Teaching today. Debate, Speech, English II.
It's quite a difference from the classroom I was in last year, but somehow they are all the same. When I was in high school, I don't remember this many kids who had no hope. As part of Generation X, we were kind of lost in the shuffle. This generation is called Generation Y. Why? All the questions that they have are never answered. No one really listens to the questions anyway. We all expect them to find the answers on their own. But when it comes down to it, yes, we found our answers, but we had to work for them. Now that the time of the next generation is here, we aren't bothering to help them find theirs. The one thing we hoped for when we were children is the one thing we refuse to give.
As a teacher's aide, my door was always open. Any question, comment or problem could be brought to me, and I would answer, accept and advise as best I could. Believe me, that policy brought me a LOT of interesting conversations... from the loss of virginity to the mundane school paper. But not many other teachers have that policy.
Is it the best one to have? In my opinion, it is or I wouldn't have it. But, I admit that it is difficult. Sometimes I learn things I don't want to know. But at the same time, when I was in High School, I would have given anything to have a teacher who cared enough to let me really talk. In response, I let my students talk. Now, I understand why teacher's don't. It's hard to see your students in pain. It's hard to see my students in pain. It's hard to go home every night and "leave it at the office."
I'm still working on that one.
It's quite a difference from the classroom I was in last year, but somehow they are all the same. When I was in high school, I don't remember this many kids who had no hope. As part of Generation X, we were kind of lost in the shuffle. This generation is called Generation Y. Why? All the questions that they have are never answered. No one really listens to the questions anyway. We all expect them to find the answers on their own. But when it comes down to it, yes, we found our answers, but we had to work for them. Now that the time of the next generation is here, we aren't bothering to help them find theirs. The one thing we hoped for when we were children is the one thing we refuse to give.
As a teacher's aide, my door was always open. Any question, comment or problem could be brought to me, and I would answer, accept and advise as best I could. Believe me, that policy brought me a LOT of interesting conversations... from the loss of virginity to the mundane school paper. But not many other teachers have that policy.
Is it the best one to have? In my opinion, it is or I wouldn't have it. But, I admit that it is difficult. Sometimes I learn things I don't want to know. But at the same time, when I was in High School, I would have given anything to have a teacher who cared enough to let me really talk. In response, I let my students talk. Now, I understand why teacher's don't. It's hard to see your students in pain. It's hard to see my students in pain. It's hard to go home every night and "leave it at the office."
I'm still working on that one.
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