Student Teaching: Am I Supposed to be THIS miserable?

Today another teacher in the English department came by my 6th hour Am Lit class and asked my mentor to step outside. After class, Lil told me that the other teacher wanted to talk to her about me. The other teacher had some possible insights as to why 6th hour is so hostile.

The students took this class because they wanted Lil to be their teacher, and they resent me for taking her place. They don't want me, they want her, and so they are making my life miserable in hopes I'll quit and Lil will take back over. They have evidently shared some of this with this other teacher, and so she came to our class, not to tell me, but to tell Lil.

Lil says neither of us should do anything to correct this. She won't speak to them, and I am just to act as if nothing is wrong, and continue.

After school, I was trying to grade some papers Lil told me needed to be taken care of today, and was also watching the remainder of Gatsby to see how much time we would need to finish it tomorrow. Lil's AP students began to file in for an afterschool meeting, so Lil asked me to take my grading and go to my morning classroom.

So, I began to pack everything up, and was heading for the AV cart, so I could take the TV back to the AV room. Lil calls out, "Don't forget to take the TV back!" and I said, "Yes, that's what I'm doing now."

"Oh," she says. "And how am I supposed to know that? Am I a mind reader or something?"

There were students in the room who heard all this very plainly.

I hate student teaching. I hate how I'm treated by students and teachers alike.

I don't know what to do.
 
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slingblade said:
After school, I was trying to grade some papers Lil told me needed to be taken care of today, and was also watching the remainder of Gatsby to see how much time we would need to finish it tomorrow. Lil's AP students began to file in for an afterschool meeting, so Lil asked me to take my grading and go to my morning classroom.

So, I began to pack everything up, and was heading for the AV cart, so I could take the TV back to the AV room. Lil calls out, "Don't forget to take the TV back!" and I said, "Yes, that's what I'm doing now."

"Oh," she says. "And how am I supposed to know that? Am I a mind reader or something?"

There were students in the room who heard all this very plainly.

I hate student teaching. I hate how I'm treated by students and teachers alike.

I don't know what to do.
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This is why a monkey is unsuitable for teaching. My response would be one of the following choices:

1. Hiss while baring my fangs and leap on the desk while screeching.
2. Hurl objects at the offender.
3. Toss a polite "Suck it, *****" over my shoulder on the way out.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'd do all three.
 
TragicMonkey said:
This is why a monkey is unsuitable for teaching. My response would be one of the following choices:

1. Hiss while baring my fangs and leap on the desk while screeching.
2. Hurl objects at the offender.
3. Toss a polite "Suck it, *****" over my shoulder on the way out.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'd do all three.
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I would too, except I really want to get hired somewhere.
I like your advice. I only wish I could take it.
 
slingblade said:
I would too, except I really want to get hired somewhere.
I like your advice. I only wish I could take it.
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I'm sorry for you. And if I were in your place, I'd probably see if I could go elsewhere to get a good student teaching experience. Or rather, I'd send the troublemakers out into the hall at every opportunity and let them rot until the end of the class period. They don't like it? They want the other teacher? Well, tough. Life is full of hard knocks and if they don't like it now, they sure as hell won't like it later when their temper tantrums get them fired and they end up unemployed, in debt, and only qualified to get government assistance for a few short months.

They want to be disruptive? They don't have to be in class. Put the hammer down. Children like to think they have more power than they do. The reality is that you have to show guts and if they don't want to bother, then they can sit in the hall and think about it for a few weeks on end until they learn either to shut up and swallow the disappointment. Also, be sure to fail them on the assignments they miss when they're out in the hall having fun. Treat it like an absence in the gradebook. Give them a little fear about being held back and see if they'll be vocal about that.

Don't be nice with these kids. They're interfering with the rest of the students and their ability to learn. That needs to stop. You can do it. The loudmouths don't like it? They'll never like it. And the best you can do is remove them and let them rot. They're not going to learn anyway; let them maintain that ignorance in the hallway.
 
Zbu said:
I'm sorry for you. And if I were in your place, I'd probably see if I could go elsewhere to get a good student teaching experience.
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I can't. I called my supervisor, but he was in a class. So the head of the Edu department called me, instead. She was helpful and supportive, but:

She says the college has full disclosure with the school district. She told me I could withdraw and get another placement next term, in the fall, but that the new school would want to know why I withdrew, and they probably wouldn't accept me, due to the circumstances. IOW, I showed I couldn't handle one class out of five, so I must be no good. Well, obviously that's not an option. I have only 10 more weeks to get through, somehow. I hope I can make it.

Or rather, I'd send the troublemakers out into the hall at every opportunity and let them rot until the end of the class period. They don't like it? They want the other teacher? Well, tough. Life is full of hard knocks and if they don't like it now, they sure as hell won't like it later when their temper tantrums get them fired and they end up unemployed, in debt, and only qualified to get government assistance for a few short months.
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My main problem is that I do not know what options are available to me, nor do I have a good sense of when they would be appropriate to use. Did that make sense? The student who turned the TV on and off yesterday apologized to me in front of the whole class and I smiled and accepted it graciously. Lil told me I handled that perfectly.

Then it all fell apart in the next hour.

They want to be disruptive? They don't have to be in class. Put the hammer down. Children like to think they have more power than they do. The reality is that you have to show guts and if they don't want to bother, then they can sit in the hall and think about it for a few weeks on end until they learn either to shut up and swallow the disappointment. Also, be sure to fail them on the assignments they miss when they're out in the hall having fun. Treat it like an absence in the gradebook. Give them a little fear about being held back and see if they'll be vocal about that.

Don't be nice with these kids. They're interfering with the rest of the students and their ability to learn. That needs to stop. You can do it. The loudmouths don't like it? They'll never like it. And the best you can do is remove them and let them rot. They're not going to learn anyway; let them maintain that ignorance in the hallway.
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I will be doing that more often, but it seems...I don't think I can send a kid into the hall because he gave me a dirty look. There are many who sit and glare at me. It took me almost five minutes to get them to sit down and shut up today. I refused to start class until they settled. They took their time.

Lil said I did that right, as well.

My department head told me I am taking this personally. They are not angry at me, but the situation; they'd be mad if God was teaching the class instead of the teacher they wanted.

That's all well and good, but I am being affected by it personally, so is it really a surprise that's how I'd take it? I know, I know. I'm handling this wrong.

I hate these days.
 
Zbu said:
I'm sorry for you. And if I were in your place, I'd probably see if I could go elsewhere to get a good student teaching experience. Or rather, I'd send the troublemakers out into the hall at every opportunity and let them rot until the end of the class period. They don't like it? They want the other teacher? Well, tough. Life is full of hard knocks and if they don't like it now, they sure as hell won't like it later when their temper tantrums get them fired and they end up unemployed, in debt, and only qualified to get government assistance for a few short months.
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I'm not condoning disruptive behaviour, but expecting employee-like behaviour out of kids who are in the position of inmates, not of employees, is a little bit unreasonable.

Slingblade has been put in a fairly nasty situation. The kids don't necessarily want to be there in the first place, and on top of that they have what they see as a fair grievance. Arguably they have no right to expect one teacher rather than another, but that will not stop them feeling wronged when they do not get what they wanted. Arguably they have no right to take it out on Slingblade, but she is the only target available to them.

I suppose the bright side is that it is nothing personal, and the problems in the class are not particularly a reflection of Slingblade's teaching skills.

(As a mostly unrelated aside, I recall in my school days that subs were inevitably introduced after a very stern lecture indeed about how we were not to muck up while the sub was teaching. This, of course, immediately clued us in to the fact that there were almost certainly going to be good opportunities for mucking up ahead, or else why would they try to scare us out of exploiting them? The mindset as soon as the sub entered was "Exactly how much fun can we have without the real teacher getting involved? Let's see!").
 
No, Kevin's right, actually. Subs catch holy hell, and so do student teachers.

I have to tell the bright side, too, because there is one. This is the only class in five that's hard for me. The others are going very well. The students enjoy my classes and my assignments, they tell me they're learning new things and loving it, and that my classes are their favorite.

I've spoken to my supervisor. He's going to have a talk with Lil to get her side of it, which he should absolutely do, and also to encourage her to help me more and stop trying to force me to sink or swim. I'm drowning in this class and she's supposed to be throwing me flotation devices, not holding my head under.
 
Roadtoad said:
Maybe, Sling. But while Kevin may be right, he had a tendency to post some of the most negative clutter in the forum.
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As opposed to positive and constructive posts like that one? I'm really feeling the love. :)
 
slingblade said:
---snip---
Lil told me I handled that perfectly.

---snip---

Lil said I did that right, as well.

---snip---

That's all well and good, but I am being affected by it personally, so is it really a surprise that's how I'd take it? I know, I know. I'm handling this wrong.
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Just thought I'd reframe some of your comments. As far as I can see, you are handling things extremely well. You are teaching 5 classes very well and are struggling with 1 class. This makes you feel terrible, which is perfectly natural. What would be abnormal is to feel fine that you have a troublesome class.

What you might like to focus on is how you can handle feeling upset, and still retain some of your sanity. Don't expect to feel good about having a difficult class. Even the Dalai Lama would struggle to do that.

Good luck, it sounds like you have come along way in just this last week. Imagine how different things will be by the end of next week!

(I hope that's reassuring).
 
Yo, Dog,

It is reassuring! This last week was the best one so far.

Much of my problem is that I have never before done something so important to so many. I feel a great burden of responsibility.

But you are fully correct (sounds almost naughty, that). It is getting better.
It would be much worse if I hadn't had the sound advice and support found here.

In other words, it's better because you all helped me make it better. I can't thank you all enough for that.
 
slingblade said:
I've spoken to my supervisor. He's going to have a talk with Lil to get her side of it, which he should absolutely do, and also to encourage her to help me more and stop trying to force me to sink or swim. I'm drowning in this class and she's supposed to be throwing me flotation devices, not holding my head under.
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After your interaction the other day, it makes it clear you should confront Lil. Not aggressively, but prod her out. Something like, "You know, I get the impression that you either don't like me, or for some reason don't want to help me. I feel I am really struggling with this class, and could really use your help. You have a lot more experience with situations like these, and I could really benefit from it."

Be sure to let her know you are just trying to be a better teacher, and she can help you in that regard.

But the key is to let her know that you are not comfortable with the current relationship. She may not appreciate the fact that she is part of your problem, and could be just attributing it to your struggles with the students.
 
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