PGY Tiercel wrote:Don't teach in a nice middle class school district. It's too normal. You need to go out and find a really poor struggling school to teach in. Let it suck the life out of you for two or three years as you bang your head against the wall trying to teach kids whose lives are just rotten, and in which they need so much more than just education. Meet and disuss the education of your students who are thirteen, yet mom is younger than you are (my wife is 26 for a reference point). Work 7-10, only getting paid for 7-4, then when you need to take some extra time off, take it unpaid. Deal with illegal immigrants whose parents come to school to start fights, rescue students from overdose, only to see them sent home soon after the stomache pump because lack of insurance even though you know they will try again.
Once you have done that, Then I think the whole red pen issue becomes much easier to deal with (not saying it is right however).
I have watched my wife get burned out over and over at her school for the last three years. It has been especially tough watching all she does this year while being prregnant. Hopefully in our next move she can get into a nicer school district. I have all the respect for what she does and the other teachers at her school, just wish more could be done then spinning wheels.
Alright enough of that rant. Go out and get that job. What grade and subject you looking to teach?
I teach band and orchestra at the high school level primarily, but ususally, that does not fill a whole day so I teach Middle School and/or Elementary band and/or orchestra.
Your post hit close to home - I used to teach in a district where the median home value was under $40,000. That was different. Lots and lots of 'challenging' kids. I then spent 4 years teaching at a small suburban school where the band program was down to 13 kids in the HS I built it up to almost 50 (very small HS, this was the biggest it had been in many, many, years) and took them to contest where they received their highest ratings in more than 25 years....then I left to go to a larger urban school which payed me almost $10000 more than that pissant little school, and their band program will be down to 18 next year.
I spent so much time building it up and in one year, it is gone.
Teaching is brutal sometimes. No doubt, but it makes on stronger if one can survive and thrive.
Inventor of the Clusterf**k and Shoot offense.
Guess it turned out to be crappy timing. 
:duh: :-\
