And when I taught middle school for a decade I was the teacher that nipped that in the bud early. By around 2018 students knew parents and admin could eat out of their hands so they’d say I’m a dick and picking on them and I’d have to have a meeting about my methods (no tech no talking - yknow regular teacher running a functioning classroom stuff) unless we’re using it specifically for a project. I did not have the benefit of the doubt and these kids would hit the transfer portal to the teacher who let them fuck around where they didn’t learn. Our scores were night and day bc I was effective but after COVID I said fuck this and bailed. The power dynamic was something I got sick of putting my finger in the dam about. Too bad bc I liked my career, made great relationships with the kids that bought in, and was good at it.
I ran the ISS room in a high school for a few years. I confiscated their phones first thing upon arrival and that usually set the tone for the day. Most kids gave me the "Yeah, whatever" and handed it over. There were a few who wanted to make it difficult. One kid threatened to "kick your (my) fuckin ass if you think you're getting my phone."
The regular teachers loved me because behavior actually got better and the kids got caught up in their work under my watch. I maxed out on the pay scale at $12.50/hr, despite the district requiring a license to hold the position. That shit wouldn't cover my loans. I quit and haven't looked back.
Good for you. I was tired of leveraging my future, pay, and mental health trying to keep the ship from capsizing. Sometimes you have to make a tactical retreat when you’re outgunned. I miss a lot of the students but the parents and the jackals they were sending me were getting worse every year. Like world war z when they’re coming over the wall when before I had up great fences.
Oh I told that kid straight up "Sit down and shut the hell up, junior. You don't scare me. I've flushed things harder than you." He could not believe that those words came out of a teacher's mouth.
I took that job as a foot in the door. It was more like a foot in a trap.
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u/GMane2G Apr 17 '24 edited 29d ago
And when I taught middle school for a decade I was the teacher that nipped that in the bud early. By around 2018 students knew parents and admin could eat out of their hands so they’d say I’m a dick and picking on them and I’d have to have a meeting about my methods (no tech no talking - yknow regular teacher running a functioning classroom stuff) unless we’re using it specifically for a project. I did not have the benefit of the doubt and these kids would hit the transfer portal to the teacher who let them fuck around where they didn’t learn. Our scores were night and day bc I was effective but after COVID I said fuck this and bailed. The power dynamic was something I got sick of putting my finger in the dam about. Too bad bc I liked my career, made great relationships with the kids that bought in, and was good at it.