Pre-teaching Reflection

It never crossed my mind that the majority of my students would naturally assume that I was from Beverly Hills (I’m actually from Indiana) or ask me why I have reddish-brown dots on my arms (freckles). It also never occurred to me that these children, many of whom are four grade levels behind in reading, would complain that we as teachers do not give them enough challenging work. As a first year teacher who has had only one month of teaching experience in a low-income middle school, I have learned more from my students in one month than I have from four years of intense learning at a university.

It comforts me to know that when I would treat my summer school students like scientists, they would naturally be more attentive and engaged. When I introduced the nature of DNA, a girl asked me what happens when one of the nucleotides disappears or changes to a different nucleotide. I was thrilled. My introducing a college-level standard of genetic mutations gave these students confidence. It didn’t surprise me when I learned that 91% of my students had mastered the academic objective for that day. So, reflecting on the lack of “challenging work” that these struggling students brought up, I often wonder if we, as educators, are not establishing high enough expectations. Yes, they are struggling, but perhaps they find no reason to learn. I realize that as a first-year teacher, I do not possess a wealth of experience, but I also know that when students are fully engaged, they will respond due to pure curiosity.

I truly do believe that in order to be successful, one must envision and never lose sight of the perfect outcome. Frustration, barriers, and unforeseen circumstances are inevitable, but make the end result that much more appealing. Having just completed an intense summer school experience, I will be sharing my reflections during my first year of teaching at Samuel Gompers Middle School as a Teach For America corps member. I welcome feedback and look forward to sharing my reflections.

-- Lance Chapman

Comments

[evelyn]

First of all, do you plan on staying in teaching? Because too many new teachers indict other teachers with "we aren't offering high enough expectations" and then leave after a couple of years.
High expectations also are not enough when social promotion is the norm. Realize that your students will be passed on regardless of the quality of their work. The reason they feel "no reason to learn " is that virtually every extracurricular activity and class has been taken out of the middle schools. And they don't get enough exercise. We used to have all kinds of clubs and sports teams and home ec, etc in middle school. That's all gone for Open Court and Saxon Math.

Yes, we do have high expectations but they are constantly being lowered by canned curriculum materials and too numerous standards.
In addition, I teach an advanced class and many students are unwilling to do the work even after it had been taught appropriately. They said they took the class so it would look good on their transcripts. I reminded them that a D or F next to that course would not look good. They didn't get it. But it is a year by year thing and last year I had hard -working students. Next year may be like last year but one never knows. Don't put high expectations only on the teacher. Students also have to have high expectations. So your students who complain about not having challenging work- make sure you closely examine the quality of work they turn in. Will they revise it until it is perfect? It is not all about the teacher but the students who needs to be putting in the majority of the work.

Happy to have you in the field and it is great that you are at Gompers. You are braver than I am to teach middle school. Wait a couple of years before assessing other teachers completely.
This is my fifth year and I now just consider myself competent in the classroom. I work harder now than I did in my first year. I also understand why my colleagues do things a certain way much more clearly now.

[Jane]

What a great person you are to help all of those unfortunate people of color. You must feel awfully good about yourself. I'm glad that the LA Times chose two people not from LA and teaching five seconds to talk about the teaching experience and inner city LA.

How did the LA Times manage to be so diverse in their finding of representatives of the Los Angeles school system?

A USC bound kid from South Pasadena.

A Teach for America fellow from Indiana the Midwest.

A Teach from America fellow from Michigan the Midwest (more northern though.)

Wow I'm looking forward to learning about the myriad of experiences I'm going to get from this very diverse group that completely represents both the teaching staff and students of Los Angeles.

Great job LA Times!!!!

Jane

[Lance Chapman]

I appreciate the feedback. However, I do want to express that fact that I am not here to help those "unfortunate people of color." I did not even say anything remotely close to that. And you're right, I do not demographically represent the students at my school and I'm not from Los Angeles. But honestly, my students love that. They've learned so much cross cultural awareness from my stories from home and relish every moment that I incorporate such into my lessons. And also, feeling "awfully good about myself" does not stem from simply helping students due to socioeconomic status. I feel great when my students master objectives because that shows me firsthand what brilliant, amazing young adults they truly are. My students and I are all learning from one another and my blog is devoted to my reflecting on what I'm learning as well.
-Lance

[Terri]

Don't worry about Jane, she appears regularly, angrily and appallingly.

[Bill McConnell]

As a teacher of eleven years in a low-income school, I’d like to commend Lance on his willingness to teach students who need to learn the most. Standards and canned curriculum (as one blogger put it) are only a part of teaching. Bringing an enthusiastic smile and a sense of idealism to a community of students gives them hope.

Believe it or not, but for many low-income students, we teachers often are the only positive adult interaction that these kids receive.

It’s too easy to dismiss Lance for his lack of teaching experience and mid-west background. Those are cop-out excuses that stem from bitterness and a sense of self-defeat in the profession. If Lance is to be dismissed, it should be because he proves to be a poor educator. And, judging from his biographic information, he has other life experience that allows him to empathize with those who are less fortunate.

Coming from one who has quit teaching after five years, only to return after realizing what a life-changing job this really is, I’d like to say to Lance that this profession needs people like you, needs people with attitudes like yours, and that you should be proud that the chances you are taking prove successful in your classroom.

Good luck in your career, sir.

Bill

[Jamie]

I'm not certain that getting two Teach for America teachers can be called "diverse". Corps members share the same experiences, including the application process, training, placement process, etc. I would also like to hear from more teachers with other backgrounds and training as well.

[Steve Wimer]

I applaud your success as a teacher. You will find time is the toughest test of all. How long will you last? Most don't last too long. Good luck.

[Leigh]

I second the commendation, Lance. In choosing to teach, you're really doing a great thing.

Teachers in this country are overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated. The role they play in shaping our children's futures can't be overstated.

Even if none of your students becomes a scientist, you've given them something incredibly valuable. You've taught them that they are capable of using their brains to solve a problem.

[Maxine]

Wow, Jane, sour grapes! God bless each of these teachers and the many others who are willing to venture into the world of the underserved. The inner city is where good teachers are needed the most, and are present the least. It takes a huge amount of courage to do this thankless job. The quote "It takes a village" is much more than the superficial meaning we apply to it; it's exactly what these young teachers have set out to do by crossing cultural lines. I repeat: God bless them, and may they continue in their efforts for years to come.

[Jane]

Hey I'm sorry if my commentary of everything isn't great all of the time isn't appreciated.

I'm assuming that the reason that this blog is here is to give a wide perspective. Since the bloggers of this topic all seem to be from the same world, what good is it if the commentators all go, "Yes this great."

Is this a media site or is this a knitting room?

Everyone isn't going to think that everything that everyone does is great all of the time, unless you would all rather pretend like this is a dictatorship.

I'm sorry I do think that the LA Times should get a veteran teacher to blog and at least someone from Van Nuys or a student from Montebello or even Los Angeles High to blog.

The only time you here about the working class (if me saying getting an Asian, black or latino kid/teacher is offensive to your sensitive ears, how about getting a poor white kid, i know they have them in LA, a white kid going to an all Latino or African-AMerican school, now that would be interesting) at the LA Times is when they get shot on the homicide blog. This would be a great opportunity to show a working class kid in a light outside of working out of the gang environment or over coming the odds type of silly scenario.

It would also be a great chance to see what a real teacher does, whose been in the classroom. I would never want to teach, but I know people who do. I know people who have been teachers for awhile.

Amy Uyematsu born, raised in LA who is an experienced teacher and a published writer. She teaches at Venice High School, has for years why can't she blog here?

I'm sorry this Teach for America thing has been done to death. PBS has like five documentaries on this very topic. Fish out of water in the inner city...oh god they even have cheesy movies about it.

All I'm saying is show me something I haven't seen before. How is that bad? I like the LA Times this is why I come here and am giving my two cents.

Jane

[emmaco]

Four grade levels behind in reading.

Why isn't anyone blaming the parents for that?

[Travis]

I completely agree with Lance. It's not that inner city parent don't care or that a culture of failure exists where school is not a priority. Or that most of a teachers time, especially in a failing school, is wasted on paper work. Or that the only supportive act administration is legally allowed to take is to retire. It's that we don't challenge them enough. My sister has been a teacher for 32 years, the first 25 in Gardenia and the last 7 in Watts. I'll let her know that all she needs to do is challenge them more. Hopefully then the 25% of her students who NEVER turn anything in will get involved and care. Because now they are challenged. Quit teaching, if the kids don't care why should you? Hopefully you'll learn the lesson my sister refuses to, and not waste your life and your sanity on people who could care less. One especially under challenged student only turned in a death threat the entire 6 months she had him, why didn't she offer him more to not turn in and help this student turn themselves around.

[Ivan]

Keep it up Lance, I'm going to teach middle school science up here in Portland. Its all about the agreements you can make with students first and others second. It is an inadequate system, many don't last because there are so many participants that need to be satisfied. I drove school busses down in San Diego for five years and I thought at the time you had to have a martyr complex to want to be a teacher. I think if teachers can keep it about the kids and the agreements they make are satisfying to everyone then you can last. Otherwise, the mediocrity around you might eat you up.

[Herb]

After 23 years teaching math at a large comprehensive high school in the northeast Valley, I have a unique perspective: almost all the reformers, hand-wringers, and do-gooders have missed the point: successful education depends on student socialization. Almost any teaching method (traditional, project based, cooperative learning) will work with socialized students and a teacher who is teaching to his strengths. Conversely, a critical mass of unsocialized, disruptive students, together with an enabling school administration, will destroy the best teaching. For decades teachers have been a fat, juicy target. The problem is that the ameliorative reforms are now making things worse, as teachers are pulled out of their classes more and more for "training" that they find unusable. we need a national campaign to educate parents to socialize their children for the school experience, and a system of other settings for students who are repeatedly disruptive. Right now we are twisting ourselves into pretzels over the worst-performing students.