My Boarding School Blog
10 19th, 2010 Going through Middle School
Kids belonging to the adolescence stage are the most difficult students to handle. Their transition from being a kid to a grown up does not usually come smoothly. As any parent would know understanding what they are going through- physically and emotionally plus all the stresses of peer pressure and the desire of belongingness make them very vulnerable to the slightest criticism, comment or disapproval.
For teachers these are challenging times like when Mrs. Kaufman, a teacher of 17 years at Seth Low Intermediate School in Brooklyn, learns first hand how to mediate between fist fights and cajole students whose self esteem has been dumped low by bullying or humiliation from other students. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be strong to withstand ridicule, pranks and other humiliating acts by middle school students on a daily basis. Unfortunately some teachers cannot bear the challenge and give up easily.
A significant rise in teacher attrition is happening in middle schools in the city. The main causes are student’s impulsive behavior, unpredictable bouts of anger and violence and poor academic performance.
Researchers in Philadelphia learned that 34.2 percent of newly hire middle school teachers quit after their first year. Most teachers who quit are highly qualified teachers on an academic level. They match the job description for teaching the middle school curriculum but they often lack the training in class management and adolescent psychology.
In an attempt to give middle school teachers an edge to handle the most difficult of students the New York State offers certification that focuses primarily on how to teach young adolescents effectively as well as fun things to do in NYC. Knowing techniques on how to adapt to them psychologically will help teachers to integrate teaching styles fit for their needs.
New teachers who are part of the program, Teach for America, are the common new recruits for middle school teaching. While most of them leave after their 2 years contract, a handful will stay and will be toughen by the experience. Most of them share that showing a stern face and strict implementation of the rules are less likely to work in middle school students. Instead if you will reach out and level with them they will begin to open up to you. But it usually a long painstaking process to make this achievable your patience will be tested and your emotions push over to the brink. Part of becoming a teacher for middle school is the ability to withstand cruel jokes, offensive remarks and spontaneous fits of anger.
read comments (0)09 9th, 2010 Employing Better Teachers
An improvement in student performance entails getting better teachers to teach the young minds effectively. Students can be difficult to teach and at other times even impossible to handle. Not even the most intelligent teacher can succeed if he doesn’t know classroom dynamics and how to impose discipline at some time.
The number of college students taking up Education and going into teaching is decreasing in numbers. There are various reasons why but the most stated cause is because it doesn’t pay enough to meet the daily demands of living. In a TIME magazine poll 76% of the participants said that most intelligent people don’t go into the profession of teaching because of low salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that an average public school teacher earns around $49,000. The lowest of the range earns around $32,000 while those belonging in the highest bracket earns up to $78,000. While others perceive that teachers get paid less than other blue collared job, this can be misleading and unreliable. The true reason behind the decreasing popularity of the noble profession is that it lacks the prestige it once had. In the past when one is asked about his profession and he answers, “I’m a teacher”. There is this certain awe that follows and respect is automatically given. Now teenage students don’t even care to look at a teacher with a small amount of respect to stop and greet them. Shouting and disrespect is common in the classroom when students feel rebellious.
A program called Teach for America (TFA) takes on the challenge of encouraging the brightest college students who graduated from prestigious schools to teach in public schools for two years before they pursue individual careers on to the corporate world. The task is not easy but the advocacy of changing the face of education is an invitation one cannot easily say no to especially if the future leaders of the nation will come from these students whom you’ll get a chance to teach. It works in 3 ways- you can donate to help the members in their advocacy, enlist to teach or refer a friend who would be interested to take part in the program’s aim and objective.
The US Department of Education foresees that around 1 million teachers are needed by 2014. Another challenge is how to make new teachers stay. Most new teachers get tired and exhausted which leads most of them to give up teaching in their 2nd year when they are just learning how to work a classroom. Exemplary teachers are not initially good at what they do the first year they enter into teaching. They undergo a process in which their experiences make them better teachers as the years go by. What they need is guidance and ongoing training to develop their skills to help them become effective teachers to their students. Programs that offer supplemental training and knowledge of teaching styles, methods and trends should be made available to teachers through programs initiated by the government. This will give the teachers a sense of fulfillment and importance as they see their professional career grow and flourish.
