I got one of those emails yesterday, one where "my kid says you don't teach and I DEMAND to know why you don't teach, especially since my kid needs to get a Division 1 scholarship for sportsing." There's just so much wrong with those emails, and I could tell you what would make it even more wrong but you'll have to trust my judgement as to why I choose not to share additional information.
I'm reflective about my teaching. I know I'm not a Superteacher, but I do reasonably well at helping teenagers understand the topics in our curriculum. My lesson plans are littered with comments from previous years saying things like "try explaining it this way, see if it helps" or "need more example problems here". I genuinely try to do a better job each time I teach something, and then to be told I don't teach, well....
I have come to an epiphany. The people in the best position to know about my math teaching abilities are my fellow teachers. They know my standards, they know my teaching philosophy, they know that I'm fair but firm, they know I don't cut corners. And of the 4 math teachers whose kids have come through our school, I taught the kids of 3 of them--two each from 2 of those 3. (No, the one student I didn't have was not steered away from me!) And these are just the math teachers, this doesn't include all the other staff members' children I've taught over the years.
If my fellow math teachers trust me enough to teach their children, I must be doing something right. Heck with those parents and their email.
3 comments:
I would have thought after all these years, you would have found a better paying job. You played it safe with your government gig and government benefits, thanks to your labor union. Maybe if you spent less time whining on the internet, you'd have more to show for your career.
Share with me how impressive you are.
The biggest compliment a teacher can get is when fellow staff members ensure that their children are enrolled in your class.
Kudos, Darren!
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