My final part...."school problems" VERY UPSET?

Question

I have went to my guidance consoler numerous times and she told me i should be thankful to have this opportunity because out of 500 students who applied for this only 100 got it. She told me 2nd semester i have the option of giving it up but this is a gift and that i am lucky. I Just today alone i came home almost in tears. I'm in tears now....i don't know if i even want to be a teacher anymore is this REALLY what teaching is?? ALL THIS PAPER CORRECTING? I ALWAYS thought there was so much moreShe ended up giving me a B- in the class first marking period and that upset me too. She said it was because I'm different then all of her other students she's had. MIND YOU her other students that she has had were in COLLEGE . ONE EXAMPLE of how she is bad...the other day she gives me a poem to copy and she folded it so some of the words were hidden i figured she didn't want that copied she yelled at me said i shouldn't assume things. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO LISTENED :) THANKS SO MUCH!!! HELP

Answer 1

Some people are exploitative and want free labour. This teacher is taking advantage of you. I am also a student teacher, but I am in a university program and have prior teaching experience. As well, I have experience setting up work experience placements for students. Here is my advice:

You need to quit the program.

You aren't learning anything about really teaching here because these teachers are not good at their jobs. You are putting pressure on yourself to do well and make them happy and get a good letter of reference that you can use to get into college, but you'd do better to focus on your academics rather than let this bring you down.

You've already proven that you have a strong desire to be a teacher. You showed real "teacher's intuition" by realizing that teaching methodology has changed and adapted since you were an elementary student. You've proven that you'd rather do a good job by thoroughly marking the papers than do a fast, sloppy job just to get them done in ninety minutes. That shows you've got the students' best interests at heart.

Your placement within the program has many more cons than pros. I think you need some time to recover and just regain a sense of calm, which is why I suggest resigning from the program rather than confronting the teachers (super-stressful!) or asking for a different placement (time-consuming and too difficult to adjust again). In the summer you could add a bit of volunteer work to your schedule (maybe through the local library?) to get more experience working with kids, but in a role that is better suited to a secondary student.

Answer 2

First let me say that what you are being asked to do is only a small part of what a teacher does and is quite possibly some of the least favorite things a teacher has to do. That is why you are being asked to do it. You are being taken advantage of by the classroom teacher. It is the equivalent of slave labor. Unpleasant, repetative tasks with no positive feedback or encouragement.

I am sorry your experience is so negative. At this point however you have only a few choices. A. You can quit the program. B. You can request that you be moved to a different teacher. C. You can decide that you are going to get as much out of this as possible and approach it with an attitude of doing your best even if the task is not what you want to be doing.

My suggestion, of course would be to choose C. You would benefit and grow the most from that option. Ask the teacher questions. If she gives you something to copy, ask her how she wants it done. Suggest she put a post-it note with specific instructions on it so the job will be done to her liking. Perhaps you could suggest an alternative activity that would put the children into small groups and correct their papers in that way. Use your imagination. All she can say is no.

Try not to give up. Teaching is a wonderful career and calling. Some teachers should not be in the classroom and it sounds as if you have found one of those. I am sorry.
Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Well it sounds like this is a situation where you are being set up to fail. I agree with many of the ideas that the other posters have shared. I would also add that in this situation you are not the only one who is intended to benefit. You are there to assist the teacher, yes, but you are also there to help the students. During your one on one corrections, use that time as an opportunity to make connections with kids. The two most time consuming pieces of this job are paperwork and relationship building.
I've been teaching for ten years and I will tell you that I did not get a good grasp of teaching in my first experiences as a student. If you are truly stuck with this supervising teacher, then you have to make this situation work for you. For whatever reason, your supervising teacher is not giving you the support you need and the experience you were hoping for. However, look around the room, the school, the halls...what could you absorb going on that could be an inspiration? Talk to the other staff in the copy room. Ask them if you can come in at 12:30 and visit their rooms, just to observe and just get the experience of seeing other teachers in action. Try another grade level, special ed, PE, music, library. There is much more going on this school that you can benefit from.
Teaching is a joy in my life and to many teachers' lives. Find a connection with kids to see the reason why many of us get out of bed everyday! Good luck!!

Answer 4

Chalk this up to a life-lesson.

We are all going to face bad bosses and bad situations.I'm not defending her behavior, but you can't control that.

You can control your reaction. You are going to have to learn to square your shoulders and not be so emotional.

And since this is an 'oppurtunity" they are going to have a take it or leave it attitude. So make the best of it. You have learned a very valuable lesson about how you don't want to be, how to handle difficult people, etc. You learned a lot - just not what you expected (although probably a far more valuable lesson).

You are only a HS student. You have lots of time to get involved in education in a way that is more satisfying to you. And truthfully, they should not have set you up to expect to do all these things. You had high expectations that may not have been met by any teacher, combined with the fact that you were paired with a difficult women. She may not have wanted an aid at all but was forced to and is upset by it. She just may be a bitter women. Who knows?

As a teacher - I have to admit, sometimes it is truly much more work to have help. I have a Masters in Education and when I volunteer at my sons school - where he is taught by a first year teacher - guess what I do.... COPIES! But... it is what she needs done. And actually - I hated having "student aids" when I taught - but I always welcomed them warmly. That's how people learn.

And please don't let this deter you from being a teacher yet. You will have lots more chances to test the waters as a teacher.

(But yes - teaching is A LOT of paperwork, grading, record keeping, etc... A LOT).

PS do NOT - I repeat DO NOT go to her principal. You will only be digging yourself a hole you can't get out of!!! It will not come to any good.

Answer 5

There are bad teachers in the world. Do not give up your dream because of one. If it is frusterating you this much, I would drop it and I would tell your counselor exactly why as well as your principal. The truth is student assistants are often asked to correct papers. Sandbagging you is not right. When I was in college I had a cooperating teacher very much like yours. She tried to fail me, it didnt work. It made me stronger and now I am a cooperating teacher myself. There are teachers who look at student help as slave labor. It could happen again, but you could also get someone who is wonderful. The truth is right now, good opportunity or not, it is not something you HAVE to do and if its hurting your GPA you do not have to tolerate it. In college you will not have the opportunity to back down.

Answer 6

Sounds like you may be too immature to handle your situation. Your perspective probably differs greatly from the host teacher and your counselor. I wouldn't give up on a teaching profession yet, but I would research it again with another teacher when you get into college. Teaching isn't all fun and schedules are down to the minute in elementary school. 30 minutes for lunch without someone in your face (no matter how great of a person they are) is what keeps some teachers sane.

Answer 7

keep trying, there are more superiors than just 1 guidance counselor, and i want to personally point that if they won't listen to YOU, then your parents would have a much greater deal of impact when suggesting that you should change teacher/school that you are "teaching" in. there is no reason that you should get verbally abused so much unless if there is something that you aren't saying. *parents have A LOT more power when it comes to negotiating with the school authorities*

Answer 8

Instead of going to your guidence councler try asking the other students how they are faring with the teachers they are working with. If they are not doing the same things that you are doing then you may want to go to her principal. You are lucky to have this oppertunity, and yes grading papers is one thing you will be doing a lot of.
Why doesn't she trust you? It seems strange that she wouldn't give you an answer key.