TiredTeacher
NY Metro Area, NJ
Female, 37
I teach English to 11th grade inner city students. I love my students and do whatever I can to help them succeed, which is quite a mission. These kids face obstacles most of us cannot even imagine: gangs, incarcerated parents, domestic violence and much more. Everyday I read journal entries that would curl your toes...and often I feel I compromise my ethics to get these kids to pass, which I am very conflicted about. Many pass who, frankly, should not.
I have found a great resource in DonorsChoose.org. It's a website that offers teachers resources based on donations from the public. Here's how it works: Say you want a class set of August Wilson's "Fences." You put together a proposal on the website, explaining why you need a class set, your school's lack of resources, etc. Then you research the price of what a class set would cost, based on the vendors they provide. Once this is all approved, donors scour the website and donate to causes they feel are worthy. In fact, just a few months ago, I acquired a class set of "Of Mice and Men." Not only is it a great way to fill your classroom library, but it's a wonderful way to teach the kids the meaning of altruism. You could also request class supplies, technology, or whatever you feel is needed for your kids...and you can do it again and again. Try it and let me know how it goes!
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There are no white students in our school. Not one. It's about 75-25 Hispanic to black, which has changed greatly over the past few years with a strong influx of Dominican students to the city. There does seem to be a pecking order, however, within the Hispanic community, and even the black students: who is Dominican, who is Puerto Rican, who is Peruvian, who is Colombian, who is Mexican. With the black population, it's who is Jamaican, who is black who grew up in this country. It gets a bit crazy, and sometimes during the course of the year there are fights between the races, but nothing that really alarms anyone. There still is a large white population amongst the teachers, though. If a light-skinned Hispanic student is mistaken for white, they immediately put that to rest. It truly is a universe unto itself.
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I'm not a big fan of home schooling, as it limits the child's socialization skills. I suppose if you come from a very big family and llive in a rural area, it might work, but it's not my thing. By not being in a school setting, I feel that a home-schooler misses out on all the experiences school provides, good and bad.
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What a great question! I think initially white teachers have to prove themselves tenfold to gain their trust and not feel as though they can't relate to them...and some teachers cannot relate to them, which always causes animosity and drama. Many times, word of mouth helps; if you have freshmen one year, they might hear from upper classmen that you are "cool" or that you aren't. The funny thing is that I hear all the time from the kids that they think I live in a "mansion" in a "white" town and I have to explain to them that I have trouble paying my bills, just like everyone else...it may be on a different scale but typically they think that we have no issues with money or owning luxury items. I mean, I drive a ten year old car and haven't taken a vacation in many years. They enjoy teaching you the "lingo" that they speak and if you are open and honest and don't try to be "down", then they seem, at least in my case, to readily accept you. Growing up in NYC, I think, helps me to relate to them, whereas when I tell my friends strories of what goes on everyday, they are appalled at what I tell them. I guess after awhile, race and color go out the window and we are all alike, in many respects. That has been one of the best lessons I have learned...we ARE the same in MANY repsects. Because I don't add "yo" in every other sentence doesn't mean I can't relate to them and have them trust me. The best compliment is if you are considered "cool" which simply means you have no preconceived notions about them, and they of you.
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The school in which I work is an entity unto itself. I feel as though they are so isolated in their own environment, that I really don't see any trends they they start. In fact, I've waited years for the trend of sagging pants to go away, and I do think that is starting to diminish, thank goodness!! I do, however, write everyday and feel as though my experiences would make a phenomenal HBO series or book. When I show my writings to friends, they constantly tell me that "What? That really happened? You HAVE to write a book!" Any screenwriters out there??? :) The things I see everyday would make your toes curl. (and I'm not just talking about the kids...the faculty and administration are literally from another realm, too)
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Unbelievably no...it's more of an accepted noun that seems incredible to me and probably to anyone else who doesn't live in this environment. You don't hear it as much from the Hispanic kids, but I have heard it enough and have never seen a black kid take offense to it. Crazy, right???
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If only that would be true...the truth is that if they speak ghetto, they write ghetto. Even the "upper crust" kids write with incorrect grammar, which drives me crazy. I haven't seen anything "stellar" in any classroom, ever. They just get pushed trhough grade after grade, when in a perfect world, they would get the instruction they need and teachers would not be pressured by administration to pass kids through.
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