Teaching the youth of America can be a challenge. Most teenagers that I teach are very happy and very adjusted kids. Some of them even want to learn some great history! A few of them have some "issues" that they must deal with on a daily basis. No Child Left Behind, the Massachusetts Frameworks, and my district tells me that I am responsible for teaching the content and skills to my 9th graders on a daily basis.
What do I do when a student doesn't want to be in school or learn? I know. It's the age old question that teachers have been asking themselves for generations. A teacher can only do what a teacher can do.
I have a few students this year that are quite a challenge. No matter what I do or say, they just don't want to do well in school. They continue to shut down and not want to deal with their schooling at any level. It's frustrating. It's sad. It's hard to watch a teenager set themselves up to fail. Now granted, these students have other "issues" going on in their lives that have nothing to do with school or learning. When I call or email the parents, the response is: "You deal with them; they are YOUR problem!" Look folks, if you didn't want the responsibility of children, why did you bring them into the world? Sometimes I feel like I'm more of a parent to these kids then the actual parents!
It's like you are banging your head against a wall trying to help a kid out that doesn't want to be helped or cared about. I guess that's the problem. Maybe I care too much?
I see so much potential in these kids. I've realized that I can believe in them all I want but if they don't believe in themselves, how far will they get in life?
I truly love my job and I love the kids that I work with on a daily basis. I just wish that I could save them all and I can't!
This game of back and forth blame between students and parents and teachers is getting old. Let's throw out the blame and let's start working on the priority here: the kid!
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