Wow, what a great thread. I have to give a shout out to my mom who just retired from the NYC school system after 40+ years and was one of the first Resource Room Teachers (Special Ed) in NYC. She worked in Spanish Harlem and helped many kids overachieve in a pretty dismal situation.
All of this and being a single parent to myself and my brother. She deserves the world and hope she enjoys the much needed rest.
Wow, what a great thread. I have to give a shout out to my mom who just retired from the NYC school system after 40+ years and was one of the first Resource Room Teachers (Special Ed) in NYC. She worked in Spanish Harlem and helped many kids overachieve in a pretty dismal situation.
All of this and being a single parent to myself and my brother. She deserves the world and hope she enjoys the much needed rest.
Wow, Congrats to your mom!! That is awesome! I can't imagine being a single mom AND a teacher!! Hope she has an awesome retirement!
The best use of Life is Love.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I taught Pre-school many years ago and it took incredible patience working with my 3-5 year olds. Some of this patience came from the many teachers I had in my schooling so I give a big thank you to ALL of them and for putting up with all the shit that I gave them.
It was awesome to see these children learn and grow right before my eyes, just awesome.
Peace
Pre-School Teachers RULE! My kids had such great Pre-School Teachers!
I'm very thankful!
The best use of Life is Love.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm bumping this thread up because I want to congratulate one Ms. Yeild2PearlJam on her acceptance of her first official teaching job!
She will be rocking the world of 8th Graders really soon! These kids don't know how lucky they are! Congrats to SENROCK's favorite asian too!
That freakin asian. I know this is a first but...in all seriousness......asian or not, i give her MAAAAAJOR props because *I* could NEVER work with the kidz she does. When we are drinking, i give her props ALL the time. Teaching alone is a hard job but teaching HER kind of kids.....she's brave. Her and ChicaGrunge actually. MAJOR snaps to them both. And ok jazz too. jk
~~~~~~ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME~~~~~~
Sir Mike McCready is....THE MASTER!!! WAHHH!!!
EVENFLOW PSYCHOS H.N.I.C~FEEL THE FLOW!!!
"Pearl Jam fans are obsessed, they'd see the boys in HELL if tickets were sold."-CROJAM95
That freakin asian. I know this is a first but...in all seriousness......asian or not, i give her MAAAAAJOR props because *I* could NEVER work with the kidz she does. When we are drinking, i give her props ALL the time. Teaching alone is a hard job but teaching HER kind of kids.....she's brave. Her and ChicaGrunge actually. MAJOR snaps to them both. And ok jazz too. jk
OH YEAH!! Angie!! I can't believe I didn't mention her!! SHE RULES TOO!!
and Marcia, another Great Teacher!! I love all you peeps!
The best use of Life is Love.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
My wife is a teacher. She routinely puts in 14 hour days, pays for supplies out of her own pocket (has even been known to buy backpacks and shoes for her kids), cares about nothing but the kids and then routinely gets shit on with the old "our schools/teachers suck"-type letters to the editor. Why are American schools really "failing"? Could it be the idiotic "No Child Left Behind" PR stunt or inattentive parents or just our general slacker society?
I dunno. But I do know that I make twice as much $$ for doing half as much. Teachers rock!!!! Give 'em some love! It's not their faults if kids are fucked up!!
If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
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Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
My wife is a teacher. She routinely puts in 14 hour days, pays for supplies out of her own pocket (has even been known to buy backpacks and shoes for her kids), cares about nothing but the kids and then routinely gets shit on with the old "our schools/teachers suck"-type letters to the editor. Why are American schools really "failing"? Could it be the idiotic "No Child Left Behind" PR stunt or inattentive parents or just our general slacker society?
I dunno. But I do know that I make twice as much $$ for doing half as much. Teachers rock!!!! Give 'em some love! It's not their faults if kids are fucked up!!
Man I hear ya I worked 7-3 which ended up being at school till 5 and I would be scared to drive home cause I was soooooo tired. I gave the children everything while I was them and many times left nothing for myself. I was one of the very few a male teachers and as you may already know we didn't get paid much. After 10 years total I left to working with the elderly for 3x's the pay and I get to travel the world.
My best rewards were how parents ALL the time and effort I put into that job. In that field I was extremely valuable because many homes the father's worked long hours too and that father figure just was not there.
My students, let's see will be around 17-18 now and getting ready to start college.
I'll tell ya a quick story on how much these children had an imprint on me. I played big time softball back then I went to BK to get something to eat before a game. While munching down I heard a squeal and I heard it again blindly. I said I know that noise and sure enough this 12 year old came around this corner and I said to myself that had to be *****. I pondered whether to go over to them, I couldn't take it anymore so I went over and introduced myself.
He was there with his older brother, I had him when he was 3 & half and I hadn't seen them in 8 years. I told their grandfather to please tell their parents about me and that particular squeal ***** never gave up. Of course neither one of the boys remembered me but that's cool I know their parents did for sure.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Glad i stumbled across this thread - I have been thinking about doing a PGCE but I have some ideas about teaching that have come about from having some wonderful teachers/lectureres and some bloody awful ones - learn from others mistakes and all that . . .
I spent my degree doing a bit of work on the effects of visual images in school education and having looked at some sites such as www.presentationzen.com and m62 visual communications, I am wondering if anyone knows of any courses which deal with this kind of teacher training??
Glad i stumbled across this thread - I have been thinking about doing a PGCE but I have some ideas about teaching that have come about from having some wonderful teachers/lectureres and some bloody awful ones - learn from others mistakes and all that . . .
I spent my degree doing a bit of work on the effects of visual images in school education and having looked at some sites such as www.presentationzen.com and m62 visual communications, I am wondering if anyone knows of any courses which deal with this kind of teacher training??
I think this depends on the age range that you want to teach. Are you in the UK? From my research (mainly into primary education) teacher training schemes are pretty broad. Although I don't know whether GCSE or A-Level training gets into the specifics within the subjects. What is your degree in?
My advice is to get some experience within the classroom though. My perception and the reality were somewhat vastly different!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to the person who started this thread and everyone who has (positively) contributed.
I really needed to see this today. My girlfriend's district just informed her school that they would be laying off a number of teachers and transferring a number of them to other schools. The reason? Not enough money from the state.
Of course, you can't get rid of students as easily as you do teachers, so they are simply going to cram 40+ kids into each class and hope that there are enough seats available for each of them.
Luckily, my district is good and my union is better and wouldn't let that happen where I teach, but still, it depresses the shit out of me when these things happen.
I think many people don't understand what the life of a teacher is like. It's not like we work 9-5 jobs and then get to come home and relax. A typical day for me is waking up at 5:30, getting to school at 6:30 to make copies and set up my lesson for the day, teaching until 2:45, spending a couple hours after school working with my environmental club OR grading papers, getting home at 5:30, going to the gym for an hour, then spending all my time from 6:30 to about 11:30 grading papers, creating lesson plans, making worksheets, finding material for class, etc.
People like to point fingers at teachers as a reason why the public school system is struggling, but the problem has to do with the system, not with the individuals.
When the system dictates that 35+ students of myriad abilities (and disabilities) are grouped together into a single class with a single set of standards, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that students are judged by standarized tests that are often flawed and not representative of a student's true abilites, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that a student's, parent's, and administrator's rights are above those of a teacher's, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that decisions about what should go on inside a classroom should be made by politicians and administrators who have never taught a day in their lives, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that students should be ranked against each other, so that there is always a top, middle, and bottom, it's setting up failure.
I could go on, but you get my point.
Sorry for the rant. I'm positive about my job most of the time, but today is just a bad day.
That being said, today I am listening to and analyzing "Corduroy" with my 6th period class, so things should be getting brighter very soon.
Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Thanks to the person who started this thread and everyone who has (positively) contributed.
I really needed to see this today. My girlfriend's district just informed her school that they would be laying off a number of teachers and transferring a number of them to other schools. The reason? Not enough money from the state.
Of course, you can't get rid of students as easily as you do teachers, so they are simply going to cram 40+ kids into each class and hope that there are enough seats available for each of them.
That is insane! I work with 4/5 yr olds and managing 10 of them is a headache (they're about 24 in my class)....but 40 of them!
All the issues concerning education really depresses me, and i'm just starting out in the career (will start my training in Jan)! But i'm starting to figure out that in order to retain sanity you have to ignore the bullshit that goes on and focus on the kids and the day to day teaching.
You're lucky to be able to teach them a bit of PJ related stuff though! When I start my course i'll be back on this thread asking for ideas how I can incorporate PJ into the primary curriculum!!!
That is insane! I work with 4/5 yr olds and managing 10 of them is a headache (they're about 24 in my class)....but 40 of them!
Yeah, 40 little kids would be insanity. My girlfriend and I both teach high school, so it's a little different, but 40 is a huge challenge nonetheless -- especially when they range from gifted to special ed. students who are all supposed to learn the curriculum in the same way in the same amount of time.
But i'm starting to figure out that in order to retain sanity you have to ignore the bullshit that goes on and focus on the kids and the day to day teaching.
Couldn't have said it better myself. That's the first piece of advice I give to every new teacher I meet.
You're lucky to be able to teach them a bit of PJ related stuff though! When I start my course i'll be back on this thread asking for ideas how I can incorporate PJ into the primary curriculum!!!
Music can be a huge part of ANY language arts curriculum.
I have an Internet-based discussion board that my students use to analyze and discuss a new song or poem every week. We alternate poem/song, but there really is no difference in analyzing either one. Among Pearl Jam songs, I have used Corduroy, In My Tree, I am Mine, and Who You Are in the past.
Always looking for advice on other good PJ songs to analyze.
Everything has chains...Absolutely nothing's changed. - PJ
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
Yeah, 40 little kids would be insanity. My girlfriend and I both teach high school, so it's a little different, but 40 is a huge challenge nonetheless -- especially when they range from gifted to special ed. students who are all supposed to learn the curriculum in the same way in the same amount of time.
Couldn't have said it better myself. That's the first piece of advice I give to every new teacher I meet.
Music can be a huge part of ANY language arts curriculum.
I have an Internet-based discussion board that my students use to analyze and discuss a new song or poem every week. We alternate poem/song, but there really is no difference in analyzing either one. Among Pearl Jam songs, I have used Corduroy, In My Tree, I am Mine, and Who You Are in the past.
Always looking for advice on other good PJ songs to analyze.
You guys are alll so freaking awesome! I hope my kids get teachers as teriffic as all of you. I will say, my 13 year old comes home about once a week really thrilled about a lesson or something going on in one of his classes. That makes me smile, makes me happy that he is connecting. Not all teachers can CONNECT with their students!!
The best use of Life is Love.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
TEACHERS ROCK. I spent a year as a social worker in an impoverished middle school, and what teachers do can make or break kids in that city. Unfair pay, long hours, No Child Left Behind and its spawn, lack of funding for basic needs, and on and on. It takes an immeasurable amount of love and commitment to teach.
I can't begin to tell you what teachers have done for me personally. One of them literally saved my life, and we're great friends 15 years later.
Comments
All of this and being a single parent to myself and my brother. She deserves the world and hope she enjoys the much needed rest.
Wow, Congrats to your mom!! That is awesome! I can't imagine being a single mom AND a teacher!! Hope she has an awesome retirement!
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
Pre-School Teachers RULE! My kids had such great Pre-School Teachers!
I'm very thankful!
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me
Sir Mike McCready is....THE MASTER!!! WAHHH!!!
EVENFLOW PSYCHOS H.N.I.C~FEEL THE FLOW!!!
"Pearl Jam fans are obsessed, they'd see the boys in HELL if tickets were sold."-CROJAM95
It takes balls to put out a UKE album!
OH YEAH!! Angie!! I can't believe I didn't mention her!! SHE RULES TOO!!
and Marcia, another Great Teacher!! I love all you peeps!
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
I dunno. But I do know that I make twice as much $$ for doing half as much. Teachers rock!!!! Give 'em some love! It's not their faults if kids are fucked up!!
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Man I hear ya I worked 7-3 which ended up being at school till 5 and I would be scared to drive home cause I was soooooo tired. I gave the children everything while I was them and many times left nothing for myself. I was one of the very few a male teachers and as you may already know we didn't get paid much. After 10 years total I left to working with the elderly for 3x's the pay and I get to travel the world.
My best rewards were how parents ALL the time and effort I put into that job. In that field I was extremely valuable because many homes the father's worked long hours too and that father figure just was not there.
My students, let's see will be around 17-18 now and getting ready to start college.
I'll tell ya a quick story on how much these children had an imprint on me. I played big time softball back then I went to BK to get something to eat before a game. While munching down I heard a squeal and I heard it again blindly. I said I know that noise and sure enough this 12 year old came around this corner and I said to myself that had to be *****. I pondered whether to go over to them, I couldn't take it anymore so I went over and introduced myself.
He was there with his older brother, I had him when he was 3 & half and I hadn't seen them in 8 years. I told their grandfather to please tell their parents about me and that particular squeal ***** never gave up. Of course neither one of the boys remembered me but that's cool I know their parents did for sure.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
I spent my degree doing a bit of work on the effects of visual images in school education and having looked at some sites such as www.presentationzen.com and m62 visual communications, I am wondering if anyone knows of any courses which deal with this kind of teacher training??
I think this depends on the age range that you want to teach. Are you in the UK? From my research (mainly into primary education) teacher training schemes are pretty broad. Although I don't know whether GCSE or A-Level training gets into the specifics within the subjects. What is your degree in?
My advice is to get some experience within the classroom though. My perception and the reality were somewhat vastly different!!!!!!!!!
2007 ░▒▓ London, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
2009 ░▒▓ Manchester, London
2010 ░▒▓ Hyde Park
*§* Music is all the juice i'll need *§*
I really needed to see this today. My girlfriend's district just informed her school that they would be laying off a number of teachers and transferring a number of them to other schools. The reason? Not enough money from the state.
Of course, you can't get rid of students as easily as you do teachers, so they are simply going to cram 40+ kids into each class and hope that there are enough seats available for each of them.
Luckily, my district is good and my union is better and wouldn't let that happen where I teach, but still, it depresses the shit out of me when these things happen.
I think many people don't understand what the life of a teacher is like. It's not like we work 9-5 jobs and then get to come home and relax. A typical day for me is waking up at 5:30, getting to school at 6:30 to make copies and set up my lesson for the day, teaching until 2:45, spending a couple hours after school working with my environmental club OR grading papers, getting home at 5:30, going to the gym for an hour, then spending all my time from 6:30 to about 11:30 grading papers, creating lesson plans, making worksheets, finding material for class, etc.
People like to point fingers at teachers as a reason why the public school system is struggling, but the problem has to do with the system, not with the individuals.
When the system dictates that 35+ students of myriad abilities (and disabilities) are grouped together into a single class with a single set of standards, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that students are judged by standarized tests that are often flawed and not representative of a student's true abilites, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that a student's, parent's, and administrator's rights are above those of a teacher's, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that decisions about what should go on inside a classroom should be made by politicians and administrators who have never taught a day in their lives, it's setting up failure.
When the system dictates that students should be ranked against each other, so that there is always a top, middle, and bottom, it's setting up failure.
I could go on, but you get my point.
Sorry for the rant. I'm positive about my job most of the time, but today is just a bad day.
That being said, today I am listening to and analyzing "Corduroy" with my 6th period class, so things should be getting brighter very soon.
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
That is insane! I work with 4/5 yr olds and managing 10 of them is a headache (they're about 24 in my class)....but 40 of them!
All the issues concerning education really depresses me, and i'm just starting out in the career (will start my training in Jan)! But i'm starting to figure out that in order to retain sanity you have to ignore the bullshit that goes on and focus on the kids and the day to day teaching.
You're lucky to be able to teach them a bit of PJ related stuff though! When I start my course i'll be back on this thread asking for ideas how I can incorporate PJ into the primary curriculum!!!
2007 ░▒▓ London, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
2009 ░▒▓ Manchester, London
2010 ░▒▓ Hyde Park
*§* Music is all the juice i'll need *§*
Yeah, 40 little kids would be insanity. My girlfriend and I both teach high school, so it's a little different, but 40 is a huge challenge nonetheless -- especially when they range from gifted to special ed. students who are all supposed to learn the curriculum in the same way in the same amount of time.
Couldn't have said it better myself. That's the first piece of advice I give to every new teacher I meet.
Music can be a huge part of ANY language arts curriculum.
I have an Internet-based discussion board that my students use to analyze and discuss a new song or poem every week. We alternate poem/song, but there really is no difference in analyzing either one. Among Pearl Jam songs, I have used Corduroy, In My Tree, I am Mine, and Who You Are in the past.
Always looking for advice on other good PJ songs to analyze.
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus
You guys are alll so freaking awesome! I hope my kids get teachers as teriffic as all of you. I will say, my 13 year old comes home about once a week really thrilled about a lesson or something going on in one of his classes. That makes me smile, makes me happy that he is connecting. Not all teachers can CONNECT with their students!!
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
This is an "APPRECIATION THREAD"................wanna complain? start your own thread. Thanks
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.
I'm never as good as when you're there.........
I would be whoopin some ass in that class !
I Heart Teachers
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
I can't begin to tell you what teachers have done for me personally. One of them literally saved my life, and we're great friends 15 years later.
All you teachers out there...thank you.