Do I still really want to be a teacher?
After this week I have to wonder, for lots of reasons.
Let me start by acknowledging that the leadership of the school where I work and my fellow educators are quite supportive of me, and after yesterday’s deadline to notify me if I were not being brought back, I have in theory the guarantee of continued employment for the forthcoming school year. And yet I have my doubts, would prefer to move to an independent school, but am having trouble even getting interviews.
The school at which I work is dysfunctional in many ways, despite some very good people. Because of our location we have trouble getting substitutes, and as a result most teachers have to give up at least one planning period a week to cover classes. We get paid for that, but only $15/class, and often there is no learning going on during such a period.
But this week became a real problem, and not just because we again had disruption because of weather. On Tuesday, one of my students chose to push a long-term substitute to the floor. On Wednesday I was assaulted twice by students I do not teach. None of the students is up for expulsion, even though the school system code of conduct says the punishment for an assault on a school system employee is expulsion. So far the young lady who push the sub to the floor got 3 days of in-school suspension (not part of her permanent record) and punishment for the two boys who attacked me is still somewhat in the air. One was in inschool for one day, but that was because he came into my room without permission. The other was out of school suspension for one day for previous behavior (which may have included his cursing me out when I told him to get out of the hall and go to class), a suspension of which he was aware when he shoved a door into me the day before he went out on suspension.
Please keep reading. Do I still really want to be a teacher?
