The Disenchantment of January

I am finding it so difficult to be fired up about being back in school for the second half of the year. The monsters are all hanging in the air--graduation rates, end-of-course tests, exit exams. What do you do when those things that are most frustrating are the ones that you have no control over?

For two years, I taught the same students. I had them as a group of juniors and then again as seniors. I loved this group of kids. But they gave me grey hairs. Lots of them. There was a group of boys in particular that were constantly giving me fits. It was something all the time--flatulance, late work, talking, talking, TALKING. (Did I say I loved these kids?) But I knew that when I reached my frustration level, help was only a phone call away. There were parents to call, coaches to run to, and even an administrator in one or two worst case scenarios.

But now I'm out of the classroom. There are no more unruly young men who just need to be pulled back down to earth. Now there are teachers who can't even see the top of the water that is covering their heads, much less tread in it. And here I come with no students and grandiose ideas about becoming better practitioners. Well, who am I?

I am good at what I do. I do know my stuff. But there are so many more daunting factors out there to deal with. While we know that student engagement is a major issue, there are also test scores to cope with. How do I counter the history teacher who has to teach 300 years worth of history in 90 days? How can I encourage him to incorporate supplemental texts when I know the ax that is hanging over his head?

I get very disenchanted periodically with my job. I really want to close the door and teach sometimes. That's not going to happen any time soon, so I'm looking for classrooms to borrow. I've found two...can I borrow yours?