IamA public school teacher in the poorest Congressional district in the country! Ask me anything!

Are you aware that you have the most respectable job on earth? Passing on knowledge and inspiration to others! I tip my hat for you.

Thank you! What a nice thing to say. Most days I don't feel all that respectable. Like right now, someone's making animal noises during a state exam.

Keep it up. I couldn't think of a more nobel profession to devote your life to.

<3

How is doing an AMA during a state exam any better?

Hahaha -- it was day 3 and I was pretty bored. When you proctor, you literally just sit and watch the kids test for hours and hours on end. You can't answer any of their questions, you just kind of have to watch them suffer through it.

Yeeeah, I know. Maybe rules are different, but in Texas a teacher being on the phone or computer while administering the STAAR could be met with punishment going so far as stripping your certification.

Well! Glad I've still got a job ;)

Oh also - Sub-topic. Stupid things my students have said/asked.

"Did Obama kill Hitler?"

"Is Dr. Dre a real doctor?"

I'm not going to lie, I pondered on this one for a while too.

Trolol.

"I'm not a children."

Do you feel you are making a difference in your students lives? How or why not?

Sometimes. There are kids that I know are only eating 2 meals a day because they get free breakfast and lunch at school. They come in hungry -- I keep snacks for them in my classroom. I have one student who likes to draw so I brought him some old comics that he could use as inspiration. He has 8 siblings/cousins living with him in his apartment so he sleeps on the desk in the back of class during their lunch hour. Those are the kids that I feel like I'm making a difference for. But for the kids who have shut down, who have already had too many bad experiences where they don't trust any adults, I don't feel effective. I don't know how to reach them and I feel like I don't have the proper training to deal with what sometimes is deep psychological trauma.

Oh, and there are days like the kid who told me to suck his dick where I wish I could put my hands on a child... But I'm not trying to get arrested!! :D

Hello, thank you for taking your time. What do you find most stands in your way in giving these kids a fair chance? Examples; parent lack of involvment, government interference or lack of funding. What is the most frustrating?

Poverty encompasses a lot of different issues. Lack of role models for careers and college, lack of access to basic services and needs, high percentages of abuse and violence in homes, poorly trained teachers (TFA and Teaching Fellows who are funneled in because they're cheap labor), old veteran teachers who don't want to retire but have lost their passion for the field. Administrations who are more focused on making themselves look good than they are on student achievement. Motivation is a key factor -- showing kids that it is possible to beat the odds, but I have a hard time believing it some days.

Has it really been your experience that TFA teachers are markedly less well-prepared for teaching than traditionally educated teachers, or teachers certified through other less prestigious alternative certification programs?

I ask because that's not been the experience I've had in the several years I've been in my underfunded urban school. A lot of traditionally trained teachers fail miserably in their first year--and many leave mid-year because of how poorly they were prepared for what the work of an underserved urban school entails.

At least in NYC, teachers have to student teach for at least a year before they make it in the classroom. This makes it much more likely that if they're going to quit, they'll do it during student teaching and not in their first year. I think the problem with TFA/TF is TIME. They push for these programs to happen so fast that the participants in the program don't have enough time to prepare themselves for the rigors of a real classroom experience. TF only has teachers teach summer school for one month before they have their own classroom. They don't have any support in that classroom when they start; it's just them in the room.

Another really frustrating thing is administrations that thrive on nepotism and favoritism, which leads a lot of good teachers to move to the suburbs or private/charter schools. The public really hates teachers -- we're blamed for a lot of the problems our students have. It can become difficult to deal with that pressure.

How do you feel about standardized testing and how government programs determine funding based on test results?

Standardized tests have a placed - when they are valid assessments of student learning. There are reasons we use them -- we certainly don't want doctors performing surgery unless they've demonstrated mastery of specific skills. I think the same should be true of students. The problem is that companies like Pearson and ETS are not creating assessments that align with Common Core curriculum enough, and schools aren't aligning at the speed that the city's pushing. So there's a double whammy there. Also - these assessments are often used for ends that they weren't designed for, like tracking students across content areas. Why would you use a student's English state exam scores to determine whether or not they can participate in an Honors Biology class? That's now what the exam was designed for. These tests need to be used for what they're intended. They need to be designed and written for students to access, and teachers need the tools to prepare them for those exams. There needs to be a way to score these exams that takes into account the major deficiencies our students come in with -- we should be getting more funding, not less! We need resources to catch them up. It's such a warped system.

Oh, did I mention -- there's no way to audit how certain kinds of funding are used by the principal?

The principles decide individually?!!

YES THEY DO. They mismanage the shit out of it too. Who knows where all those thousands of dollars go. I haven't gotten a goddamn pencil this year.

That is incredible. Wow.

Seriouslyyyyyyyy.

Normal Political backscratching, Goal one, get to be a principal, have no real word financial business experience, get handed a friggin hugemongous million dollar budget, train kids to pass the really important tests. The ones which put a feather in the cap of the person who "suggested" the principal take the position. Principals salary = 130k Superintendent salary 180k to 250k Starting teacher who has the heart for the job and can make a difference in kids lives?= 20 dollars and hour :( The impact on the hearts of the children you teach will be forever remembered by their grandchildren.
May god smile on you, all of your days.

From a grateful 50 year old first grader who never got to say thank you.

You are right on so many counts. Really appreciate it :)

So I've been through state standardized tests and I'm also about to take Boards for the degree I'm graduating with on Sunday. I had no fucking clue how Pearson is so involved with fucking standardized testing.

It's pretty wild how much private companies like Pearson and CollegeBoard profit off of standardized testing.

Fellow teacher here. You hit the nail on its head. Also most parents aren't aware that these companies are tracking their kids, and will supply universities with their kids school data. From k-12. Nice.

Which is why another pretty significant proportion of teachers go and work for those companies. It's a 9-5 in a booming industry and the pay's much better than what you'd make in a classroom.

My father worked for a long time in inner city public schools... So I'll start by thanking you for doing a job not many people can do.

What's the craziest thing that's ever happened in your classroom?

Hmmm. One of the kids broke my classroom window with a baseball bat last year. This year a kid took a swing at me (but I ducked like a badass and he hit the wall and broke his nose). Bahaha #ninjastatus

Do kids still give apples to their teachers?

Nope. But someone gave me a Star Trek comic yesterday, that was pretty nice.

any stories you rarely get the opportunity to share?

Oh man, all sorts of gossip - rumors of teachers fooling around with principals at office parties. Stuff like that.

do tell!

Well apparently last year there was some director of a private program who was fucking our principal (who is married). She was this very young thin white woman and so the whole thing was very scandalous, our staff comprised of mostly people of color. They didn't even really try to hide it.

Lately it seems like bureaucracy and politics are ruining our schools. What do you think we can do to make the schools better again? What can ordinary citizens do to guarantee a better education for our children?

I would say getting involved with community schools, volunteering, being really vocal parents and community leaders about what's important and what services you want to see. I would love our school to offer job training and GED courses for adults so that parents can benefit from education as well -- but this has to come from parental pressure.

Are you in TFA?

If you are not, do you think that their involvement is part of a long-term fix? Do you think that they are adequately prepared to teach?

I am not in TFA, however I did a similar program. The problem is that these teachers are not coming in to teach as a life time vocation. They are padding their resumes before they head off to law school, medical school, higher education, etc. That means that we have a rotation of newbie teachers in the classrooms that most need discipline and firm structure. It doesn't work but it looks great on paper for administrations who are hiring all these Ivy League grads who can't do shit in a classroom full of 13-year-olds.

It would seem that among the many needs these children have (after basic nutrition), structure and predictability would be utmost.

Are teachers unions vilified in your state or community?

Under Bloomberg I think the union got hit with a lot of slack. BUT. I think a union needs to hold its members accountable to high professional standards. When teachers are found to be ineffective, the union needs to make its priority helping that teaching improve, not covering them without really figuring out what's going on. I have teachers on staff who are absolutely cringe-worthy. Why doesn't the union come in and give them professional development and resources? Instead of covering bad teachers and then blaming administration when they try to (rightfully) remove them. Teaching's the only profession in the world where you can be bad at your job and keep it -- for life! It's pretty much bulletproof.

Yeah, it's tough. I think that because they are vilified so much there is this "circle the wagons" mentality that preclude honest self reflection or improvement.

It's tough.

If you're in the City, is it hard to live - cost of living wise?

I can't even afford to live in the city! I commute almost an hour and a half to and from!

Please note you've been downgraded from "Saint" to "Masochist".

Facts. I keep hoping I'll find a job closer to where I live, or an affordable place that isn't in the hood that's closer to my job. Here's hoping.

The problem is that these teachers are not coming in to teach as a life time vocation. They are padding their resumes before they head off to law school, medical school, higher education, etc.

Uh-oh--you're saying things that aren't supported by data. Two-thirds of TFA teachers continue to teach after their commitment, with about half staying in their original school. (Those numbers aren't drastically different from the turnover we see among traditionally trained teachers in low-income schools.) After five years, well over half remain in education. Source 1, Source 2

I agree with the rest of the sentiment of your post: teacher turnover is not good for kids, and it's a major issue in urban schools. But TFA is no more culpable than traditional training programs in terms of failing to set teachers up to stay in teaching long-term.

The problem with TFA is not just the turnover - which is high. 30% of teachers leaving is really high. That number is much higher in schools and districts like mine -- the only source I have to cite is the 5 years I've been in the system. I've never seen a TFA'er stay in my school longer than 3 years (and we are considered one of the best schools in the district). The problem with TFA is their myopic focus on behavior management strategies that dehumanize and condescend to students (their obsession with Doug Lemov for example). The other problem is that a lot of TFA's come into teaching knowing they don't want to do it forever! They express from the start that they are doing this to go to law school later.

Wait, the South Bronx is in Alabama?

No dear, in NYC.

Every Have a Crazy Parent try to fight you?

I read an article once about a teacher who worked at an inner city school and she developed PSTD, and eventually ended up quitting her job. Which leads me to my next question

Are you afraid to go to work sometimes?

I'm not afraid to go to work, but sometimes I'm afraid to leave. I've had kids try and fight me after school. That's a little scary sometimes.

I gotta say, the most interesting part of this AMA for me is that my wife teaches in the 6th wealthiest congressional district in the country (VA-8) and her experiences aren't much different.

Really? I'd be curious to have a round table chat about that.

I'll see if she's interested. Her school in particular isn't wealthy; a lot of working people around here struggle because the cost of living is so high. A lot of kids come from those same scarred parts of the world, too. There are schools in the area where literally none of the kids are on free/reduced lunch, but there are plenty at hers. She has exactly the same issues with administration, testing, schizophrenic approaches to technology, and so on, though. Money just doesn't fix those problems.

You're right, but a lack of money will sure as hell exacerbate them.

What if I say "some kids shouldn't be allowed to go to school"? For example the kid that took a swing at you - I wouldn't want to be in school with them when I was a kid, and I wouldn't want my kids to be in school with them now.

I don't know if juvie is the right place for them, probably not, but neither is a classroom where kids are supposed to learn things - in my opinion.

Do you feel the violent kids hold others back? is that ok, and they should be still allowed to go to same school where other kids want to learn?

Edit - I don't want this to be taken in a wrong way. I lived on public assistance, was in single parent household from 12-on, had free food in public schools, walked to school because they only gave me half-off price for bus and I didn't have money. I'm not anti-poor, just anti-violent.

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THIS. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of a few -- and when one awful student disrupts the instruction for 26 other students, they need to go. End of story. It's not even a question of why they are like that -- there are so many reasons. But at the end of the day other students' education needs to take priority.

A different perspective:

"I have been teaching long enough to know the enormity of this challenge, particularly because these moments almost always happen when I am convinced we are doing something of the utmost importance in the classroom. But then I think to myself, how did I get to a place where I am prioritizing lesson plans over healing a child in pain?…

As educators we tend to seriously underestimate the impact our response has on the other students in the class. They are watching us when we interact with their peers. When we become frustrated and punish youth who manifest symptoms of righteous rage or social misery, we give way to legitimate doubts among other students about our capacity to meet their needs if they are ever in pain."

• "A Note to Educators"

I understand this perspective too, but I'm thinking in terms of practicality. I'm a teacher, not a therapist. It's my job to provide instruction to students. And sometimes I think our system has gotten a little too concerned with the fluffy-duffy feelings, at the expense of providing high quality instruction to students who are capable of retaining it. I really think this is one of the reasons why the US is falling in ratings in regards to math and science scores.

How long can you reasonably do this for? Are you close to burning out, or is this enough of a passion for you that you could see yourself doing this indefinitely?

Through TFA, etc, we have a lot of young, eager teachers come into our city's failing schools, and I think their average stay is only about 2-3 years.

Reasonably? I give myself another 4-5 years. This system is being changed so that there are no more "lifers" in education. Even now I'm starting to feel the heat because of all of these Danielson framework components. Trying to keep 22 different components of "highly effective" teaching when you're delivering a lesson can be really stressful.

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Dude we have some crazy ass parents. We had this one woman come in because she was trying to fight the girl that her daughter had a problem with. Meaning her MOTHER came in to fight a CHILD.

Do you think public education should be handled by the private sector instead?

No, I really don't. Private sector means private interests. If we did that, there'd be no profit in educating my students. Which means they wouldn't get shit and the whole problem we have now with private schools and charters would just get worse.

Can you elaborate on that. For example my kid goes to a private school in NJ, and full-price tuition is under 20k (and we pay a lot less due to financial situation). I believe in NJ average student costs over 20k. So private school seems less expensive - why shouldn't government simply supply the money, and let private schools teach kids?

This is similar to Social Security - government pays money, but doesn't tell people were they are allowed to live and how they can spend it down to a penny.

Edit: Also government has a program 'section 8' which provides assistance for housing. The housing is in private buildings, but they have to be authorized for the use, and rents are controlled to some degree. Schools could be done in a similar way.

I don't see why paying for private services works for so many other programs financed by government, but wouldn't work for schools.

I'm talking more about accountability and resources. Private schools are not held to the standards public schools are. Who's to say a private school is going to use its funds ethically? Who is going to monitor that? Who is going to decide who goes to which private school and where? What will the admissions process be? I just think that's a very lengthy process that will become discriminatory.

Since this is an AMA... how much do you make a year? How do you feel about your compensation level?

After taxes, I take home about 2400 a month.

Oh, and I do after school over time and tutoring adults English, so that brings in an extra 600-900 depending on the month.

This is a serious question. Why don't people who are trapped into this kind of regional poverty relocate?

The cost of moving possessions in combination with a deposit and first month rent on the new place is not financially achievable for people in poverty. Its effectively a triple payment at once with the added uncertainty of job pay being delayed in arrears at the new region too.

Precisely.

How can they? Like with what resources are they going to be able to move to more affluent neighborhoods?

I saw you mentioned that you went up a "super expensive college". What was your major? What events led you end up at your current position? Was it by choice? Or were there scarce options for you to pursue.

I became a teacher literally because I was not qualified to do anything else. Doesn't that sounds horrible? I went to an "elite" school and majored in social science, giving no thought whatsoever to my professional life. I wanted to be a writer, and knew I wouldn't make any money doing that. I found out about my alternative licensing program on Craigslist. After that, I applied and got in, did my graduate degree, etc. I ended up very happy with my choice, but to go from one extreme to another is kinda nuts.

I went to an "elite" school and majored in social science, giving no thought whatsoever to my professional life.

Been there done that!

No one tells you after that 200k degree that you're going to start at 45k IF YOU ARE LUCKY.

I started at $6.50 an hour selling bagels, but that was in 1992.

Accounting for inflation, taxes, etc, that's about what I make an hour.

1) I am passionate about elearning, but do you think all the tech investment and nice experiment equipment should be discarded to "buy" teachers instead ?

2) Is it trendy to try to learn by having fun ?

Tech is great when teachers know how to use it. So training has to go hand in hand with that tech - case in point. Principals who spend 20k a pop for SmartBoards but then say it's too expensive to replace the little electronic smart board markers, rendering it nothing more than an over-priced projector.

It isn't trendy - teachers have been trying to make learning fun since it has been in existence as a profession. What's trendy right now is pushing these very high academically rigorous challenges, which I agree with -- but do that at the k level and loop up -- expecting students who are already a few years behind in their reading levels to suddenly be able to read and analyze complex text is insane. Those skills need to be developed over years, not a few months with some shitty ass professional development once a month.

My good friend taught at John Jay for a few years, got burnt out and reluctantly accepted a job at a fancy private high school in Manhattan. He would cry almost daily after class, feeling defeated and lost. I am in awe of your resilience and perseverance and want to thank you for what you do. Every day. It's important and you're a bad ass. My question: Are the parents totally checked out? Is there any effort or desire on their part to see the kids learn? Is there any aspiration for their kids to be better/do better?

A lot of parents aren't checked out but they simply don't have the time or the ability to really advocate for themselves or their children. They want their children to succeed but don't know how to help them do that.

What would you say to someone who's thinking of teaching temporarily in a poor district to have her student debt reduced? She is highly idealistic, but has heard so many horror stories, and thinks it would be depressing and dangerous.

I really don't think you should -- it is not fair to the students to have a teacher who is only there to pay of her debt. It's not fair to the school to spend time training a teacher who's going to leave after 2-5 years. This is not your charity case. Try Peace Corps.

Interesting - I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right.

When I was an art major in college, people often said to me, "Well, you can always teach."

That used to really offend me. Teaching is a serious profession - not something to fall back on, like waiting tables or driving a cab.

I completely agree. There are lots of things you can do if you're not sure about your career path -- but teaching should not be one of them.

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Ah, sorry! USA. New York City baby.

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I'm applying for a Fulbright to maybe teach for a summer somewhere in Europe. That'd be cool.

I could imagine it must be heartbreaking. What's the most depressed you've ever been about it?

I get really sad when I hear stories about female students getting raped or molested, but then the administration dismisses the case as consensual because it's easier than having to pursue the case. Our guidance counselor's inefficient, and not trained really as a psychotherapist, which is what we need.

I heard story about a kids emigrating here from a country in Africa which is currently experiencing a lot of violent turmoil. He watched his grandmother and aunt die when he was 5.

You're a mandated reporter. If the school administration is blowing off students who report rape and molestation to them, please, please, please report those cases to ACS. It's your duty and it's the right thing to do. You can help those girls. The number for New York is 1-800-342-3720.

I understand what you're saying -- but I'm mandated to report those incidents to my principal. The principal decides whether or not to report to ACS. Those guidelines changed recently, and admins get very annoyed with teachers who circumvent them, putting their job security on the line.

Mandated reporters are no longer supposed to call ACS directly? That really doesn't sound right to me and it doesn't say anything about that policy change on their web site. Maybe you should call ACS directly and double check with them what the current mandated reporting law is. It would be really terrible if you were cooperating with the administration in covering up abuse allegations.

Please don't assume that someone else will step in. I was abused until I escaped on my own at 17 because no one ever called ACS for me. I wish someone had. My family really needed help.

I'll check it out -- but from what I understand having had this conversation before, I file a report with the principal and guidance counselor, they look for evidence and speak with students and families, the school social worker usually steps in, etc. I understand your concern and share it -- however I have also heard of teachers being excessed or counseled out at the end of the year for "insubordination." That's the charge for which your union rep can't really do anything about and you can get fired for.

Is there any student you've kept in touch with and who has been able to really turn their life around?

Also thank you for everything you do for those kids. <3

So far, not yet. I haven't been teaching long enough and my kids are a little young. My oldest students would be seniors in high school this year I think.

first, you probably have one of the least appreciated, and hardest, jobs anyone can have. I respect you for that. how do you deal with students that just don't want to learn? or that you think are lost causes?

I can bring a horse to water, but I won't drown him in it. If they don't want to learn, I try to engage them the best I can, but honestly? If they aren't a behavioral problem, I leave them alone. They're young adults and they can make their own decisions. Even if they're bad ones.

I'm a senior(graduating in 2015) in college and studying math and education. After I graduate, I hope to teach in the inner city(at least for a little while). Is there any advice that you can give me to help me prepare for the some of the situations I might deal with daily and other situations that might arise and how to deal with these situations?

At least for a little while? I'll give you the same answer I gave for the other questioner -- this is not a resume padder. You are doing a disservice to your students and your school by showing up for a couple of years, being a bad new teacher, and then leaving. Do something else or start by teaching in a district you know you want to stay in. You will be miserable and you will make others miserable as well because they'll have to pick up your slack and just when you get the hang out of it, what, you'll move to the suburbs? Go to law school or med school? NO. College kids need to stop doing this!

What are the worst situations some the kids are in? And do you feel any of them have a chance to be successful given their financial and home life?

I think the fact that we have so many kids in temporary housing and shelters is pretty terrible. Not having a place to call home can really mess with your psyche. Despite that, there are kids who get out, who go to college or technical school and become professionals. They have a chance -- it's just a smaller one than their counterparts in wealthier places.

Future teacher here, did you pick up any good strategies to keep the bad children behaved and interested in learning? Any tactics to help them learn content easier?

Not OP bit there are lots of classroom management books available in libraries and on Amazon which help with behavioural problems in the classroom.

Agreed. You have to kind of pick and choose, like a buffet. Not every tip is going to work in every classroom for every teacher. And different teachers have different expectations for student behavior. For me, a lot of my kids don't speak English as their first language, so I expect a little chatter because a lot of them are translating for their friends who are less proficient. But when I give directions, I expect silence. I made that clear from day 1, and so they know if I'm talking, no one else should be. They do a lot of self-correction, asking their friends to be quiet or focus.

I have tons. Would love to share strategies with you but it has to be more specific to content area, schedule, grade level, student demographics, etc. Feel free to PM me your email and we can chat more in depth.

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I haven't seen it -- will watch and update you!

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I really enjoy it. I get a lot of satisfaction when I have kids really engage with complex topics and issues. We used the movie Cinderella Man to talk about the Great Depression and they really connected with Braddock's story and rooted for him until the very end. When they wrote about the film later, they used academic language in ways I didn't even know they had retained! It was beautiful.

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It has its moments, for sure.

What do you think of waiting for superman?

Haven't seen it. Will watch and update!

Do you spend every day telling the kids to do well so they can work themselves out of the pee pee soaked heck hole they're currently stuck in?

Um... I mostly teach them how to read and write so they can pass state exams so that they can be promoted to the next grade. I don't know about pee pee soaked heck holes though. Someone did take a shit in one of the utility closets the other day. So funny!

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Some of them do. Then again, I went to a super expensive college with lots of rich kids. Some of those motherfuckers stank!