Don't be too good at your job...

[Veronica]

One of my coworkers has a student that she just can't deal with. The kid's parents don't support the teacher, so guess whose class he's starting in tomorrow? The theory is that he can't behave in her room because he has conflicts with too many of her other students. She just better stop b!tching at lunch about her class.

He will be assimilated into my culture of cooperation and teamwork, just like the other kid I got from her at the start of the year.

At least by getting him, I now have more students than the other two classes, so I won't get any more new kids for a while. Better the devil you know, than the one you don't.

Veronica

[Crankin]

Sigh....

[Wahine]

Hmmm. That's hard. I feel the same way many days. By being good at my job I get a lot of really hard cases. There are so many days when I long for a simple ankle sprain. It's flattering, but at the same time you feel like you're being punished for being good at what you do.

"Sigh", is right.

[Crankin]

My sigh is for Veronica, because I have been there. I quit a very good teaching job because they were going to make me use a basal reading sries with 5th graders, because the other teachers couldn't teach skills in the context of a wholistic approach to language arts. And getting kids from others, yeah, been there, done that.
And it's continuing in my new career. But now, I can say no. I already have an overload of attachment disordered teens with complex trauma and parents who have mood disorders themselves.

[Becky]

The reward for good work is more work. BTDT.

[Veronica]

Hopefully it will be good for the student. His first day was fine. He definitely has some self control issues. He told his mom he had a good first day and that he likes the class. That's progress. Part of me says it really shouldn't matter whether or not he likes the class - he shouldn't be disrespectful. The other teacher's discipline style is very different from mine. We both do this thing where we take recess minutes from the class when the group has been off task. My students have to stand in a straight line, can't talk, can't fidget, can't eat their snacks or the time starts over. Hers stand in a "line", fidget, eat, etc. I don't have to do this very often. She does it nearly every day. She'll say it's because I have all the good kids. I've made the consequence unpleasant so they behave. It's not rocket science.

Veronica

[Megustalaplaya]

As a parent this used to frustrate me to no end when disruptive kids were moved into my daughter's class. Unfair for you as the teacher with an increased workload and for the kids in your class having to deal with added distractions.

[limewave]

a little hijacking . . . my ds is often put by kids that are either disruptive or have other issues because she is so far advanced academically. She's only in 2nd grade, but every PT conference we've been to, the teacher spends the time apologizing to us for not keeping her engaged. DS is testing at middle school levels across the board and reading at a HS level. We've considered moving her up a grade . . . but that is another thread!

Anyways, I do feel like the teachers my daughter has had are operating on survival mode. The mix of abilities in the classroom just don't seem to be conducive for a productive learning environment. I would imagine that for great teachers this is particularly challenging and frustrating. My son is in a great pre-school program. They do amazing things there. They recently acquried property with 14 acres and have small operating farm for the kids to learn and explore year around. They also rotate the children throughout the day--as they would in middle school. There's different teachers for music, computers, "mind-work", art, etc. They are able to break the kids up into smaller groups and none of the teachers are overwhelmed because of the rotating schedule. It's very unique. We will keep DS there through kindergarten.

By the way Veronica, I do want to let you know that I truly appreciate your passion and dedication to your profession and teaching children!!! You do not have an easy job. I wish you could be my kid's teacher! Thank you for all your work!