Sunday, February 22, 2009

Welcome to NYC

I got my first real greeting to NYC, even though I have lived in the area the past year or so. See, sunday, I drove my car down from Albany, considering I might need it if I am going to be playing rugby up in White Plains this year. Now, when I was in Albany, I noticed the inspection expired. Crap. Tried to get it taken care of up there, but no deal. So, I brought it down, hoping no one would notice. Monday came and no ticket, I did think about bringing it up somewhere, but I'm not from here, and don't want to get ripped off.

Today, I come home planning to drop it off somewhere, and lo and behold, and orange ticket flapping at me. Sixty Five Bucks! Arghh!! It's like, the 3rd freaking day of March! Cut me some slack yo! Oh well, the city has to make their money somehow. Of course, I just tried to pay the ticket and the server is down. So, now I have to stare at this thing for another day.

While back home, a friend of mine had some drinks and a conversation. He works for National Grid and told me how he's racked up so much overtime this year, that he's probably made about 90,000 this year. Not bad for a guy with a two year degree. And here I have a master's and can't even come close, plus I live in a more expensive city. Kind of makes you wonder about all the hoo ha politicians make about forcing our kids to go to college. In reality, it is pointless.

Look, if you want to go to college, no one is stopping you, and I think college is great...if you take advantage of it. I point to year one of my college career where I took advantage...of the things you shouldn't take advantage of in college. Lesson learned, did two years at community and got my act together. Sad thing is, I knew plenty of people who were on the seven year plan at community. Maybe college isn't for everyone. Shocking, I know. Yet, why do we lie to kids and say everyone should go?

One thing he mentioned was how, in the old days, kids who knew they weren't going to college would take BOCES in high school, learn a trade, and then either apprentice or go to a special institute for that. Nowadays though, lots of schools don't have BOCES. Instead, what they do, is have those programs at community college, where you do the work there, pay the college, then do your technical training somewhere else. Same thing, more money. Basically a two year degree is the same as the high school diploma years ago. And I thought we were about raising standards!

I love teaching, don't get me wrong, but no one wants to teach people who don't want to be there. How do I make history intriguing for the kid who just wants to work on cars, but isn't given the opportunity? Why don't we have more opportunities for these kids? We have special computer courses for them, why not let them take apart a car, or wire a house or something? Fifty years in the future, we will still need mechanics, electricians, and plumbers. You can make a nice chunk of change doing all of those jobs. They may not be "academic", but if we really do care about "preparing students for the real world", then maybe we should have programs like that. I know, I know, all children can learn. They can, but some won't, regardless of what you do. If you constantly force some kids to sit somewhere they don't want to be, learn something they don't want to learn, eventually, they will just get sick of it all and drop out. Whereas, if we had more programs, maybe the drop out rate would decrease a bit. But what do I know, I'm just a 2nd year teacher, and my opinion doesn't matter.

After, I'm no Bill Gates. Who, if I remember (correct me if I'm wrong), dropped out of college.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Why do I call it Teaching is not a calling?

First of all, don't get the wrong impression. I LOVE teaching. I LOVE having a job where for the most part, I have the power to decide what I am doing day in and day out. Besides the start time of course, and the occasional A.P. "snapshot." Those things aside, I really do love my job. Even if last year, my first year, was Hell on Earth, I do love my job. Ok, I didn't capitalize it there. So be it.

There was a point last year where I went down stairs to drop off some copies. Our riso wasn't working, so I went along with a fellow older teacher. This teacher is regarded as one of the best teachers in our department. He is either loved by students, or hated, but respected all the same. For whatever reason, he was on a rant, either because the copies were taking too long or because it was almost first period and he went on about how "teaching was not a calling. It's a job like anything else. I have a family and I am not putting them behind the kids at this school."

Now...if you were a first year teacher, you might take that the wrong way. Afterall, isn't that what they told us in Graduate School? Imagine flowery designs and heavenly backdrops, "Teaching is a Calling." Ah, yes, I remember those, who doesn't. Tra La La...Yes, yes, we are doing God's work...

It does take a special person to teach, but I'm sure it takes a special person to be a Social Worker too. Or a cop. Or a priest. Or an auto mechanic. Or a clown. Don't know if I'd say it is a calling. I don't remember the angel Gabriel coming to my bedside and telling me how I was "chosen" among the lucky few to work with the youth of this generation, the "future" if you want to use that. Maybe I missed that memo.

Why do people call it a calling? We get paid, and despite how people complain, I think we get paid fairly well. We don't get paid enough, sure, but everyone says that. The guy who picks up the trash certainly doesn't think he is being paid enough, and his job isn't that much different..(pause for laughter). We do get a lot of time off, though it is incorrect to say we get summers off. 8 weeks is more like it, yes it is more than most people, but hey, don't like it? Be a teacher then. That usually shuts them up.

It is almost as if administrators expect you to sacrifice your personal life for this. Which is fine for someone like me who has pretty much no life outside my job. But what about those who are raising a family? Should they tell their son that they will be missing their little league game or their daughter that they will be missing her recital, because they have to spend time at their "calling?" I don't think that's fair.

So, when I hear of schools that force teachers to work till 8pm for no ungodly reason, I feel that one, I am glad I am not in a charter school, and two, there are problems with that. If teachers want to stay that late, more power to them, but forcing people to stay late? Without pay? That's wrong. Even with pay it's wrong. Leisure time is something Americans are slowly losing day by day.

I take every opportunity to point out that teaching is not a calling. It is a job I love. A career I love. I get excited when I think of the cool things I am going to do in class, and how my students will react to them. But it's not a calling. If that rhetoric works for you, have at it. But I won't.

Vacation

I should probably be excited for this break. Though it seems to come so soon after the last one. I barely had a few weeks with my new batch of students and now I am on break. Slightly...odd. Most people were excited for the break though. I can't say I wasn't...who wouldn't be excited at the prospect of having a week off?

My modem wasn't working yesterday. Not sure why, but it just wouldn't work. Luckily, someone else in my area did not secure their net, so I can piggyback off them for a little bit. I have Optimum coming on Wednesday, at least that is what they said. The guy on the phone seemed nice enough...for a support tech anyways.

Probably won't think of education for a good week or so, which is cool. More of a day to day person anyways. I mean, I have an idea in the back of my mind for the future, yet, I usually go to day to day with my lessons.

I have to say, I am getting the hang of this teaching thing, being a 2nd year and all. Not sure where my idealism is exactly. I have the mix of understanding that it isn't what they make of it in grad school, and yet, I use lots of new ideas in the classroom. One girl asked if I had "Paranoid" on my ipod Friday. I said yeah, so we were listening to Black Sabbath while they were working on their projects. I like the fact that I can play music in my classroom, even if it is a History Class. Makes the environment so much better for everyone really.

My colleague is one of those people who is all about Obama. Literally and figuratively. I like Obama, but I'm still skeptical. I hate when politicos talk about "firing bad teachers." This bugged me when I popped into my colleague's room on Friday. He was teaching essay writing, which was cool, had a great format, but a kid was putting on the board a topic about school, and a problem was "bad teachers." I guess this re-awakened this problem for me.

I get that there are teachers who maybe aren't very good, or maybe they've lost their way, or maybe...maybe they just need some help. But I don't feel like saying someone is a bad teacher. Hell, I don't know, maybe they were great at one time and just got tired. Besides, what is and is not bad? If the kids learn, and are involved in the learning process, then the teacher can't be all that bad can they?

There are obviously lots of other reasons, which i don't feel like burning in my first post. So, I won't. I just hope I have a job come September. As in, I hope I don't get layed off. That would suck. Considering I am really enjoying my job this year.