Submitted by Rose Mary Robles (not verified) on December 7, 2006 - 08:24.
I was working as an Executive Secretary for a handful of Chairmen in a hospital when I learned about the Transitions to Teaching Program. I thought about it and I had taught second graders Catechism in preparation for their First Holy Communion and I loved it. I am forever teaching anyone that will listen, even in the stores, etc. I was 54, I had received my Bachelor's in Psychology and I was willing to take a decrease of about 10-18 thousand dollars in salary. I applied and was hired as a Classroom Reduction Teacher in a bilingual Spanish/English Kindergarten class. What happened behind closed doors to me with the teacher who had been there about 2 years was a nightmare. She told me she was not there to teach other people. She constantly told me that there was still time to leave and try to get back my old job. She also said that she didn't like the Mexican Community and that is why she lived in an all white neighborhoom. She generalized and said the children were all Mexican. They weren't. Some were from Guatemala, Honduras, San Salvador, Spain, etc. She was Ecuadorian and I was Mexican. She knew that we were going to be evaluated after a month or so. She didn't say anything to me or denied to give me the list of the children's names--I had to go to the office staff to give me a copy. This woman had a very strong accent and couldn't even spell in her own language much less English. I am fluent in English and Spanish and loved these children. She did not want to share any planning or anything else for that matter. When the evaluator came she made me look as if I were retarded. I had no idea that she was coming that day and hadn't learned the names of the children yet from my own list. I spoke with the principal basically how she was and all she did was listen with a well what can we do maybe she'll stop look. I spoke and wrote it in my notes and gave it to my mentor who was very understanding and said the principal would have to take care of it. I passed my Basic Skills on my second try and this teacher had been working on it for a few years.
After Christmas break the principal sends for me and informs me that I am going to take over a 3rd grade class in a little school on the poorer side of town. I was very puzzled and asked why? She said sometimes these people would rather work alone or with a teacher's aide or something to that effective. It was breaking my heart and my spirit but I started packing. The parents found out and they gave me a huge farewell but said they didn't want me to leave. I started picking up the peaces in the 3rd grade classroom and we had a wonderful rest of the year. There was no stress on their part or my own. The following year I was rehired to teach 3rd grade again. Once again, we were fine. In the year and a half that I taught at this particular school my student attendance was almost 100%. They were glad to come to school and many didn't even want to go home. Finally I received two confusing letters for rehiring for the following year. One congratulating me and the other that I was not going to be rehired and not reason after the union rep investigated. This was very heartbreaking and depressing. It seems that if you are not liked by someone or someone wants that position for a friend or relative you will be out. Another situation was that many teachers were being hired from Spain, Argentina, etc. The children would comment how some of these teachers would call them "sucios" which means dirty and when I had an Agrentinean teacher sub for me he called one of my students an imbecil and had this child in tears I was told. He also gave them writing and he sat at my desk reading a book and drinking a coke with his feet on top of the desk. These are poor children and are more sensitive. All I could do since I was not there is to tell their parents to speak with the principal yet that same principal often mistreated the parents by yelling at them at the top of her lungs and embarrassing them. I know I saw a few crying or tears welled up in their eyes. The worse when that same principal yelled at me in front of my students parents outside of her office. I was humiliated. Another situation made me feel like falling through the floor was all the evaluations and write ups.
It was my first and second year and I was still not comfortable with this although I was with my children. The building was deplorable. Old carpeting (I have asthma), no air. We had a fan.
Another incident on my way to Mexico one year I enountered another teacher sitting next to me and she said she was going to teach Yoga at a resort near Guadalajara during summer break. I said how wonderful and we went on with our flight and conversation. As we were nearing the customs desk in Guadalajara, it was an unusually long line, this teacher and another, whom I hadn't met until then, were complaining about a large group of people who had gotten out last were escorted to the desk before any of us. The two ladies who apparently didn't know very much Spanish or the customs of the Mexican people were in shock that this was occuring. They said that they were going to dress in black next time to see if they would be escorted to the front next time they came. I explained that this family was dressed in black because they were escorting a family member who died and were being told were the coffin would be to escort it to the hearse. They just looked at me and went on. Teachers in another country that is not their own should take note of this and not have spoken out loud as they did. Many people in Mexico speak English now. Anyway, I did write to the mayor of this town and even sent the Governor of Illinois registered letters about what happened to me and never received a response. Many things happen behind closed school doors and many of the 1st year teachers are too afraid to say anything. They make us sign evaluation sheets that we don't agree with and I was told just sign, it's only to say that I was here today. End of story. Thank you for listening. My eyes still well up when I think of my kids and how I was getting somewhere with them and how badly they are treated. Why do the districts hire people from other countries that have different accents, different cultures and leave us who are bilingual and have similar cultures, traditions. These teachers don't know how to spell or pronounce our language so the children this is correct way. There are so many issues but I hope someone can learn from my experiences on understanding these children more by teaching them to speak, pronounce correctly and most of all getting them to go to the front of the class little by little until they are so used to it it becomes second nature. They are so timid and shy that this has to be instilled in them since pre-K and have parents stand with them at the very beginning so that school and its routine is as routine to both parnts and children.
Rose Mary Robles
I was working as an
Submitted by Rose Mary Robles (not verified) on December 7, 2006 - 08:24.
I was working as an Executive Secretary for a handful of Chairmen in a hospital when I learned about the Transitions to Teaching Program. I thought about it and I had taught second graders Catechism in preparation for their First Holy Communion and I loved it. I am forever teaching anyone that will listen, even in the stores, etc. I was 54, I had received my Bachelor's in Psychology and I was willing to take a decrease of about 10-18 thousand dollars in salary. I applied and was hired as a Classroom Reduction Teacher in a bilingual Spanish/English Kindergarten class. What happened behind closed doors to me with the teacher who had been there about 2 years was a nightmare. She told me she was not there to teach other people. She constantly told me that there was still time to leave and try to get back my old job. She also said that she didn't like the Mexican Community and that is why she lived in an all white neighborhoom. She generalized and said the children were all Mexican. They weren't. Some were from Guatemala, Honduras, San Salvador, Spain, etc. She was Ecuadorian and I was Mexican. She knew that we were going to be evaluated after a month or so. She didn't say anything to me or denied to give me the list of the children's names--I had to go to the office staff to give me a copy. This woman had a very strong accent and couldn't even spell in her own language much less English. I am fluent in English and Spanish and loved these children. She did not want to share any planning or anything else for that matter. When the evaluator came she made me look as if I were retarded. I had no idea that she was coming that day and hadn't learned the names of the children yet from my own list. I spoke with the principal basically how she was and all she did was listen with a well what can we do maybe she'll stop look. I spoke and wrote it in my notes and gave it to my mentor who was very understanding and said the principal would have to take care of it. I passed my Basic Skills on my second try and this teacher had been working on it for a few years.
After Christmas break the principal sends for me and informs me that I am going to take over a 3rd grade class in a little school on the poorer side of town. I was very puzzled and asked why? She said sometimes these people would rather work alone or with a teacher's aide or something to that effective. It was breaking my heart and my spirit but I started packing. The parents found out and they gave me a huge farewell but said they didn't want me to leave. I started picking up the peaces in the 3rd grade classroom and we had a wonderful rest of the year. There was no stress on their part or my own. The following year I was rehired to teach 3rd grade again. Once again, we were fine. In the year and a half that I taught at this particular school my student attendance was almost 100%. They were glad to come to school and many didn't even want to go home. Finally I received two confusing letters for rehiring for the following year. One congratulating me and the other that I was not going to be rehired and not reason after the union rep investigated. This was very heartbreaking and depressing. It seems that if you are not liked by someone or someone wants that position for a friend or relative you will be out. Another situation was that many teachers were being hired from Spain, Argentina, etc. The children would comment how some of these teachers would call them "sucios" which means dirty and when I had an Agrentinean teacher sub for me he called one of my students an imbecil and had this child in tears I was told. He also gave them writing and he sat at my desk reading a book and drinking a coke with his feet on top of the desk. These are poor children and are more sensitive. All I could do since I was not there is to tell their parents to speak with the principal yet that same principal often mistreated the parents by yelling at them at the top of her lungs and embarrassing them. I know I saw a few crying or tears welled up in their eyes. The worse when that same principal yelled at me in front of my students parents outside of her office. I was humiliated. Another situation made me feel like falling through the floor was all the evaluations and write ups.
It was my first and second year and I was still not comfortable with this although I was with my children. The building was deplorable. Old carpeting (I have asthma), no air. We had a fan.
Another incident on my way to Mexico one year I enountered another teacher sitting next to me and she said she was going to teach Yoga at a resort near Guadalajara during summer break. I said how wonderful and we went on with our flight and conversation. As we were nearing the customs desk in Guadalajara, it was an unusually long line, this teacher and another, whom I hadn't met until then, were complaining about a large group of people who had gotten out last were escorted to the desk before any of us. The two ladies who apparently didn't know very much Spanish or the customs of the Mexican people were in shock that this was occuring. They said that they were going to dress in black next time to see if they would be escorted to the front next time they came. I explained that this family was dressed in black because they were escorting a family member who died and were being told were the coffin would be to escort it to the hearse. They just looked at me and went on. Teachers in another country that is not their own should take note of this and not have spoken out loud as they did. Many people in Mexico speak English now. Anyway, I did write to the mayor of this town and even sent the Governor of Illinois registered letters about what happened to me and never received a response. Many things happen behind closed school doors and many of the 1st year teachers are too afraid to say anything. They make us sign evaluation sheets that we don't agree with and I was told just sign, it's only to say that I was here today. End of story. Thank you for listening. My eyes still well up when I think of my kids and how I was getting somewhere with them and how badly they are treated. Why do the districts hire people from other countries that have different accents, different cultures and leave us who are bilingual and have similar cultures, traditions. These teachers don't know how to spell or pronounce our language so the children this is correct way. There are so many issues but I hope someone can learn from my experiences on understanding these children more by teaching them to speak, pronounce correctly and most of all getting them to go to the front of the class little by little until they are so used to it it becomes second nature. They are so timid and shy that this has to be instilled in them since pre-K and have parents stand with them at the very beginning so that school and its routine is as routine to both parnts and children.
Rose Mary Robles