>>>> to give these babies a reason to work hard. They have to
>>>>> know you love them and are there no matter what. Many of
>>>>> their parents may not be. It's not fair to your class if you
>>>>> don't like your job. Find something else to do. It doesn't
>>>>> mean you are a bad person or that you have failed. It just
>>>>> means teaching is not for you. Find something that will make
>>>>> you happy to go to work.
>>
>>
>> Didn't mean to imply that you are doing anything that you shouldn't.
>> Kids do pick up on how you feel when you are frustrated. You are
>> obviously frustrated. I'm sure you are a wonderful person if you are
>> searching high and low to find ways to reach your children. I
>> apologize if I gave you the impression that I think differently.

Sometimes you get a class where a few strong personalities feed off of each
other to create chaos. Unfortunately, all the followers in the class often
follow their lead. It doesn't matter if it is a private school or if the
parents are normally involved. It has to do with the interactions within
small groups. Children are learning social skills at this point; they don't
automatically know them. They are going to try things out including
negative behavior and if they get away with them or rewarded for them, good
luck ever changing that behavior. Having the attention of the class while
the teacher is melting down can be a very valuable reward for some children.

This happened in my son's school with a class a few years behind him. The
class had a reputation so bad some of the substitutes refused to stay with
it. The school had only one unit per grade so they couldn't separate out
the ones who were stirring things up. The teachers who had the least
trouble had very structured classrooms where they practiced procedures until
the students knew exactly what they were expected to do for everything. I
wouldn't call them mean. I would say they were highly organized and left-
brained.

Look on the bright side. You've made it more than halfway through the year
and next year you can start fresh.