Thread: Help a future teacher

Complaints or satisfactions regarding what?

CUrriculum
Administation
Public policy
Community attitude
Student behavior
Salary
class size
and the list could go on.

A look through the threads here and on other boards can give you what you need.

Is that App State, or Arizona State?

Mark, Thank you for your response. To answer your question the paper I am writing is in focused on ANY complaints and satisfaction of current teachers. From your list I am interested specifically in your complaints and satisfactions about the curriculum and the community involvement. Once again I appreciate your responses, I am hoping to have responses from any array of sources to write this paper. Thank you.

I'm not an active teacher but I taught for 17 years.

I'm currently a B&B innkeeper but after 3 years of being an innkeeper, I'm getting recertified and plan to reenter the field of education in 2007.

I taught in Texas and the big issue was "standardized instruction." Instead of being able to write my own lesson plans as I did when I first began teaching, I was told that I had to write lesson plans with the rest of my grade level.

Everyone was required to teach the same lesson, the same way, at the same time.

I used to wear costumes to teach social studies. I have costumes for Columbus, Spanish conquistadors, colonial, pilgrim, western ... I even have two suits of armor - one Medieval and one Roman.

I was told that I couldn't wear costumes anymore because unless all the other teachers agreed to do this, I couldn't do anything that was different from the instruction of other teachers.

So what happened?

Teacher instruction was dumbed down to the ability level of our weakest teacher. Everytrhing was read the textbook and answer the questions. Read the textbook and complete the workshop. Read the textbook and quiz on Friday.

It was b-o-r-i-n-g!

Teaching had no creativity. Learning wasn't fun ... so I opted out, went to a culinary school, became a chef, and later became an innkeeper.

Now after three years of customer service, I'm ready to go back into education - but this time I'm in Pennsyvlania where things aren't quite as insane as they are in Texas.

As to what prompted me to go back into education?

Last February I got a letter from a former third grade student. The former child was now a young woman who was completing her final year in college. She's going to become a teacher and she said that the reason she wanted to become a teacher was because of the difference that I had made in her life.

I was stunned. I was also flattered.

Several months passed and as I thought about it, I began to realize that I missed teaching. I missed students. I don't miss report cards, parent conferences, and mind numbing paper work from central office ... but as I've come to find out, there are pros and cons to any situation.

So - I'm dusting off my teaching credentials and am undergoing recertification.

I should be back in the trenches by the 2007-2008 school year.

David

David, as I am a future teacher myself, it is refreshing to hear that a creative and effective teacher such as yourself will be re-entering the field. I am especially excited to hear that you are going to be teaching in Pennsylvania because my fiance and I are considering moving to Erie, PA after I graduate. I would love to hear how your re-entry goes. I appreciate your response, it will be very helpful as I start to write my paper. Thank you.