Student Teaching: Am I Supposed to be THIS miserable?

I shudder to think. Not if I can help it, no sir. At least let me get some distance from this nightmare before you make me imagine that!
 
I should also tell all tuning in to this soap opera that the boys who were giving me holy hell in the afternoons have not only stopped, but actually seem to like me now. They laugh, smile, chat with me, do favors for me like take AV carts back, and hold doors for me when my arms are full.

Doesn't that just figure? I finally win over the most difficult class I have, and now I'm being removed.
 
slingblade said:
I don't know, and don't know if such laws would apply to me. I'm not an employee. I'm a student intern. If I can find a lawyer to speak to, or can get hold of the teacher's union on Monday, I'll try to find out.
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Shouldn't matter, you are there doing a job. The laws apply to student at college, so why not a student teacher on placement. Harassment is harassment, and if you can show it to be such then you can sue.

As a student you have a right to reasonable and responsible tutoring. MM has clearly been neither, which has prejudiced your chances in the career of your choice. If that isn't grounds for action then it darned well should be!!
 
Thinking about it some more, I don't know what the law is in the US, but in the UK the college has a duty to the student, and unless the placement school can show solid proof that you have done anything wrong then the college is legally bound to take the student's side in any dispute.

Might be worth looking into.
 
slingblade said:
I should also tell all tuning in to this soap opera that the boys who were giving me holy hell in the afternoons have not only stopped, but actually seem to like me now. They laugh, smile, chat with me, do favors for me like take AV carts back, and hold doors for me when my arms are full.

Doesn't that just figure? I finally win over the most difficult class I have, and now I'm being removed.
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What happened to change their attitude? Was it something you did? Or was it what someone else did (maybe at your request?)? Or was it that they did not win so you won?

This is not a soap opera. A movie was once made of your story To Sir with Love
 
I think it was two things: the problems with my mentors were escalating, so I simply was too distracted to give the problems that much attention, and when I was told I could stop teaching the class after break, my attitude changed. It stopped being so important to prove I could handle them, and I must have stopped being challenging to them (and I didn't realize I was challenging them until I quit).

Maybe also because I never stopped trying to start out the hour with them positively. I never stopped greeting them, never stopped smiling at them or helping them with their learning until they'd start misbehaving. And even then, I'd be quick to forget it and go back to being friendly, whenever I could manage it.

So, a few things, not all of which I was aware until you asked.

Thanks!

ETA: Poitier, I'm not.
 
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I've called my state teacher's union, and while they cannot represent me, because I am not a member (or even a teacher, yet), the woman I spoke to is looking through her references for local legal help I can contact.


She's supposed to call me back momentarily, and I'll post if I find legal help.

I'm also going to begin gathering character references from former profs regarding my dedication to teaching and my "work-ethic."

This is so much bushwa.
 
Wait just a doggoned minute.

One of MM's problems with me is that, due to my inexperience, my daily plans sometimes go awry and must be modified. She has indicated that she thinks this is poor or lazy planning on my part.

I just realized something: where's her plan for mentoring me? Did she not create a daily plan for teaching me or guiding me in those matters she considers essential to teaching? Or did she think her job was to let me sink or swim, and weed me out of the profession instead of teaching it to me?

A friend mentioned recently that her husband might be cheating. He was suspect because, among other reasons, he had recently and suddenly begun accusing his wife of cheating on him, and she was far too busy to think about having sex with him, much less anyone else. He simply felt guilty, and tried to transfer his guilt to her.

Today I suddenly realized MM's been all over me about planning...maybe because she hadn't planned anything for me, and now realizes her lack of planning could be used against her in any probe into why she finds my internship so unsatisfactory. So, she turns the spotlight on me, instead, and accuses me of poor planning, hoping I'll be so busy proving my work that no one will think to ask her what went wrong with her plans.

Pardon me: I feel a little smug now. I know she has no plan for my internship, as we have never once in nine weeks discussed any such plans, much less followed them. And now that I think of it, I grow righteously indignant. Of course this whole 9 weeks looks like an amateur put it together: an amateur did!

Ah, I have you now. All your base belong to me, whee!

In other news, I have spoken to my supervisor, and here's the plan so far:
I meet with him and the Edu. department head on Monday, and don't attend school. Tuesday, I go with him for a meeting at the school between me, him, the two mentors, and someone from the high school's admin. I have 14 pages, single-spaced, of documentation of events throughout the semester so far, and will also (I've just decided) ask to see Jennie's original plan for the mentorship. If she has one, I'll ask why we didn't follow it. If she doesn't have one, I'll ask how she was going to teach me about teaching without having a plan, and why she didn't think a plan was necessary.

My afternoon mentor now does have a plan: to take back 6th hour and take the planning for 5th hour away from me, totally: I will observe and take notes on whatever she teaches 6th hour, and the next day I will teach the same lesson to 5th hour, keeping us one day behind, but firmly in control. I should learn a great deal from it, and at least it is a plan.

It doesn't sound, so far, as if either school is plotting to kick me out. I could still be surprised, though, so I'll just keep adding anything else I remember to that documentation, just in case.
 
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Our attorney didn't know anyone who could help, Sling. But I would still get an attorney to go with you to that meeting if at all possible. The more we go into this, the more I think something stinks.
 
Roadtoad said:
Our attorney didn't know anyone who could help, Sling. But I would still get an attorney to go with you to that meeting if at all possible. The more we go into this, the more I think something stinks.
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Thanks for checking anyway, Road. I'm grateful for your concern.
The teacher's union gave me the name of an attorney here in town, but they can't help me unless I have some money. They want a retainer.

What stinks here is that my MM is not well, and has not been well for a while. I did mention that the school principal said he had a daughter in one of her classes, and her outrageous behavior doesn't really surprise him, right? That's just too telling, and yes, I have documented his statement.

This weekend I'm going to visit some computer geeks to see if they can help me figure out how to use my pocket recorder. Someone has to know how this thing works. And if I have that, then I can record the meetings for future legal action if necessary.

Thanks!
 
I bought a new digital voice recorder, and I think I may have figured out the used one I bought earlier, so I'm carrying both to the meeting on Tuesday.
A girl can't be too careful.
 
I haven't forgot about you, I just can't find the specs on that darn thing...

Still looking for you.
 
Oh, I know, buddy. Info on that thing is scarcer than hen's teeth....except those weird regressive-gene hens I read about with crocodile teeth...or was it alligator....can't remember...

:) No problem, man, don't sweat it. I have at least one I can use, so I'm not hurting. And thanks a ton!
 
Some advice

Your experience is far from unique. The "trial by fire" method of teaching teachers is the norm at many grade schools, high schools, and even colleges. When I was first given my student teaching assignment they just handed me a class full of 100 undergraduates and let me do what I wanted as long as I taught something about the subject I was assigned to teach. I was completely on my own in the classroom. The first semester was horrible. I did not have a clue how to teach and I just basically made it up as I went along. After a few semesters I learned what worked and what didn't. The only advice I can really give is- don't let the students intimidate you, they will try, and if you let them succeed, you are lost (they will eat you alive); set definite rules in the class at the beginning of the semester and stick with them, and make your students stick to them; do not let your students get away with anything or "slide," if you give them an inch they will take 500 miles; remember that you are in charge, not your students, don't let students hand you any lines like "but the subject is so boring," or "but my other teacher let us do that," remember, you set the rules; you also set the tone of the class, so don't be defensive or brusk with your students, they will pick up on it and reciprocate; don't get flustered if a student catches a mistake you make, you are human and it does happen, just laugh it off; make clear rules for your students covering classroom behavior, and if a student breaks those rules, don't hesitate to mete out punishment that fits the crime; talk to your advisor, administrator, or supervisor about any problems that you have, it is their job to help you, and most will be more than happy to help if you ask for it; and have fun with your students, let your love of your subject come through in your class, your students will respect you for it if you make the class fun and informative.
As for problem students, like I said, make definite, concrete rules for classroom expectations and behavior at the beginning of the term and make sure the students understand them. You can even have your students sign a "contract" saying that they got a copy of the rules and understood them. This covers you in case of any problems. If a student insists on giving you problems, just take the student aside and explain to them that their behavior is inappropriate. If it keeps on happening, don't be afraid to take academic misconduct action against them. At my university they had a student judicial committee that handled those cases. I just had to file a charge of academic misconduct against the student and the committee handled it. The student could appeal, but none ever did in my case. The best advice I ever got about teaching was actually from my ex-landlady, who was an ex-linguistics professor. She told me that I did not have to be nice to my students, they are not your peers, they are your students. You're not there to be their friend, your there to teach them. I'm not saying to be unfriendly or mean, or that you can't make friends with your students, I still get e-mails from ex-students years later asking for advice, or just to say "hi," but don't go into the class thinking that you have to make everyone like you. The cold, hard fact is that some students will not like you, for whatever reason (and many times even the student does not really know why they hate you). Just teach your class.
 
some advice

Your experience is far from unique. The "trial by fire" method of teaching teachers is the norm at many grade schools, high schools, and even colleges. When I was first given my student teaching assignment they just handed me a class full of 100 undergraduates and let me do what I wanted as long as I taught something about the subject I was assigned to teach. I was completely on my own in the classroom. The first semester was horrible. I did not have a clue how to teach and I just basically made it up as I went along. After a few semesters I learned what worked and what didn't. The only advice I can really give is- don't let the students intimidate you, they will try, and if you let them succeed, you are lost (they will eat you alive); set definite rules in the class at the beginning of the semester and stick with them, and make your students stick to them; do not let your students get away with anything or "slide," if you give them an inch they will take 500 miles; remember that you are in charge, not your students, don't let students hand you any lines like "but the subject is so boring," or "but my other teacher let us do that," remember, you set the rules; you also set the tone of the class, so don't be defensive or brusk with your students, they will pick up on it and reciprocate; don't get flustered if a student catches a mistake you make, you are human and it does happen, just laugh it off; make clear rules for your students covering classroom behavior, and if a student breaks those rules, don't hesitate to mete out punishment that fits the crime; talk to your advisor, administrator, or supervisor about any problems that you have, it is their job to help you, and most will be more than happy to help if you ask for it; and have fun with your students, let your love of your subject come through in your class, your students will respect you for it if you make the class fun and informative.
As for problem students, like I said, make definite, concrete rules for classroom expectations and behavior at the beginning of the term and make sure the students understand them. You can even have your students sign a "contract" saying that they got a copy of the rules and understood them. This covers you in case of any problems. If a student insists on giving you problems, just take the student aside and explain to them that their behavior is inappropriate. If it keeps on happening, don't be afraid to take academic misconduct action against them. At my university they had a student judicial committee that handled those cases. I just had to file a charge of academic misconduct against the student and the committee handled it. The student could appeal, but none ever did in my case. The best advice I ever got about teaching was actually from my ex-landlady, who was an ex-linguistics professor. She told me that I did not have to be nice to my students, they are not your peers, they are your students. You're not there to be their friend, your there to teach them. I'm not saying to be unfriendly or mean, or that you can't make friends with your students, I still get e-mails from ex-students years later asking for advice, or just to say "hi," but don't go into the class thinking that you have to make everyone like you. The cold, hard fact is that some students will not like you, for whatever reason (and many times even the student does not really know why they hate you). Just teach your class.
 
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