Ask an American Teacher

[cubsfan6506]

Can you test the validity of this

Jk.

But seriously, how big is the school district where you teach?

 

[downtown]

I'm not sure how to phrase this but how difficult do you find teaching to be? Do teachers with education major or minor backgrounds seem to be any better prepared for the job? Based on what you know now, would you want to go through something like that instead of the alternative process? And a last question. Was it difficult to find work once you had your license?

I think teaching *well* is very hard, even teaching elementary school. Not only do you need to know your content inside and out, you need to intimately understand 25+ students, and how to effectively communicate material in a multitude of different ways. You have to be an excellent manager. There is a *ton* of paperwork. Not everybody can be a good teacher.

I don't think the education degree is all that useful. It is not a selective or academically rigorous degree program. I believe it has been shown that traditional credential programs are not a great predictor of teacher success (certainly not as strong as say, your ACT score). This isn't to say that traditional teachers are dumb, or that anybody can teach well. A teacher with years of experience will have A LOT to teach me about the profession, no matter what accreditation process she used. I would not have majored in Education in college.

It has actually been very difficult for me to find work, but that is mostly because of this economy, some mistakes Teach For America made this year, and some special extenuating circumstances unique to the Greater New Orleans area.

Are there certain specific characteristics of a person that make them want to be teachers? Also, are these different or the same as the characteristics that make for good teachers?

I'm not sure exactly what makes people *want* to be teachers...the reasons for that are varied. Good teachers are good leaders. They are introspective, and are not afraid to change their practices. They have excellent communication and and people skills, and they *must* be compassionate. There are other characteristics, but I think these attributes can be found in just about any good teacher.

A couple of general teaching in the US questions.

Would you like to see school children in uniforms ?

I am not sure if it would be helpful everywhere, but where I teach (a very poor area), it is mandated almost everywhere, and I strongly support it. It cuts down on a lot of classroom distractions and makes things easier on the student.

Who takes these young children for sports etc if touching is seen as a problem ?

It isn't really seen as a problem in the context of physical education, which I do not teach. My kids still touch me. They hug me, they hold my hand, they try to sit on my lap (sorry kids, not ok), etc. You just have to be very careful. When it is critical for instruction (showing how to hold a pencil, tackle a guy, adjust a compass, etc)...then you have to do it.

From your own education in high school, were you addressed by your surname as the males were when I was at school ?

I almost never was, but I also have one of the most common last names in the US. It was not a common practice where I went to school, nor is it common anywhere that I teach. I address my students by their first name, and they call me Mr.

Does history/civics tend to be US centric in high school ?

Yes, and this is true virtually across the board. Typically, students take one year of World/European history in high school, and world geography is very rarely touched at all. I try to sneak world history/civics into my class when I can, but it is difficult.

 

[downtown]

But seriously, how big is the school district where you teach?

This is actually a difficult question to answer!

I teach in the Greater New Orleans area. The GNO region consists of three parishes (in Louisiana, a parish = a county): St.Bernard, Orleans and Jefferson. Orleans Parish is home of New Orleans, Jefferson is the home of Metaire and some of the larger NO suburbs, and St.Bernard is smaller and a little bit more rural. I can also teach in St.John parish, which is a little west of New Orleans.

Each Parish has their own school system. New Orleans is one of the most charted school districts in the United States though...60% of Orleans Parish kids go to a charter school...which are public schools, but totally autonomous of each other. Each Charter school is like their own little school district. When I get my final placement, I will likely be teaching in either Orleans or Jefferson (Jefferson has 44,000 and change in their public school system), but the charters may have just a few hundred.

 

[Whomp]

DT--As I think I've told you my old girlfriend is a teacher who received her masters in education at Columbia and is board certified. What continues to be an issue for her depending on school district is funding. It seems where the community is heavily involved the resources are there since the fund raising is exceptional. I have one friend who helped raise $70k for her children's school so now all the classrooms are getting whiteboards.

Do you have ideas on how to help the community do this?

 

[Japanrocks12]

I know that when I went to elementary school, starting from 4th grade, I would spend a certain amount of time being instructed in specific subjects by teachers that weren't my main one. Does your school district implement this? Regardless of whether or not it does, what subjects do you feel you can specifically teach better than other ones?

 

[Tekee]

what do you feel about american schools teaching kids about gay sex? and teaching more about the "health benefits of sex" ( it helps you lose calories! lol) and not mentioning enough about anal sex and all the diseases people get especially from man to man anal sex. Does such teachers attitdues prevalent in American schools?

 

[LucyDuke]

This is going to be awkward to word... (I'll try to clarify if this is incoherent) what particular topics do you think are not taught as effectively as they could be? I'm thinking to my own elementary school education, where the social studies activities were just fine, and we learned from them what we needed to learn, what they were designed to teach, but the math lessons were just abysmal and a lot of time was wasted because the methods used to teach were crap. In which subjects do you see the most room for improvement? Do you have any ideas on how to improve them?

How do you feel about being called Mr. Town? Does it elicit a different response from when you're called Down? If it were up to you, would you rather be called Down or Mr. Town?

What's the most catastrophic kid-flipping-out incident you've had to deal with? How'd you deal with it?

What's the structure of the day like? When I was a kid, we had a few hours of classes, about fifteen minutes of recess outside, another few hours of classes, half an hour or so of lunch, then another few hours of classes. Is your school the same? If you were going to plan the schedule, how would you structure the day? (And why? Any particular lessons you'd have in the afternoon rather than the morning, or before lunch rather than after?) How much attention is usually paid by the higher-ups to this kind of planning?

 

[downtown]

DT--As I think I've told you my old girlfriend is a teacher who received her masters in education at Columbia and is board certified. What continues to be an issue for her depending on school district is funding. It seems where the community is heavily involved the resources are there since the fund raising is exceptional. I have one friend who helped raise $70k for her children's school so now all the classrooms are getting whiteboards.

Do you have ideas on how to help the community do this?

Funding is always one of the hardest problems to solve, and I wish I had good answers. Jefferson Parish, near New Orleans, had a pretty effective community partnership, with Cisco at their centerpiece. Cicso kicked tens of thousands of dollars into the district for very specific technological improvements (i.e, smartboards in most classrooms, computer labs, tech training, etc). One the community saw a corporate heavy get involved, money and time were a little more forthcoming.

I think having a very specific need in mind (we need X amount of money so we can do this very specific Y) will help a lot, as well as bringing in at least one big name...even if that name has to come from outside the community. I would like to know more about this though.

I know that when I went to elementary school, starting from 4th grade, I would spend a certain amount of time being instructed in specific subjects by teachers that weren't my main one. Does your school district implement this? Regardless of whether or not it does, what subjects do you feel you can specifically teach better than other ones?

Yeah, my students get some time for "cultural arts", which is either gym, music or art class. I don't teach any of those (although I could teach them music. I don't have the college coursework to teach gym).

Personally, I am most confident teaching Math (because math objectives are easier to isolate, and there are a ton of elementary math games) and writing (because I am a writer). I have the most trouble with Science, because I have the least practice with it.

what do you feel about american schools teaching kids about gay sex? and teaching more about the "health benefits of sex" ( it helps you lose calories! lol) and not mentioning enough about anal sex and all the diseases people get especially from man to man anal sex. Does such teachers attitdues prevalent in American schools?

Are you American? I think your question is not really based in reality. I can't think of any school district that really emphasizes the health benefits of sex. Students are just about universally discouraged from having sex, albeit for different reasons.

At any rate, I teach little kids. We don't talk about sex, or homosexuality at all in my class. The only time we address it is when I tell my kids it is not okay to use "gay" as a pejorative term.

This is going to be awkward to word... (I'll try to clarify if this is incoherent) what particular topics do you think are not taught as effectively as they could be? I'm thinking to my own elementary school education, where the social studies activities were just fine, and we learned from them what we needed to learn, what they were designed to teach, but the math lessons were just abysmal and a lot of time was wasted because the methods used to teach were crap. In which subjects do you see the most room for improvement? Do you have any ideas on how to improve them?

I think this might be a little bit of a vague question. What constitutes an effective method really depends a lot on your kids. You have to do what works for them. If my kids learn via worksheets, then we're going to do a ton of worksheets. If I have 3 kids who are physical learners, then I better find ways for them to move around or touch things. I think sometimes it is easy to fall into a worksheet trap, and we have to understand that not everybody works that way.

I think the biggest subject we have to improve on (as far as methods go) are foreign languages, at least for the younger grades.

How do you feel about being called Mr. Town? Does it elicit a different response from when you're called Down? If it were up to you, would you rather be called Down or Mr. Town?

I honestly have really mixed feelings about it. Mr.Town seems like a different person...like a guy who sells insurance in Iowa...not me. I am only slowly getting used to it. If I could be sure my kids would still treat me as an adult, I'd be happy to go by Down...or just Teacher.

What's the most catastrophic kid-flipping-out incident you've had to deal with? How'd you deal with it?

I had a girl slap a unsuspecting boy when my back was turned. I quickly gave the class an independent project, then wisked the two kids out of the room so I could gently interrogate them. I have been blessed, I actually haven't had the same classroom management problems many of my peers have. I've had slightly more well behaved kids, and I have a personality that makes it easier for little kids to follow me.

 

[capslock]

What sort of benefits package do you get?

What sort of promotions are available during a career in education?

 

[downtown]

What sort of benefits package do you get?

What sort of promotions are available during a career in education?

As a member of Teach For America, I get a stipend from AmeriCorps every year for around 4,000 bucks after tax, to use towards educational expenses. I am planning on putting it towards my student loan debt, but others use it for grad school. TFA also has partnerships with many competitive Law, Med and Graduate school programs, along with certain large businesses. These partnerships mean we get extra scholarships or preference for admission after we complete our teaching obligation.

TFA also pays out the average salary for somebody in my region for two months if we are not formally placed (I am not at the moment). If I am still subbing in Obtober, I will have a problem.

The benefits package varies from district to district. Typically, public, unionized districts offer *far* more competitive benefits and salary packages, with charter schools and private schools offering worse ones. If I get in a union district, I will get health and dental insurance, a limited tuition reimbursement plan, discounts on a lot of stuff (like car insurance and books) and professional days.

One of the biggest reasons it is so hard to retain good teachers is the fact that the profession offers very little in the way of promotion. Typically, I get a 600 dollar raise for every year of experience I have. If I have an extra degree, I move ahead another 600 or so dollars on the salary scale. That is it. So as a 22 year old, 40,000 grand and benefits sounds great. In 10 years, with inflation and likely more dependents, I'm actually making less money. Master Teachers are typically kind of salary capped in the high 50,000s. Lousy top pay for 30 years and a masters degree.

If you decide to get out of teaching all together and become an administrator, you can make a decent living.

 

[RedRalph]

Was part of the reason you became a teacher because you've got a get-up-and-go, up-and-at-em, proactive all-American can-do attitude and part of the reason because you like the sound of your own voice?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Do they teach long division to primary school age kids (11 or under) in the US?

Do they even teach it in the UK anymore lol

 

[Rossiya]

Little Jim Bob McFergal asks you innocently, "Who wun thur sekke worrrrrld warrrrr, sirrrr?" What do you answer him?

Obese O'Michael TaliFIyah DeShawn DeMichael DeJackson asks you, "Sirrrr, ha do ya think tings ah goin in Aggafistan?" How do you reply to that?

Are there pre-written replies that the government has made for you to answer these kind of questions?

 

[LucyDuke]

I think this might be a little bit of a vague question. What constitutes an effective method really depends a lot on your kids. You have to do what works for them. If my kids learn via worksheets, then we're going to do a ton of worksheets. If I have 3 kids who are physical learners, then I better find ways for them to move around or touch things. I think sometimes it is easy to fall into a worksheet trap, and we have to understand that not everybody works that way.

I think the biggest subject we have to improve on (as far as methods go) are foreign languages, at least for the younger grades.

I think I just worded it poorly. I mean overall, given the available methods. If you can use three or four different strategies to learn 'em their science, you can still teach effectively. But foreign languages is the type of answer I was looking for.

How important do you think that topic is? If foreign language is being taught, what are the methods being used that you feel are ineffective?


And you missed this one.

What's the structure of the day like? When I was a kid, we had a few hours of classes, about fifteen minutes of recess outside, another few hours of classes, half an hour or so of lunch, then another few hours of classes. Is your school the same? If you were going to plan the schedule, how would you structure the day? (And why? Any particular lessons you'd have in the afternoon rather than the morning, or before lunch rather than after?) How much attention is usually paid by the higher-ups to this kind of planning?

(I'd clarify that by higher-ups I mean principals, superintendents, and so forth. And what considerations go into the planning? Is it mostly trying to schedule efficiently, or is it taken into account the way the kids'll be receptive at any given time of day?)

 

[capslock]

TFA also has partnerships with many competitive Law, Med and Graduate school programs, along with certain large businesses. These partnerships mean we get extra scholarships or preference for admission after we complete our teaching obligation.

This is what I was wondering about the most, thanks for the info.

If you decide to get out of teaching all together and become an administrator, you can make a decent living.

Is it a big jump thats hard to make? Any extra schooling needed, or just experience?

 

[downtown]

Was part of the reason you became a teacher because you've got a get-up-and-go, up-and-at-em, proactive all-American can-do attitude and part of the reason because you like the sound of your own voice?

Ha, if I liked the sound of my own voice, I would have stayed in Journalism and moved into broadcasting. I don't really like to hear myself say things like "Carlos, if you talk again I am going to move your pin" again and again

That American attitude was certainly part of it though. This article, which recently appeared in the Washington Post, does a good job talking about some of the sociological reasons why people like me go into teaching...and then quit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080702046.html

Do they teach long division to primary school age kids (11 or under) in the US?

Do they even teach it in the UK anymore lol

Yeah, it is a state standard here, but I have never had to teach it. I haven't done 3rd grade math yet.

Little Jim Bob McFergal asks you innocently, "Who wun thur sekke worrrrrld warrrrr, sirrrr?" What do you answer him?

Obese O'Michael TaliFIyah DeShawn DeMichael DeJackson asks you, "Sirrrr, ha do ya think tings ah goin in Aggafistan?" How do you reply to that?

Are there pre-written replies that the government has made for you to answer these kind of questions?

Not really, but since I teach mostly 1st and 2nd graders, this has never been an issue. Nobody knows, and we don't have time to veer too far off topic.

I think I just worded it poorly. I mean overall, given the available methods. If you can use three or four different strategies to learn 'em their science, you can still teach effectively. But foreign languages is the type of answer I was looking for.

How important do you think that topic is? If foreign language is being taught, what are the methods being used that you feel are ineffective?

This is a tricky question, because I'm not an expert at all on curriculum. I think in schools similar to mine, where many of the students are behind, it is difficult to teach Spanish grammar before they understand similar concepts in English. If they can't learn the grammar, then they are simply learning vocab words that they are going to forget. If we are going to teach vocab, then it needs to be integrated and reinforced in other subjects (i.e, label things in Spanish in our math class, for example)

And you missed this one.

This one is hard to answer, because it varies so much from school to school, and I don't have my own building yet. It varies from a 8-3 with an hour for lunch/recess, to 7-4:30 with a "business lunch". Typically, I get at least 45 a day without the students to plan, and teach Math and English Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Phonics and Spelling) every day, and Science and Social Studies most days. Somebody else gives them art, music and gym.

 

[LucyDuke]

This is a tricky question, because I'm not an expert at all on curriculum. I think in schools similar to mine, where many of the students are behind, it is difficult to teach Spanish grammar before they understand similar concepts in English. If they can't learn the grammar, then they are simply learning vocab words that they are going to forget. If we are going to teach vocab, then it needs to be integrated and reinforced in other subjects (i.e, label things in Spanish in our math class, for example)

Thanks Mr. Town. I find this topic super interesting.

This one is hard to answer, because it varies so much from school to school, and I don't have my own building yet. It varies from a 8-3 with an hour for lunch/recess, to 7-4:30 with a "business lunch". Typically, I get at least 45 a day without the students to plan, and teach Math and English Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Phonics and Spelling) every day, and Science and Social Studies most days. Somebody else gives them art, music and gym.

Let me know when you get more experience with this one.

 

[downtown]

Is it a big jump thats hard to make? Any extra schooling needed, or just experience?

It is a big jump, because it requires a totally different set of skills. You can be a good teacher and a crappy administrator. It requires another degree, and a certification program. How much teaching experience is required depends on your state I believe...although districts can get around it by calling a job "A Dean Of Students"...but really be an assistant principal. This way, no paperwork.

 

[dwaxe]

How often do the standards (what you must teach) change?

Do you favor continually slowly moving more advanced subjects down the grade levels, or are your kids being challenged enough?

Finally, how much grammar do you teach? Grammar seems to be the worst topic for nearly all of my classmates, because although they learned it in elementary school and reinforced it in middle school, their typed essays are littered with easily spotted grammatical mistakes.

 

[Kraznaya]

Did you finally get hired?