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Pass them or hold them back?
Bob Gentilli, who teaches junior high social studies in Belleville, kept a journal in his first year of teaching. "Its main purpose is to help future educators gain insight into the world of teaching," he wrote in the introduction. He probably did not realize then just how insightful his observations would be as he discovered the rewards and pitfalls of becoming — and being — a teacher. This is the fourth in a series of excerpts. It covers his perspectives on teacher preparation and job hunting.
Our teacher meeting was the highlight of the day. We are discussing holding several kids back due to grades and simply because they really don’t give a @$#*. It is really a fine line. Will these kids benefit by being held back? Will they be worse off and take it out on us the following year? Will we let them go without any consequences and pass them into high school without the basics???
I have been thinking a lot about this lately. I have thought about those kids who don’t care and who are disruptive. Is the answer to put them into a separate school with their “own kind”?
Our school board has been fantastic for us. We have expelled two kids and had them placed in transitional schools. This is a good thing because they were becoming dangerous to all of us. What about the vicious cycle? It is very difficult to pick and choose those who are capable of these actions before they happen. Are they the L.D. & E.D. kids? How can we find these kids and nip it in the bud? We need to look at those kids in the 4th and 5th grades who are “at risk” and choose a mentor to work with them, even if it is a high school student. They need to work on social skills, so they get along with others and are not ostracized from groups and alienated even more. They need to work on the basics — reading out loud, writing letters, taking notes. We need to prevent problems by working with kids early, before it’s too late. If the parents can’t do it, someone has to. We need to work on parent responsibility and control.
It is not right to sacrifice the many for the few. A lot of our funds go to the special needs groups and not to the kids who excel and want to achieve over the average. Those are the kids who are getting hurt. Just look at this journal so far. I write so many negative things in this because that is what stands out in teachers’ minds. Those 5% make a drastic difference in how my class is run. It is not the other 95%.
I have been personally struggling with the problem of kids who think school is their right and take advantage of their peers and teachers — and in some cases pose a threat to all of us in the school. I have 7th and 8th graders who really don’t give a &%$#. They walk around, swear, bitch, vandalize and skip. Most of them are in special programs, and this is their excuse. Most of them know what they are doing, but because the system “protects” them, they can get away with many things. There is not much we can do.
The difficult thing is what to do with the other kids. We spend so much time with the selected few that we can’t focus on the kids who want to learn and who enjoy it. ... I would like to see those kids, “who pose a threat to me or the others” taken out of school and put into an alternative school, boot camp or the work force. ... Allowing kids to stay in school until the age of 18 may be a mistake in our state. Send those away who do not want to be here and give them a taste of what life is like and what they need as far as skills go to understand that school is necessary and fulfilling.
• • •
I feel really good about this week. I have one kid who will possibly fail 7th grade this year coming into my room after school until 5:00 to work on his project. That’s great!! There still is hope out there.
• • •
I had a real good 8th grade class today. Everything seemed to click. You know, when your discussion seems to generate interest and your mind seems to think very creatively — it was great.
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I heard today that my “little brother,” the 7th grader, was diagnosed as chemical dependent and is now at a hospital being examined. All I can tell you is that it was not alcohol as the main drug.
I was called into our counselor’s office one day and she had asked me if I wanted to become a Big Brother to a student in my class whose father is rarely home and whose mother really has no power over her son. The counselor thought I would be a good role model for this student and, since I was a Big Brother in the Big Brothers/Sisters program for 10 years, I would be a good candidate.
I was concerned for this kid but I also thought of the consequences. One, do I want this student to know about my life? Not that I am trying to hide something, but you know how junior high kids are. I didn’t want any rumors to fly. That had to be agreed upon by him. Two, I don’t want to jeopardize my job if something went wrong. Would I be liable for him? Could I trust the family? I went over the pros and cons and decided to do the right thing — I would go for it! I would take him bowling, to my house for dinner, to meet my family.
This went on for almost four months. Things were going well and he even improved his grades, but he hung around the wrong crowd and they proved to be a stronger force than I.
• • •
What a day today. ( I certainly earned my pay). It started off great when my principal met with me to talk about my observation. He comes in to observe me to make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. He said nothing but positive things to me. I’m well liked by the staff and the students. He hinted that I will have a job next year, which makes me happy. It was real nice to know I’m doing O.K. You always wonder what others think about you.
I also found out that we (teachers) are getting back pay from the ’91-’92 school year — this contract that I am under now was not revised until last month. I was still being paid under the ’91 -’92 pay schedule. What a mess. We went through arbitration and all that time-consuming mumbo-jumbo. We really need that money. We barely got by as it was.
Return to Part 1: Joys and struggles of a first-year teacher
Posted October 29, 1996