It's great that you love teaching and can afford to work as a sub. What do subs make in Metro ? $13 an hour? It is shameful pay, and evidently you have a secure income. It's great to "interact with leaners," except when you can't afford to support yourself. I would never encourage a young person to be a teacher. The pay is bad, and the stress is high. Teaching in Tennessee is the worst paying in the nation. So yes, it is worse than Florida. It is worse than anywhere in the US.
I am so sick of hearing about JC Bowman. He did everything he could to destroy bargaining on behalf of our teachers union. He has done all he can to weaken our union.
In response to the relationships are the most important part of education to get students engaged and to perform: I disagree with the most common interpretation of this, which, in my experience is that teachers are expected to bribe students toward respect, in particular, with food such as candy and Pop-Tarts, or passing grades in exchange for not harassing the teacher or class. This, I believe, influences students to like their teachers if they do this and dislike them if they don't. This is not a relationship and this is not respect; it is a transaction based on "What do I get?" I, for one, am not interested in such a relationship. I expect simple, common, courtesy and respect from all sides including mine. It does not take talent to bribe students to behave. It does take talent to teach respectful, healthy relationship-forming through example, and mastery of content through accountability. However, people in general and students in particular do not like the feeling of accountability (probably because it is a new, negative sensation) and attribute that negative emotion to the person holding them accountable and expressing their dislike in the forms of "I don't like her, so I'm not going to do anything" or "She's a bad teacher because SHE MAKES ME FEEL BAD." Authentic, healthy, positive relationships are built on mutual respect, not bribes.
Laura, where is this fatal characterization of "students and people in general" coming from? Is this your experience in classroom teaching? Where, and for how long? How did you get into teaching, and who were/are your teaching heroes?
I am sorry that your experiences have left you with such solid pessimism about teaching. I know that not everyone has the commitment and resources to recover from tough, negative experiences in teaching. But if there is anything you ever loved about teaching, I encourage you to look for a better fit for your expectations--which are not altogether unreasonable.
I invite you to catch up on some of the outstanding teaching being written about here on Substack to see how positive teacher-student relationships get built and sustained on a day to day, moment to moment basis, and the student achievement that follows as a result. I recommend starting off with @fittoteach--successful and dedicated PE teacher in a Harlem (NYC) high school bursting with challenging student behaviors among other difficulties. He posts a lot, and every note or essay lights up my veteran teacher's heart. He is a rarity, but he reminds me every day how a great teacher can bring out the best in everyone else with attention and skill and a good grip on reality, day in and day out.
Maybe your chance to be a great teacher is yet to come. And maybe not. Some of my most talented Master of Arts in Teaching students quickly left the field ito pursue more lucrative careers (two that come to mind went into real estate and cyber security). But please know that golden lights of great teaching are happening in some classrooms. everywhere, all the time.
Oh please. There is a reason that Tennessee has the highest loss of teachers in the nation. When was the last time you taught in an actual classroom? That is, not "Master of Arts in Teaching," but with actual K-12 students. Your response sounds like you are teaching college and not K-12. FYI, I've been in the classroom teaching 7-12 for 20 years in MNPS. How about you?
I love your "Oh, please!" Cracked me up. And actually great feedback--I DID sound like an ivory tower education encourager., and we know way too many of those who do not speak from creditable experience. To be fair, when I wrote my comment, I did feel the urge to encourage a younger person, but I am writing from the perspective of a shitload of experience over the past 50 years: early childhood, K-12, adult ed, higher ed, all with diverse populations. And as recently as this spring, long term sub for 4th grade and I am currently a summer school volunteer. And I am really old with my fair share of health problems. It's just that, for me, there is no greater elixir than interacting with learners.
I just wear my heart on my sleeve for education, and it DOES sound horribly sappy!! Good call, for the most part. (You can check my bona fides on LinkedIn.)
Can teaching in Tennessee be ANY worse than teaching in Florida? I do hope you find a way to stay in the field
It's great that you love teaching and can afford to work as a sub. What do subs make in Metro ? $13 an hour? It is shameful pay, and evidently you have a secure income. It's great to "interact with leaners," except when you can't afford to support yourself. I would never encourage a young person to be a teacher. The pay is bad, and the stress is high. Teaching in Tennessee is the worst paying in the nation. So yes, it is worse than Florida. It is worse than anywhere in the US.
I am so sick of hearing about JC Bowman. He did everything he could to destroy bargaining on behalf of our teachers union. He has done all he can to weaken our union.
https://labornotes.org/blogs/2018/01/dont-fall-members-only-unionism-trap
In response to the relationships are the most important part of education to get students engaged and to perform: I disagree with the most common interpretation of this, which, in my experience is that teachers are expected to bribe students toward respect, in particular, with food such as candy and Pop-Tarts, or passing grades in exchange for not harassing the teacher or class. This, I believe, influences students to like their teachers if they do this and dislike them if they don't. This is not a relationship and this is not respect; it is a transaction based on "What do I get?" I, for one, am not interested in such a relationship. I expect simple, common, courtesy and respect from all sides including mine. It does not take talent to bribe students to behave. It does take talent to teach respectful, healthy relationship-forming through example, and mastery of content through accountability. However, people in general and students in particular do not like the feeling of accountability (probably because it is a new, negative sensation) and attribute that negative emotion to the person holding them accountable and expressing their dislike in the forms of "I don't like her, so I'm not going to do anything" or "She's a bad teacher because SHE MAKES ME FEEL BAD." Authentic, healthy, positive relationships are built on mutual respect, not bribes.
Laura, where is this fatal characterization of "students and people in general" coming from? Is this your experience in classroom teaching? Where, and for how long? How did you get into teaching, and who were/are your teaching heroes?
I am sorry that your experiences have left you with such solid pessimism about teaching. I know that not everyone has the commitment and resources to recover from tough, negative experiences in teaching. But if there is anything you ever loved about teaching, I encourage you to look for a better fit for your expectations--which are not altogether unreasonable.
I invite you to catch up on some of the outstanding teaching being written about here on Substack to see how positive teacher-student relationships get built and sustained on a day to day, moment to moment basis, and the student achievement that follows as a result. I recommend starting off with @fittoteach--successful and dedicated PE teacher in a Harlem (NYC) high school bursting with challenging student behaviors among other difficulties. He posts a lot, and every note or essay lights up my veteran teacher's heart. He is a rarity, but he reminds me every day how a great teacher can bring out the best in everyone else with attention and skill and a good grip on reality, day in and day out.
Maybe your chance to be a great teacher is yet to come. And maybe not. Some of my most talented Master of Arts in Teaching students quickly left the field ito pursue more lucrative careers (two that come to mind went into real estate and cyber security). But please know that golden lights of great teaching are happening in some classrooms. everywhere, all the time.
Oh please. There is a reason that Tennessee has the highest loss of teachers in the nation. When was the last time you taught in an actual classroom? That is, not "Master of Arts in Teaching," but with actual K-12 students. Your response sounds like you are teaching college and not K-12. FYI, I've been in the classroom teaching 7-12 for 20 years in MNPS. How about you?
I love your "Oh, please!" Cracked me up. And actually great feedback--I DID sound like an ivory tower education encourager., and we know way too many of those who do not speak from creditable experience. To be fair, when I wrote my comment, I did feel the urge to encourage a younger person, but I am writing from the perspective of a shitload of experience over the past 50 years: early childhood, K-12, adult ed, higher ed, all with diverse populations. And as recently as this spring, long term sub for 4th grade and I am currently a summer school volunteer. And I am really old with my fair share of health problems. It's just that, for me, there is no greater elixir than interacting with learners.
I just wear my heart on my sleeve for education, and it DOES sound horribly sappy!! Good call, for the most part. (You can check my bona fides on LinkedIn.)
Can teaching in Tennessee be ANY worse than teaching in Florida? I do hope you find a way to stay in the field