I have had a lot of chill teachers throughout my years in high school, but they still gave tests and homework when required. Also you have a supervisor for each subject, and there's no way you'll get away with not giving your students work. By the way tenure is way more than 2 years.
the whole point of school is for you to learn something, & i believe greatly in the power of an education. so there's no way i'm going to just sit back & let my students "chill". that said, i'm no hard ass, either. the main thing that i'm looking for in my students is that they develop the ability to think critically. to question what they see going on around thme on a daily basis & question the information they're spoon-fed by the media thru tv, radio, internet, etc...i believe orwell was an optimist. i teach english & creative writing. all my classes are writing intensive, which means they basically write an essay per week or more. i'm only a 2nd year teacher, so i've got a long way to go before reaching the "you can't be fired" stage of my career. & honestly, i hope i never get to that point. if you're just looking to collect a paycheck, teaching is not the career for you. there are kids who really look up to you & look to you for advice & help dealing with problems. tenure, in most districts, is something the board of education grants you (by a vote) when you've been teaching for 3 years and one day. history was my minor in college & if writing hadn't been so into writing, i probably would've chosen it as my major.
i just thought it was chill being a teacher. Think about now with all of the scantrons and stuff that make teachers having an eariser time to grade. Plus after 3 years tenure how chill is that, you have to do something illegal to get fired. I mean i know its not the greatest pay as a teacher but summers off is awsome plus i want to help kids have an easier life. i really disagree with projects, papers, tests, homework, and AP classes. i just want to make school more chill
i think i could do a good job teaching, its just i cant ive with myself ruining kids fun by making them study and do homework
you are so epically misinformed it's comical. as a teacher, you are (supposed) to be preparing your students for college/their future...as you may or may not have figured out, life after high school is not always a sunny, group-hug picnic. studying/homework=practice. if you want to improve your ability, you have to practice that skill. that's what homework is for. tests, projects, & quizzes are designed to figure out how well a student has learned a particular skill or idea. without those assessments, there'd be no way to tell if students learned something, & thus no way to measure progress. i don't know of one teacher in my building who uses scantron sheets for tests...the only time those things are in the school is when state mandated tests are being given. i personally despise the things. multiple choice questions don't measure knowledge, they measure students' ability to engage in process of elimination. true knowledge assessment occurs with open-ended & essay type questions. at this point in time, i'd have to say you have no business in a classroom teaching children of any age.
i'm sure your a cool guy outside of the class but in the class i wouldnt like to have you as a teacher. the open ended stuff just strains my brain. How is your popularity with your students? Im not trying to call you out but i just have a different view. and at this time as a teenager i probly wouldnt be a good influence for kids, but i will probly mature more.
first off, teaching is not a popularity contest. i don't really give a crap if my students like me as long as they learn something. & if they're going to hate me b/c i make them do work, then so be it. that said, most of my students like me. i know for a fact that i have changed more than 1 of my students' lives for the better....& inspired a couple to become teachers themselves. & you're right about the maturing thing...i would probably want to punch my 15yr old self in the face if i met him today.
Ok ok. first off i would like to say that i am a senior in high school. It seems to me that your very niave to this subject. And if your in high school....you should realize that the good teachers aren't the ones that give you no homework and goof off. I am no nerd what so ever, im pretty much the most average student ever. the job of an english teacher is suppossed to ask thought provoking questions, and try to help your students become better writers. I kind of think tenure is wrong to an extent because i have teachers at my school that are highly liberal who have tenure and try to ram it in my head their political view...and i dont really care about their point of view...like njsurfer said, english teachers are suppossed to get their students to think for themselves and judge what the media says. Too many tenure teachers are teaching that should be fired because they have lost their minds. But surfde, maybe you just werent destined to become a teacher...i could be wrong. Oh and NJSurfer you sound like a cool teacher.
it's really nice to see a student who GETS IT. i think that the best english teachers are those who are firmly anti-establishment. think robin williams' character in "dead poet's society". also, i agree w/ you about tenure. the NEA is a double-edged sword for educators. they've done some great things, but at the same time, i think that the union has become too powerful & has lost the ability to apply common sense to various situations, blindly defending crappy teachers who have no place in a classroom any more. hopefully you'd enjoy my class, johnnyav13. maybe even learn something useful!
