Day 9 - Alarmed But Not Afraid

The behaviour I've witnessed by many (although certainly not all) of the students in this school that I am currently placed in would shock any responsible, decent citizen in our community, whether they be 8, 18 or 80. Here's just a few examples:

• Students not showing respect by talking in class and not listening to the teacher.
• Students grafitti-ing chairs, swinging in their charis, kicking chairs, having feet on chairs. (and a general lack of respect for school property such as walls, tables, equipment etc).
• Students talking back to teachers in a most inappropriate tone of voice.
• Students 'wagging' or cutting class.
• Disorderly behaviour in classroom.
• Students refusing to work in class or complete homework.
• Students wearing baseball caps at school during class time.
• Students kissing and demonstrating inappropriate behaviours in the corridors (you try breaking that one up!!)
• Students swearing constantly at each other and occasionally to teachers during and outside of class time.

Are you alarmed? I certainly was. Perhaps you yourself went to a school where the behaviour above was 'typical'. Perhaps not. Perhaps you yourself were the instigator of such behaviour?I do not claim to be ignorant of all these things during my time back in high school. When I was in high school, sure, students did all of the above (not I of course!!! :o) - I was Miss Goody-Two-Shoes back then - but I knew that those behaviours existed and were demonstrated some students.

The fact that I went to a girls' school probably explains why I am so alarmed by this behaviour, as I was (thankfully?) spared from the common, but not typical, brutish and rowdy behaviour of our male counterparts). :o) (I could go on and describe the pros and cons of single-sex education here, but lets just save that for a rainy day, shall we?)Anyway if there's one thing that I've gained from this first teaching round of mine, it would be the application of discipline and classroom management techniques.

In my humble opinion, the 'naughty' kids in this school have no respect for teachers, let alone their parents, due to the fact that there is little or no discipline. When teachers try to discipline in the classroom, I think it falls on deaf ears. Because the kids do not receive discipline at home, the message of respect, responsibility and other social values which teachers try to impart. are not enforced in the home.

The thing that irritates me the most is when these unruly youngsters laugh in response to any teacher's attempt to discipline them. It's true that kids these days have their rights. But until they are legally adults, they are children who need to be taught right from wrong, and the adults in their lives need to be free to teach them this.

I believe that parents are responsible for bringing their children into this world, bring them up correctly, teach them morals, and discipline them. Kids have too many rights and not enough responsibilities, and if their parents don't make them responsible for their actions, well it'll be a pretty hopeless situation for many teachers.

So anyway. I've been alarmed by the things I've witnessed at this school. But I am not afraid!! Hear! Hear!

Another way of looking at it is that if I had been placed in such a prim and proper school, there's no way I would've been able to learn all I've learnt about classroom discipline, nor would I be writing all the stuff I've written so far in this blog. Yes - it's true, I can probably talk and talk 'til the cows come home, but thankfully, this has been more than just your idle banter. :o)

Mooo On!!!!

Day 8 - Computer Fundamentals 101

Today, I had to stay back late at school (no, I didn't get detention, if that's what you're thinking). The school I have been placed as has an 'after school program', which caters for VCAL students (i.e. VCAL is an alternate program for students who choose not to do the VCE; the major difference being that it's more 'hands-on' learning, where destinations for these students are mainly TAFE and apprenticeship courses).

Anyway, I was at school this afternoon from 3:30 - 5:00 supervising the VCAL students (a mix of Year 10's, 11's and 12's!) There were 20 all up. It was indeed a hands on class as we spent a large proportion of that time pulling apart the guts of a computer and putting it all back together. Students then had to test that everything was put back in it's proper place by connecting the hard drive to a monitor to ensure that it booted up correctly.

It certainly brought back memories of Computer Fundamentals 101 in uni. I must admit I only just vaguely remembered the names of the bits and pieces that plug into a computer. (I really should've paid more attention when my hubby was building his PC! I pretty much had to give myself a crash course online during recess and lunchtime to recall all the part names (i.e. videocard slots, motherboard, modem, sound card, RAM, CPU, yadda yadda yadda). Just so I could have some clue during the class time. heheh

The girls weren't so enthused about the whole task, but the boys were acting as if Santa had given them a present to unwrap. The reaction by the girls and guys were so very different, it was quite funny. The girls roll their eyes synonymously and the guys punch fists in the air as if they'd just won the lottery.

To be honest, my reaction inside was more like the girls, (pulling apart PC's and putting them back together is about as much fun as taking the rubbish out on Tuesday nights and hauling the wheelie bin back in) --- which of course, I don't really do, (and I have my hubby to thank for that!) ...my point being, I couldn't show my true colours now, could I? Being Missus Tan the I.T. Teacher and all..... :o)

5 Reasons About Why I'm Doing Teaching

If I had $1.00 for every time a person asked me "Why are you doing a teaching course?, or, "What on earth are you doing you doing?!!" ;-) I would have a very healthy bank account. :0) hehe

Seriously though, the public perception of teaching isn't exactly rosy. There is already a shortage of teachers in Australia, yet intensifying the negative image of the teaching profession are the media who propagate damaging, ludicrous and sometimes, blatantly inaccurate messages about education and teaching. It is rare to see in the media a balanced and complete viewpoint about teaching and education. Quite often it's just a bit of 'mudslinging' about 'how the schools/teachers have failed our kids'. I can see (working with some of the veteran teachers at the school I'm at) how all this barrage of attacks upon education (especially public education) can cause lowe morale and cynicism amongst teachers.
So, the question "why teach," is particularly relevant today, for me (and maybe for you) as this country faces the prospect of a severe national teacher shortage. Obviously, compensation and working conditions must be addressed, but even then, even if those issues are 'fixed', one might ask, "why teach."

So what’s it really like to be a teacher these days anyway? What is it like to have the responsibility of educating classes of 15 - 25 students in secondary school and to take those kids through the labyrinth journey of an academic year? Is it possible to gain anything from it or is it all give, give, give to kids that don’t always want to receive?

The point of this blog (and yes, I'm getting to it!! :-) is to highlight the 'positive' side of teaching for me personally. I certainly don't have all the answers about the ins/outs, pros/cons about teaching, so this is really just my $0.02' worth.

(I might add though, I actually don't think that everyone is cut out for teaching.) :-)

So, to appease the minds of those who are still puzzled as to why I've taken the plunge in this exciting world of education & teaching, I've posted below the top 10 reasons why I am doing what I am doing:

1) I believe that teaching (at any level) is a unique opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I agree with Henry Adams (a journalist/novelist) who pointed out that in teaching 'you can affect eternity because it is impossible to tell where your influence stops'.
In other words, I think that teaching is one of those roles that can really make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. After all, an educated citizen contributes to the overall wellbeing of our societies and our nation.

2) I believe it is important to help children and young men and women acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are essential to productive and satisfying lives.

3) I am passionate about learing, working with young people, and I.T. Teaching is great outlet for my own committment to lifelong learning and to an ongoing study of this subject.

4) I see the value in each child and that they all have a purpose and a plan for their lives. I want to be a catalyst for growth and change in the lives of students. If that means having to persist when confronted by their recalcitrance or indifference, then so be it.

5) Teaching is a job that ties in really well with family life/motherhood. Your school holidays can always be in alignment with your kids which is great! :o) Plus, enrol your kids in a private school and I've heard you get some nifty discounts with school fees! ;-) hehehe

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen....

Teaching, from what I've witnessed, challenging, it's exciting, and there's never a dull moment in teaching. I'll be the first to admit that the material gains in teaching are not great. (I don't think you go into teaching for the money!! :o), but ask any teacher why they do what they do and I think most would say it's for the buzz that comes from knowing you've really made an impact in someone's life in a real positive way.

Day 6 - Missus Tan with the 10's.

I got off to a good start today, by teaching a Year 10 class (about 17 students) during the first two sessions for the day -and *gasp* yes - I had them for a double-period, which, surprisingly was over in the blink of an eye) :-)

The class itself was a little bumpy starting off, with a few minor hiccups with the server being down. After that probelm was rectified, we had lift off. For the two periods, the students worked on their 'design documents' / 'functional specs' for a business web design project which I assigned for them to complete. Some of the students, boys particularly, were either just plain distracted or just not motivated.

For most of them, this is their first week back from Year 10 work experience, so I guess I was faced with the challenge of getting them into the frame of mind ready for school again. Yeehaaar! I've actually discovered that 20% of students in a class actually producs 80% of the noise in the classroom. And yes, usually it's the boys. But the girls can be just as boisterous.

I happen to mention at the start of the class that I work with IBM. About 15 minutes into the lesson as I was walking around the lab, one of the students approached me and said, "Excuse me Miss. If you're working for that IBM company place, why are you here?", to which I replied, "Well, I want to share my love of learning with young minds like you students, and help you discover your potential" (or something to that effect), to which he replied loudly, "Oh. Geee. Miss, you're crazy, but it's just great that you're here!" :o) Warmfuzzy moment for sure.

After talking to the students today, and in recent days, I discovered that majority of the kids in this school are disinclined to pursue univeristy studies. I have spoken to numerous students already and the perception is that to aspire to get into University is such a distant, almost ludircrous notion. Clearly, socio-economic status and the backgrounds of these students plays a major influence in students destination post VCE years.

However, despite the gloomy picture I've painted about this school as a whole, I had some 'teaching moments' which provide me with a little ray of joy during the day as I discover that there are actually students in this school who are as keen and passionate about learning as I am! What precious gems they are indeed! And, honestly, I know it's cliche, but the challenges of teaching at a school like this are outnumberbed by the personal satisfaction/reward of helping a student learn a new concept or idea.

It's especially endearing when they say, "oooooooooooooooh, now I get it!" and then they walk away with a sense of accomplishment and understanding. Makes this experience all worthwhile. :0)