Early Substitute Teaching Returns

October 8, 2009 — I've really been enjoying my work so far as a substitute teacher. It seems to be much as thought it would be...working when I want to...picking where it is I want to work, e.g., elementary level, middle school, or high school and since I am doing this in two separate school districts I have a choice there also. Each of these advantages, I'll call them, has presented me the opportunity to form some early opinions about what is happening in the education of children in Texas and I'd venture to say across the country. There are two early opinions I have and I shall endeavor to clearly express them and stay on topic.

First, there are are major differences in the socio-economics of the two districts. One is in an area of white upper middle class families living in very upscale neighborhoods and I'll call it D#1. The other district (D#2) covers a wide area of largely Hispanic families ranging from very low to middle class on the socio-economic scale. Secondly, there is a disparity I believe in the professional educators in one of these districts. The largely Hispanic D#2 has upper level administrators and teachers that are white. Is this because the pool of professional educators that are of Hispanic origin is small? Probably, but I have no published analysis to back up that thought. Not to surprisingly the administrators and teachers in the more affluent D#1 district are also white. One could say that this probably causes problems in the education of the kids in D#2, but then again maybe not. Especially when one sees that good teachers don't care what your ethnic makeup or social status is (although they are generally sensitive to the issue)...they just want to help the student learn and they work hard at doing so. If we have a shortage of say doctors that practice Family medicine in this country, then just as importantly there might be a shortage of minority professional educators and we should be devoting resources to correct that disparity. Finally, the student population in numbers are comparable in each of the two districts.

What about the students themselves in these two districts? What about the differences in grade level? The second question could be easily addressed by thinking about the age differences involved when considering grade level, but there is more to it than just age differences. I have done an elementary 5th grade class job assignment and I did not care for it much primarily because of the methods involved in teaching. The class I had was doing math and science on the day I was there and I just did not care for the pace of the lesson plan I was given. Middle school students (6th-8th grade here in Texas) in both D#1 and D#2 I am finding out seem to be much more attentive. They are out of the elementary school mode and expanding their horizons and are more eager to learn. They have not yet experienced many of the things one does as a teenager. It has been a pleasure to teach in these schools. The high school student is altogether another challenge. In D#1 the high school group is very polite and respectful (and I'll have more to say about respect in a moment) and the students almost across the board want to learn. At one of the high schools in this district they profess that all but three of their graduating seniors in the class of 2008 are enrolled in an institution of higher learning. If this is true, then I believe that is very significant. In D#2 the students whether Hispanic, white, or other are generally not very interested in being at school for any other reason then the social aspects. Yes, there are those students in D#2 that do care and are good students that work hard, but they are the minority. A case in point is a two day assignment I took for a Junior year English class in D#2. On the first day the students were to watch part of the made for TV movie Of Mice and Men and complete a movie guide for turn-in at the end of the period. I had to constantly remind some students in each period to stay awake (even at 2 p.m. in the afternoon). The second day the classes were to listen to an audio book reading of Chapter 4 of Of Mice and Men, follow along in their own copy of the book, and again complete a worksheet for turn-in. There were some students that did not bother to even open their book. Some did not write a word on the handout given to them and one industrious young man hurriedly copied the answers from a fellow student and turned in his handout. I noted this on my report to the teacher. I have found none of these sorts of things so far in D#1.

So what does this all mean? Does socio-economic status affect learning and more directly attitude. Not to surprisingly it does. There are no differences in the teachers between these two districts and there are basically no differences that I have encountered in the material being taught or the way that it is taught. So where is the problem? It is I believe in the home. The parents play a critical role here and all to often they want to point their finger at the school and say it is the schools fault (meaning the teachers) that their child is failing. This simply is not true in my opinion. The parents in my opinion just do not care and do not want to take responsibility for their part in their child's education.

The most significant attribute, good or bad, of a student in these two districts is the one of respect. It is most noticeably visible when it comes time to rise out of their seat, hold their hand over their heart, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. In D#1, absolutely across the board, the students show great respect for the flag and our country. In D#2 that is not the case. In the aforementioned English class, on day one I was at the teachers desk in the back of the room when the the pledge was recited (or not) and I thought that not many were saying the pledge. On day two I purposely positioned myself in the classroom where I could face the flag and also see the students and out of 29 people in that room that morning I was the only one that recited the pledge. What is this saying for this group of America's youth and more importantly what sort of value is being placed on love of country and respect in their own home. Not much can be said I am afraid and it is disheartening.

While some of my comments here may seem racially tainted or biased I make no apology for that because it is not true. These are observations that I have made and know to be true as my eyes have seen them and my brain has processed the thoughts created by those observations.

So, those are the early returns on my experiences as a substitute teacher. I am sure I will have more in this blog on this subject as the year progresses. One thing is for sure it is presenting me with some great challenges and also the opportunity for me to learn. In very teaching situation that I have been involved with in my adult life, I have come away having learned something myself. I will work hard at this teaching...these young people are our future...they are what is important. It's what really matters!