Hi everyone, I am a new teacher and I have been having a lot of problems at work. Can I get fired? LAUSD?

Question

I am new teacher and I have been having classroom managment problems. This has caused problems with students not learning the material. I am afraid that I will be fired halfway through the semester. Is this possible? I show up everyday, I have lesson plans and do very well in every facet except this one. Need some help in this area? any suggestions. I would appreciate any help!!!

Answer 1

As a new teacher, you should be involved in BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) which assigns an experienced teacher as your mentor and support provider. If you just type BTSA and LAUSD into a search engine, you will find the websites. Be sure that you emphasize that you need assistance in classroom management.

I don't know the specifics of LAUSD contracts, but in many districts, teachers need to have 3 years of positive evaluations before they reach "permanent" status, which is when they have some due process rights. (Contrary to popular opinion, K - 12 teachers in California do NOT become tenured, and even a teacher with permanent status can be fired for just cause.) So I would definitely be concerned about your job.

In addition to immediately contacting your BTSA support teacher, or LAUSD's BTSA program if you don't have a support teacher, it would be wise to speak to your local union representative and ask what support they can offer you.

It sounds as if you have a lot of good skills and the desire to be a good teacher. Unfortunately, no one is going to benefit from your strengths until you get the classroom under control. I can recommend a good book for you: "Conscious Classroom Management" by Rick Smith. As Mr. Smith says, teaching really has 2 components: content and procedures. We teachers tend to focus on content, or what we are teaching. But until our students know the procedures for learning (which includes the basics of where and how to sit, how to appropriately request assistance, etc.), content isn't going to be effectively taught. He uses the analogy that content is the train, and procedures are the tracks, and until you have laid the tracks, the train isn't going anywhere. You can find the book on Amazon.com, and it's an excellent resource.

But don't delay in requesting assistance! The state of California realizes that new teachers are needed to replace us old folks that are getting ready to retire, and support is out there for you. We need new people coming into the system. So check with BTSA, check with your union rep, and check out the Rick Smith book. Good luck!

Answer 2

Whether or not you can get fired depends on where you are teaching. As a former administrator, we were advised to let go any first year teacher who did not improve during the year. Part of that reasoning was that in our state, we did not need to give a first year teacher a reason to be let go. That was part of the state tenure laws. After the first year of non-tenure status we needed to give a more specific reason why the teacher was let go. In that case we needed to be sure that our evaluations were complete and well documented. We had a strong teachers' union, but they were also bound by state law. At the time I was teaching, teachers reached tenure after 2 years. Now they get tenure after 4 years and a mentoring program has been established as well. We want new teachers. They come in with fresh ideas and a lot of energy, but classroom control is so important. If your district does not back you with your discipline techniques, then you will have a difficult time. Even the best teachers have some problems in this area. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If your district takes that as a negative, then you do not need to be there anyway. You need to find a district who fosters new teachers and shows that they want to retain them.

Answer 3

Are you part of a teachers union? I have heard that all teachers are in a teachers union (not sure though).
I have heard that if teacher is in a union, it's impossible for them to get fired no matter how bad they are.
I'm not saying you are bad, just saying if a bad one can't get fired, I don't see how you could.

Isn't there any policy or help you can ask for? Like, ask the principal what to do about the problems? Don't they teach you what to do in these situations before you become a teacher?

Answer 4

Unfortunately, you are having problems in a very important area. If your kids are misbehaving so badly that they can't learn the lessons, then everything else is moot. What's the point of a great lesson plan if no one is listening? You need to talk to some of the more experienced teachers in your school, see if someone can advise/mentor you. Otherwise, yes, you could come up for disciplinary action (though probably not fired for a long time, they need teachers too badly).

Answer 5

Ask your building's union rep for info. Each town's teaching contract has different deadlines for teachers to be notified of there employment status for the following year. You should be fine for the first year, most administrators understand the difficulty of the first year, however, you need to adopt a behavior plan in your room where the students do not run the class. You need to set up guidelines as a class together and make the kids feel as if they have created the checks and balance system, but you lead them to create the tone you want. If they think they can get something over on you without consequences they will continue to do it and others will follow. The biggest thing a new teacher needs to do their first year is to create a behavior management system prior to attempt to teach. It's like trying to paddle a rowboat with a hole in it the rest of the year. Believe me, it gets easier (some years!!) Good luck!!

Answer 6

don´t beat around the bush. face it, you lesson plan might be great but the implementation of them must really suck. the other teachers will the tell you the obvious reasons why you´re not producing the results you were expected to achieve. i just saw the movie the ¨illusionist¨, besides being a great movie, one thing kept my mind why he succeeded at every thing he set out to do.HE DID PREPARE HIMSELF AND EVERYBODY AROUND HIM.
forget about the content, if your classes are not entertaining the content will pretty much fade away. we are in the business of entertaining kids ( and as a side effect the learn ), the nice thing about this it´s that if you PREPARE you class well and let the kids enjoy whatever plan you made to accomplish your goal, in the end it is actually you who´ll be entertained by watching the kids participate ( pretty much like a football coach ) . get rid of the ¨teacher label ¨ and star thinking like a kid. ideas will star flowing.

go to the park, and observe the children ( some chicks too ), take notes, of what drives them, what motivates them, if you have nephews, take them for a ride, ask them questions, buy them ice cream, you may learn a lot by just being humble to them, and you´ll get the respect you want. by the way, you won´t get fired, the LAUSD needs loonies like us to fulfill their
¨no child left behind ¨ program

Answer 7

Perhaps now would be a good time to revisit and review your chapters on classroom management in your university textbooks. Another suggestion I would have for you, is to set up a video camera in your room and tape yourself for a day or two (pick days of the week that are especially difficult) Then sit down and view yourself and see if you can discern any problems in yourself. If you know another teacher whom you could trust, ask them to look at it and give you suggestions. Sometimes, teachers develop behaviours and mannerisms of which they are not aware, but ones that can subliminally really irritate the students. This subliminal irritant can trigger a visceral response in them which manifests itself in misbehaviour. Try it, it really works. One more thing to remember, although I don't know what grade you are teaching, you can be friendly but you are not their friend. Do not be affraid to be firm because teaching is not a popularity contest. Your job is to teach, so like the saying goes "Walk softly but carry a big stick" be nice but be firm, don't waver. Good Luck

Answer 8

It could be your classroom design. Are they running around, do they get antsy because there is not enough room to move around? Are their areas where they can get away by themselves/privacy while still being supervised? I'm not sure if you could (or should) get fired because your still learning how to interact with your students. It takes awhile, hang in there.

Answer 9

Nothing to worry abt behave like agent 007 or Kojak

Answer 10

Maybe you are in a wrong place at a wrong time. Go to other schools to apply for a job.