Submitted by Michelle Tamburini (not verified) on November 17, 2006 - 04:19.
When was the last time we taught Civics? I am 47, a veteran teacher of Spanish, and cannot remember the last time we taught this. I believe the infrastructure of the deterioration of behavior and/or values in moral and ethical thought regarding citizenship starts at home, the trunk of the educational tree, so to speak. With so many disconnected and disfunctional families, teachers and administrators are having increasingly more difficult issues with which to grapple in terms of student behavior at school, let alone in the communities in which many of us live.
I am the "detention teacher" at my high school. This has been an eye opening experience. I view it as an opportunity to try to make a difference in these young people who are in one form of trouble or other. I greet them with a smile, treat them with respect, and try to help them as best I can. My smile may be the only one they ever get in a day. Still, I am simply astonished by the vulgarities hurled at me on a daily basis.
We are almost at mid-year in our school calendar. I want to feel like a professional educator when I come to and leave school at the end of each day, expecting educational excellence and behavior from myself and my students. Most days I leave beleagured, worn out, beat down. I don't look forward to the next day. And yes, as hard as it is to admit, I am looking to leave the classroom. I must preserve my health and well being. Sadly, that 5% of students who really want to learn will not be getting the benefit of my experitise and experience in the coming years.
Respect is, and always has been my #1 credo and rule in my classroom. Sadly, the fruits of my labor and love are going elsewhere as soon as I can secure another job. I love education. I hate to leave it, and do so with guilt. But I cannot do this any longer. I sure hope there are those out there who can.
Michelle Tamburini,
El Dorado High School,
El Dorado, KS
When was the last time we
Submitted by Michelle Tamburini (not verified) on November 17, 2006 - 04:19.
When was the last time we taught Civics? I am 47, a veteran teacher of Spanish, and cannot remember the last time we taught this. I believe the infrastructure of the deterioration of behavior and/or values in moral and ethical thought regarding citizenship starts at home, the trunk of the educational tree, so to speak. With so many disconnected and disfunctional families, teachers and administrators are having increasingly more difficult issues with which to grapple in terms of student behavior at school, let alone in the communities in which many of us live.
I am the "detention teacher" at my high school. This has been an eye opening experience. I view it as an opportunity to try to make a difference in these young people who are in one form of trouble or other. I greet them with a smile, treat them with respect, and try to help them as best I can. My smile may be the only one they ever get in a day. Still, I am simply astonished by the vulgarities hurled at me on a daily basis.
We are almost at mid-year in our school calendar. I want to feel like a professional educator when I come to and leave school at the end of each day, expecting educational excellence and behavior from myself and my students. Most days I leave beleagured, worn out, beat down. I don't look forward to the next day. And yes, as hard as it is to admit, I am looking to leave the classroom. I must preserve my health and well being. Sadly, that 5% of students who really want to learn will not be getting the benefit of my experitise and experience in the coming years.
Respect is, and always has been my #1 credo and rule in my classroom. Sadly, the fruits of my labor and love are going elsewhere as soon as I can secure another job. I love education. I hate to leave it, and do so with guilt. But I cannot do this any longer. I sure hope there are those out there who can.
Michelle Tamburini,
El Dorado High School,
El Dorado, KS