Last Day of School - A Reflection
Today was the last day of school at my high school. I teach. I have to say, I will miss some classes more than others. I will miss some students much more than others. I'm probably not supposed to say that, but I'm human, and it's the truth. Looking back on this year, I'd like to reflect a bit.
I wish I had been more consistent: For some reason, I find it harder to punish girls. I don't know why, but I feel like when guys do something wrong or bad at school, it's very obvious and somewhat malicious, but when girls do it, for some reason, I don't get as upset over it. Sounds pretty sexist of me, and sure, it might be, but again, I'm only human. I wish I was more consistent with telling the kids to put their phones away, and following up with parents more often. You see, when you tell a kid to put their phone away, and they do for 10 minutes, and it's back out again, and you don't do anything, the only person you have to blame is yourself. I did this all the time, but it's because I was so damn sick of telling them to put the phones away.
I truly wanted and wished for students to act more mature and take more responsibility, and then realized that it wasn't going to happen. I hate that I feel that I need to hold their hands and walk them through how to behave in 9-12th grade. It's ridiculous.
Just the same, our school needs to do something to back the teachers up about the damn phones being out. It seems like we don't have much support. The kids spend more than half of the class with their heads in their laps, and grades are suffering as a result. The teachers that I speak with often say "If we could just take the cell phone away, it'd be so much better." At my school, we're actually told not to take the cell phones away, but to give warnings, call parents, etc. Well, what I've learned about parent-child relationships with respect to school teachers these days is that more and more often, parents are siding with their children. We as teachers are made to be the bad guy, defending ourselves. It didn't always used to be this way. I remember when I was in school, if my dad got a negative call home, my ass was toast.
Paired with the cell phones, I see a growing dislike for school and nonchalance for grades. It seems like most kids just don't give a crap anymore. But when the end of the semester comes around, then some of them suddenly care.
It's a mess (government education, that is). My anarchist friends will chide me for being a public school teacher and say that I am contributing to the problem. I would partly agree, but I try to get every student that walks through my door to think realistically, critically, and be successful with whatever their passion may be.
I truly do not wish any harm or ill will on any one of my students, but I know that the current economy is going to make it tough for future graduates to find jobs.
Know that it's going to be tough, but be relentless in your search for happiness guys. You'll get there, even if things get ugly.
I'm somewhat eager for next year. Just thought I would unload some of my thoughts here. If you read this whole thing, I thank you and appreciate it.
Thank God summer is here, that's all I will say!
Peace to all!
TVSS
It´s interesting to read this @vegansilverstack. I gave up teaching (after many years) at the end of last year and by the end I was really counting down the days. I totally understand your frustration with phones. At my school (in Brazil), although phones were not supposed to be used in class we (the teachers in my department) seemed to spend most of the class getting students to stop using them, with no back up at all from our superiors.
What was more frustrating was that throughout the school, everyone seemed to be on their phone all the time, including most of the teachers, the support staff and security. It just seemed to be like a plague.
Worst of all, was that students no longer seemed to be capable of taking notes and would want to photograph the whiteboard at the end of the class. This I believe is now common practice is many classrooms and seems to add no value to the learning process at all....
Yes! You are right. This is why they should be banned during class. If caught with your phone out, it should be taken away and not given back until the next day!
What an analogy @vegansilverstack ...😆😆😆😆
Lol the first picture still has me roflmao
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Yes brother the last day always make our eyes full of tears. Followed
Thank you, I will follow you as well.
Welcome brother.
i like
:) hell yeah!
Remember getting caught passing a note in school? Evil teacher reads it to the whole class making you the punk-ass laughing stock. Is it possible to just confiscate a phone temporarily? Can you read their tweets or text stream or wtf ever to the whole class? Interrupt MY class and other students opportunity to learn and you're gonna pay the price turd-for-brains! If that doesn't work put a big 'ol white plastic Cone Of Shame around Chuckie's neck and then hand them back their phone. Can't look down at it now can you you little _________!
If it stops a dog from chewing out itchy stitches it'll probably stop a parental-fail shithead student from looking at their phone. Maybe, I don't know, i am not a teacher.