Well, not really.

I’m about a semester into my first year of teaching, and it has been interesting so far.  The first month or so was extremely stressful, as it took awhile for me to get the timing of my lessons mapped out just right.  After that, I got into a  good swing, but felt overwhelmed still, as my assigned mentor hasn’t been the most helpful (doesn’t even speak to me, actually).  

Overall, I think that I made the right choice, profession-wise, but I think my choice of school was poor.  When I interviewed and visited the school, I was excited about everything. In addition to the science curriculum (Physics First), I was basically sold on the fact that the students were bright, excited about learning, and hard workers.  When I finally started working here, however, this was pretty far from the truth.

For starters, there is very little accountability for students.  Unlike most schools (even most other private schools), there doesn’t appear to be any requirements for moving on to the next grade.  For instance, a freshman can literally fail 4/6 classes, and move on to the next grade.   And when they fail 4/6 more classes that year, they can move on to become juniors.  When this same junior fails 4/6 classes, they can move on to senior year. HOWEVER, once they’re a senior, they have to take extra classes, online classes, and pass every single one in order to graduate.  In other words, students (and in a school of less than 150, there are about a dozen in each grade), are allowed to waste tuition money up until senior year, and rather than being challenged, continue to have the bar lowered year after year, until they are ultimately thrown under the bus.  How is this progressive education? How is this preparing students for college?

One of my students was one of these students.  Had severe academic and behavioral problems 9-11th grade (due to family issues). This year, his senior year, he is adamant about getting into college.  He has (from what other teachers have told me) made a 360 from where he was this time last year.  He’s passing all of his courses (most with As and Bs). But because he is lacking the credits to graduate, has to take 7 classes, plus two classes online.  Despite the fact that has to work 20 hours a week, he is working very hard, and succeeding in his in-school classes, the administration (and me, under pressure of the administration) have in addition to this workload, have pretty much placed an ultimatum on his graduation: “Pass these two year-long online courses by February, or you won’t graduate.”

In addition to this, the school’s “free-thinking” and “progressive” mission apparently includes the right for students to make wildly inappropriate racist, mysogynistic, anti-gay, and anti-(insert religion here) comments.  More often than not, many teachers and administrators don’t say anything at all! The school prides itself in being the most accepting of the individual in the city, but many, many students fear speaking out against these comments for fear of being ridiculed. While I can understand wanting to give students more freedom, it can’t happen (it doesn’t happen) unless the students are mature enough, or willing enough to be responsible for said freedom.

Whew! That feels better. Anyone have any thoughts or words of wisdom, or similar stories?