oh god
I just want to quit.
I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could teach in the Philadelphia School District.
Yesterday was absolutely horrible. I have NOTHING in the classroom.
I took the position the day before school started. All I knew was it was a special education middle school position. I get there early at 7 AM school starts at 8. And the dean doesn't come out to meet me until 7:15
(fine) then he asks my name and what kind of car I have. That the only opening they had was for a 7th grade boys special ed. And tells me to wait again. At 7:50 he says oh the sub must have sneaked through the office. Let me take you up there now. I say ok and ask if the sub is going to be there for the day. He tells me no because he has to go cover for another teacher. Apparently a teacher who just committed suicide on Saturday. So it's 7:52. I'm in the classroom alone. No plans, nothing copied or really ready and kids are coming in at 8 o'clock. The sub says you'll do fine, be tough, set up some rules, here are their rosters. bye. I had no chalk, no erasers their were old random textbooks put around the class. Holes in the walls, broken clock. The kids actually don't come in until 8:30. Things go relatively smoothly. WE set up rules. They copy the rules and I have them sign it like its a contract.
Then another sub shows up. Thank god! And I send her to make some copies for me. We make it through two and a hlaf hours until time for their specials. Which apparently I just let them out the door to go to. Oh and sidenote, this one kid came in about 45 minutes late and was leaving the classroom every chance he could.
Then during my prep, I go searching for supplies. They take me down to the supply room and while I'm in there they are chatting about the teacher who committed suicide AND the other teacher who did 6 months ago. Not a great welcome aboard messge!
I get back to the room and I have them for 2 and a half more hours. It was a struggle but we got through it. The kid who was coming in and out of the room was 45 minutes late after lunch. They brought him up and said the shcool police just found him running outside of school. Great.
I'm so worn out by the end. I go downstairs and talk to the dean and say that boy was causing problems. what should i do to keep him in the room. he said he's a bastard he just needs his ass whooped.
What the heck!? I was so frustrated. So I go back the next day at 6:30. I'm ready to copy stuff and again the copier is broken and there is no paper again. I get to the room to rearrange the desks. Then right baefore school starts I get a call saying if the sub comes in the room send her down because we have another spot for her to fill.
So me 14 kids and no supplies again. At least I have chalk and crayons. The morning starts off okay and then goes down hill pretty quickly. Random people always walk into the room and say stuff or bang on the windows and get the kids all rilled up. By the afternoon there is a HUGE fight by the door of my classroom. All of a sudden like 40 kids are surrounding them. I'm shaking and yelling for them to stop but I have no idea what to do. I call downstairs to the two numbers they gave me but no one answers.
I decided right then and there that this is not right. I can't handle it. I really want to quit. Afterwards a teache across the hall asks if i have a car when i say no she asks how i get to school. I tell her I come by train to the train station that is 2 blocks away. She said girl, thats so unsafe. you shouldn't be walkig that way. they find dead bodies back there.
I really don't think this job is for me. I'm writing a letter now and going to go in and talk to someone. I'm putting myself in danger and unable to keep the other kids safe. All of my special education knowledge is not going to be of much use. its ovbiously classroom management and without any supplies or support it's impossible for me to do. i can't. if i were a 300 lb black man, perhaps. but a 5'2 white girl isn't going to get very much respect. the year has started off on such a bad note that i don't think it can be regained. the administration is horrible. the aide is shared between 8 classrooms. i have 2 more job interviews soon. I never wanted/felt able to teach middle school. I'm a first year teacher and really don't want to burn out in a job I'm completely unhappy with.
I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could teach in the Philadelphia School District.
Yesterday was absolutely horrible. I have NOTHING in the classroom.
I took the position the day before school started. All I knew was it was a special education middle school position. I get there early at 7 AM school starts at 8. And the dean doesn't come out to meet me until 7:15
(fine) then he asks my name and what kind of car I have. That the only opening they had was for a 7th grade boys special ed. And tells me to wait again. At 7:50 he says oh the sub must have sneaked through the office. Let me take you up there now. I say ok and ask if the sub is going to be there for the day. He tells me no because he has to go cover for another teacher. Apparently a teacher who just committed suicide on Saturday. So it's 7:52. I'm in the classroom alone. No plans, nothing copied or really ready and kids are coming in at 8 o'clock. The sub says you'll do fine, be tough, set up some rules, here are their rosters. bye. I had no chalk, no erasers their were old random textbooks put around the class. Holes in the walls, broken clock. The kids actually don't come in until 8:30. Things go relatively smoothly. WE set up rules. They copy the rules and I have them sign it like its a contract.
Then another sub shows up. Thank god! And I send her to make some copies for me. We make it through two and a hlaf hours until time for their specials. Which apparently I just let them out the door to go to. Oh and sidenote, this one kid came in about 45 minutes late and was leaving the classroom every chance he could.
Then during my prep, I go searching for supplies. They take me down to the supply room and while I'm in there they are chatting about the teacher who committed suicide AND the other teacher who did 6 months ago. Not a great welcome aboard messge!
I get back to the room and I have them for 2 and a half more hours. It was a struggle but we got through it. The kid who was coming in and out of the room was 45 minutes late after lunch. They brought him up and said the shcool police just found him running outside of school. Great.
I'm so worn out by the end. I go downstairs and talk to the dean and say that boy was causing problems. what should i do to keep him in the room. he said he's a bastard he just needs his ass whooped.
What the heck!? I was so frustrated. So I go back the next day at 6:30. I'm ready to copy stuff and again the copier is broken and there is no paper again. I get to the room to rearrange the desks. Then right baefore school starts I get a call saying if the sub comes in the room send her down because we have another spot for her to fill.
So me 14 kids and no supplies again. At least I have chalk and crayons. The morning starts off okay and then goes down hill pretty quickly. Random people always walk into the room and say stuff or bang on the windows and get the kids all rilled up. By the afternoon there is a HUGE fight by the door of my classroom. All of a sudden like 40 kids are surrounding them. I'm shaking and yelling for them to stop but I have no idea what to do. I call downstairs to the two numbers they gave me but no one answers.
I decided right then and there that this is not right. I can't handle it. I really want to quit. Afterwards a teache across the hall asks if i have a car when i say no she asks how i get to school. I tell her I come by train to the train station that is 2 blocks away. She said girl, thats so unsafe. you shouldn't be walkig that way. they find dead bodies back there.
I really don't think this job is for me. I'm writing a letter now and going to go in and talk to someone. I'm putting myself in danger and unable to keep the other kids safe. All of my special education knowledge is not going to be of much use. its ovbiously classroom management and without any supplies or support it's impossible for me to do. i can't. if i were a 300 lb black man, perhaps. but a 5'2 white girl isn't going to get very much respect. the year has started off on such a bad note that i don't think it can be regained. the administration is horrible. the aide is shared between 8 classrooms. i have 2 more job interviews soon. I never wanted/felt able to teach middle school. I'm a first year teacher and really don't want to burn out in a job I'm completely unhappy with.