For teachers and students

[bitteroldhag 0]

I decided to start a thread for teachers. I teach at a university, but used to teach at a junior college. I taught one year of junior high and high school and quit teaching for 15 years. I'd like to hear from the teachers out there. It is pretty horrible being a fat teacher though I put the fear into my students the first day. Later on, they discover I'm a big softy, but by then, it's too late to drop. I'd also like to hear from students, particularly college students. Maybe your comments can improve my teaching. I've taught college level courses for 23 years and am going to retire as soon as I think I can afford it. I think students see old people and immediately get worried. Also I figure I can make a whole lot more money doing something else. But I love teaching. Students are my life and I enjoy them. What do you all think?

[anonemouse 1]

Well, I am both a student and a teacher. I am getting a Master's degree in biology and I teach non-majors' biology labs and assist in a couple of education-majors' biology classes. I love being a student, which is probably why I am leaning towards getting a PhD. I like teaching, but I would prefer to be teaching something that is more interesting than general biology. Give me ornithology, herpetology, evolution, conservation biology any day over general introductory biology.

I am trying to learn to be more assertive and stern in my classes. I am not a very confrontational person, so I tend to be less assertive than I should be. I get a little better every semester, though, just from the mistakes I have made in previous ones. For example, I will be shutting the lab door when my lab starts this semester. It is one that is locked on the outside, but you can still open it from the inside. I had way too many people coming in late last semester, some as late as 45 minutes into the lab. Not this semester. The class starts, the doors close, and if they are late: too damn bad. They should have gotten out of bed sooner (I teach 8 AM labs).

One thing I have found that might be worse than being a fat teacher is being a teacher that is close in age to your students. A lot of mine try to be friends instead of seeing me as the person in charge. Another thing I have to work on, I know.

[BJean 16]

Bitter: I am not a teacher. I come from a long line of teachers and I have always thought I would love to teach college students. I am sure that will never happen. I believe I understand how you feel about your students and about teaching. Thank God there are people like you!

I have a funny (I think) story about a teacher at Northeastern. I was a freshman and my much older BIL, who graduated from NSC with a minor in history, told me that I should take a history class from a certain teacher. I got into his class, which was large and held in a room with tiered seating. This teacher was very, very old. His course plan for the semester was that each student would be graded on their presentation of the material from a chapter of the textbook that he assigned to us. Plus we would have 3 tests that would make up the rest of our grade. This teacher proceeded to sleep through every class. He would usually go up to the top tier in an empty chair and fall asleep. The student with that days' presentation would get up and do their thing and all the other students slept, did homework for other classes, or did whatever they needed to get done in that hour, including chatting with each other.

My first problem was that I was in with mostly Junior and Senior students. I was lost. I was far enough down on the alphabetical list of class members that there were no more chapters available and so I didn't get an assignment to present to the class (thank goodness!). When the first test came around, I felt I was completely prepared because I had studied the chapters the test was to cover, and had done all of the tests at the end of each chapter.

There were 3 tests handed out. Each person you were sitting next to got a different test than you. The teacher proceeded to sit at his desk and fall asleep. The next thing I knew, tests were quickly being exchanged so that they could look at each others' tests and collaborate on the answers. I looked down at the test, couldn't believe my eyes, read through the entire thing and didn't know one answer. It was all about historical dates and events that had nothing to do with the chapters we were supposed to be tested on. I thought I was in the twilight zone.

Needless to say, I got a "D" on the test and frankly, I don't know how I eked out a "D". After a few more weeks in the class I finally got up the nerve to talk to a girl I'd seen a lot in class and I asked her about the test and how everyone knew the answers and how they got away with switching tests. She said it was common knowledge that that was the way you got through his class and that a person could get copies of his tests from just about anyone.

I freaked out and one day talked to the teacher after class. He took pity on me and gave me a "C" for the semester. I have no idea why. But later when I complained to my BIL, he laughed and said he thought I was smart enough to get with the program and that most people thought this teacher's class was a "gimme".

I still don't know how I survived the experience. Did you ever know a Humanities teacher named Farnsworth? He was really cool. I learned so much from him and his dramatic way of lecturing. A 180 degree change from the history teacher.

[carolel 0]

Hi, I'm a teacher. I teach elem.students with disabilities. I have a Masters in Elem. Ed. and Interrelated Special Ed. I'm in college presently working on my doctorate.

I have many students who are SLD (specificly learning disabled), a few who are EBD (emotionally and/or behaviorally disordered), several OHI( other health impairments such as ADD and ADHD). I have two blind students and one hearing impaired student.I absolutely LOVE my job. I can teach K-12 any disability or regualr ed. K-5 but I chose my 3rd -5th students with disabilities becasue this is just where I belong. I've taught all of them. The littler ones are way too busy for me and the middle-schoolers gave me headaches (bad headaches). I liked the high school pretty good but this is just right.I also tutor for 2 hours a day 4 days a week. I love it.

[bitteroldhag 0]

laurend -- Don't worry. Everyone screws up when they first start teaching. We change things (like locking the door) as things go wrong for us. I have a courtesy section in my syllabus in which is tell the students if they are discourteous to me, I'll flunk them. I did that because I had two students who just laid me out verbally in one year! Now my students don't do that. A Ph.D. is a good thing, but you'll probably still be teaching general biology when you first start as a professor. You can possibly move up to more interesting things as you progress through the ranks, but I still teach Comp. I because I like it. I never teach Comp. II because other people like that one and I can do without it. Hang in there.

[bitteroldhag 0]

BJean -- There aren't any Farnsworths here at NSU now, but most of the older teachers retired a long time ago. Humanities is still popular here and the students like it. We have one guy who is a total extravert and they love him. Your story is great. I never had a teacher who slept through class, but I have to say that the guy had it worked out how to avoid work. I did have a guy who wrote this lab manual for lecture notes. I used the notes of a guy who had taken the class before and they were verbatim with what the prof was saying two semesters later. I think he'd memorized his lectures years before and just chanted the same thing every semester.

[bitteroldhag 0]

llewis -- Don't you think teachers tend to gravitate to the students they like best? I just love college freshmen. I like all the college students, but freshmen are my favorite so I always teach Comp. I. I don't think I could teach in high school anymore. I'd probably be way too hard and not willing to put up with all the crap the students throw at their teachers. But I can cow college freshmen the first day and then it's smooth sailing.

[BJean 16]

Bitter: Thanks for your reply. I am glad you started this thread. It is very cool to read such upbeat stories from teachers!

[siyah 0]

Hey all! I'm a middle school teacher in Seattle and have loved my different experiences in the classroom! I did 4 years in Seattle at 6th grade, moved to Brasilia for 3 years at 6th grade, taught in Istanbul grades 4 & 7 for 2 years, and now I'm back in Seattle on year 7 in my new school. This summer I want to go to Malawi and teach for a couple months over there. It will be nice to fit better on an airplane seat!

jeri

[carolel 0]

bitteroldhag,

Yes, I think we do gravitate towards those we're most comfortable with. All of them are challenges though. Just this morning I've had to go over rules of the classroom again with my 5th graders. We just came back to school from the holidays on Monday and they had completely forgotten all rules even though they're posted. It was getting crazy! Just talk ,talk, talk and get up to move around if they wanted to.

Like you said, I can cow my little 3rd graders and they're great but my problem is that I teach most of my kids for 3 years and they become way too comfortable in my class by the 5th grade. But I still love them and certainly miss them when they move on to 6th grade.

I met a group of 4 boys the other day at Walmart that I taught 6 years ago. They're of another race than myself and totally different cultures but you know we stood and talked for over an hour and I had to be the one to break off the conversation. One kept hugging me and saying how much he misses me. Oh..this created so many good thoughts about my career. It reminded me of why I wanted to be a teacher in the beginning. Afterwards, my son who is the same age as the boys told me that he's never had a teacher he wanted to talk to for an hour in Walmart! Made me feel GREAT!!

[deckedout 0]

I teach language arts/social studies to 6th graders. I love it. I can think of many things worse than being a fat teacher. Number 1 would be a bad teacher who doesn't care, like the one who fell asleep in class.

I couldn't teach 3rd graders, but I am thinking of moving up to 9th grade. I think the transition years are so important. I love my 6th graders, they start out as such babies, but learn so much over the year.

[Wheetsin 714]

I kind of fit. I'm a student. And I have taught, but don't now. I can do it well, but it's not my thing. I prefer the behind the scenes work. So I'm the one who would create the materials you would use to teach. Though my professional competencies includde adult learning theories/practices, and knowing how to create effective materials, and knowing how to accomodate different populations when you instruct, etc. I also do contract work with schools to 1) revise/design their curriculum... making sure there's instructional congruence on the goal/objective/content/assessment levels and 2) guide teachers toward being more effective facilitators. An awful lot of teachers out there know their stuff, but don't know how to best convey it to a given audience.

I don't cringe when I see an older profressor. I used to assume they would be more strict, but I've had too many experiences that have proven otherwise. Nothing tickles my fancy like an older person who's feisty as hell. I love the older "firecracker" types.

One of the best things you can do (and it sounds like you already do it, with the activity around describing colors to blind people you mentioned in another thread) is to hit them upfront with an unexpected hook. If it's a good one, they'll be wrapped around your finger. If you can "impress" or "grab" a student from my generation or younger, you've won us over. I think with teachers, first impressions are more final than with most other people, because students are automatically judging you off their past experiences, and EVERYONE has had less than spectacular educational/learning experiences.

I'm a difficult student sometimes. Not difficult, but I do push my instructors to prove their worth, so to speak. I'm not going to assume they're teaching me the right things just because they're standing there. That's my personality type, through and through. I can't respect someone just because of a title or position. I will respect them through what I see them produce or through demonstrating competencies. Few things will disengage me faster than a teacher who can't (or won't) validate something they say, and that happens a LOT. A lot of older teachers don't like this, and I completely understand that. You have to see it on a generational level. Most of the older teachers come from generations where your title earned you respect, and feedback was given once a year/semester/when you did something bad/whatever. My generation expects feedback when asked and on demand, and aren't impressed by the number of letters after your name. Side note, if you'd be interested in seeing it, I have a matrix of 4 or 5 generations that are currently in the workforce, comparing about 5 or 6 different traits. Very interesting stuff.

Could you make a whole lot more money doing something else? Probably. Would you love something else as much? You seem to be a very passionate teacher, and to care for your students. Could you walk away from that and feel fulfilled?

My field pays very well, and is often a place people with teaching degrees/experience try to get. And very often they fit with a little training and information on the "scientific" side of what's going on (that's part of my responsibilities, too - to get people "up to speed" who may know part of the process but mot most of it). Teachers are generally good at assessing what's going on and reading the audience. They often just need a little work around the actual science of instructional design because they're not used to designing the materials, just using them to teach (referrign to things like texts, teachers frequently have to supplement with activities, analogies, etc. of their own creation). Then again, larger companies usually silo based on duty. In that case, a lot of former or intended teachers will opt to facilitate. This is at the corporate level. Is that something you might enjoy?

[Kathyb 0]

I am also a teacher! I am the choir director at a middle school and a high school. It is interesting that some days I love my 7th and 8th graders and can't stand the high schoolers and other days it is just the opposite! The older ones can be sooo lazy one day and so motivated the next.

I hate having to eat so fast during my lunch break! Does anyone else have this problem? I think I still eat too much and that is partly because I rush through my meal! I need to learn a better way to eat!

Hope you have a great Friday!

Kathy B.

[bitteroldhag 0]

Thanks for the comments. I will consider Wheetsin's ideas, but English just isn't as attractive to employers as biology. I see my students in Walmart all the time (why is there a hyphen in Wal-Mart? I just ignore it.) I saw one of my former students day and she filled me in on her experiences in Comp. II. She talked for about 10 minutes and I wanted to get the hell out of there. But it's gratifying that she wanted to talk to me. I also saw another student there. In fact, it's rare for me to go shopping and not see a student. It's sort of nice since I know thousands of people from all these years of teaching. I figure I've taught about 5000-6000 students from about 51 countries. I once went on a date in a city 30 miles from here and the waitress was a former student. So much for that date. One of my friends (a master teacher who unfortunately died of cancer) once went 300 miles from home and the waitress was a student! I always say that teachers can't have affairs because the desk clerk at the motel will be a current or former student. It is kind of nice to know so many people though I have sometimes forgotten a student. I once went to a department store in Baytown, Texas, and was waited on by a girl I didn't recognize, but she turned out to be a former student. A bunch of the secretaries at our university are former students, so I can get things done in a jiffy. I suppose the life of a teacher really is good though I'd like to be making $100K+ for what I do. I don't make nearly that. But I have enough money to get along and that's good. Let's hear from more teachers. I admire the elementary and secondary school teachers. Their lives are much worse than mine.

[Wheetsin 714]

but English just isn't as attractive to employers as biology.

Kind of depends on what field you're trying to get into. My undergraduate degrees are in English Literature and Philosophy. My employers love the English. On the literature side it gives you - at the very least - an amazing ability to manage ambiguity. You might be surprised how many employers would love to have someone with an English degree. Professional communication is a HUGE problem plaguing companies today. The new hires of the younger generations, generally speaking, do not have business/professional/written communication as a strength.

Anywho - I'm not ttrying to persuade you, although it probably comes off that way. Just have a lot of opinions. Don't count yourself short. When I was studying English & Philosophy, I used to joke (and get joked with) that all it would qualify me to do would be dye my hair purple, get my nose pierced, and work at Starbucks. It has proven to be much more valuable, and help me be much more competive in the hiring market, than I would have ever thought.

I'll bow out now, so you can get input from actual teachers.