One huge gripe I have against teaching is the constant workload. There’s always something that needs to be done. During the school day, I’m grinding non-stop from the moment I open my classroom door til the final bell. I don’t have the same luxury as my peers who can sign onto gchat regularly. I can’t work at my own pace. I can’t take quick mental breaks zoning out on news articles or facebook. I can’t leave work to have lunch outside with friends. My lunch break is ONLY 27 minutes and students drop in regularly for extra help, ask about their grade, or to simply visit. I can’t even use the bathroom at any time I want. I’ve gotta wait til my prep period or lunch, or (if it’s a real emergency) passing period.

Couple all that with everything else we’ve gotta do, the behavior we’ve got to put up with, administrative and state pressures, a lack of support/resources and it’s no wonder 1/4th of all new California teachers leave the profession in 4 years or less.

I’m currently in year 2 and the gripes have not waned. I promised myself I’d give this profession a minimum of 5 years before I make a real decision on it, but I do understand why one would choose to leave right away…

Student drop out rate is a huge issue; but as serious is the drop out rate we’ve got w/ teachers.

Articles like this ground me. Articles like this remind me precisely the reason why the work that we do is so important, so crucial. They remind me that this line of work has the potential to cause a ripple effect not only in the lives of students, but in communities, in society.

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It was originally believed that 13% of students in California who begin high school do not graduate. That’s more than 1 in 10. And that’s not only in urban areas, that’s everywhere. After devising a system to track dropouts, more accurate stats have been determined: 24% of students who begin high school do not graduate. Let me repeat for emphasis’ sake: In California, 24% of students who begin high school do not graduate.

The article breaks down the stats:

The new report shows that 42 percent of black students and 30 percent of Latinos quit high school last year- far more than the state average, and far more than state officials had thought.

They had estimated that 10,000 black students quit – but the real number was nearly twice as high: 19,440.

For Latinos, the estimate was that 37,716 had quit. The real number was a shocking 69,035.

Here are the dropout rates for other ethnic groups:

– Native Americans: 31% (1,440 students).

– Latinos: 30% (69,035 students).

– Pacific Islanders were next: 28 % (964 students).

– Whites: 15 % (26,165 students).

– Filipinos: 12 percent (1,687 students).

– Asian Americans: 10 % (4,462 students).

– Others: 31 % (4,099 students.)

These stats are staggering. 30%? 42%!? One might look at that “smaller” 12% and think to themselves “well that ain’t that bad,” but rethink that for a second. Yes it is! It’s ridiculous to think THAT MANY people fail to complete their high school education. Education is a right. The system is doing a disservice to too many. Regardless of the circumstance or the situation, everyone should be able to earn a high school diploma…

I’d like to provide ‘a high school teacher’s perspective’ on this issue. What happens to these students? How do they act in the classroom? What are their attitudes? Where do they go once they leave? What’s going on in Oakland? But I think I’ll save that for my next post. Stay tuned.

“Al” is a student whose goal was to transfer.  Last spring he was admitted to the University of California, San Diego—one of the finest public institutions around. “Al” is a low-income, first generation (lifg) college student—as you may know, this is a population that’s growing rapidly in higher education.  He qualifies for financial aid and took part in a support program called EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services).  In addition “Al” was involved with clubs, student government, and worked as a student assistant for the transfer center.  Many say that education is the most rewarding field out there.  It’s hare to argue that when you have the pleasure of seeing students like “Al” grow in every aspect of their lives. At the same time, without taking away from his achievements, passion, and drive, “Al” isn’t some exception to the rule.  He’s one of millions of student support program success stories out there.  Unless you’re a complete moron (or Governor Schwarzenegger or both), you can’t deny that programs like these increase ones likelihood of success exponentially. 

“Al” may not know it, but it meant a lot to my colleagues and I when he came by to visit. Like with any situation in life, it’s always nice to be appreciated. During the visit, we laughed and shared memories and stories with each other. There were times where it took everything inside me to hold back my emotions and tears (after all, I am a professional, right? hahaha).   It’s hard not to get too personal when your career is in direct public service.  Having a few years under my belt in education has helped me come to terms with the fact that sometimes, you just can’t help it.

In one quote, he says:

“I know that Thurgood Marshall did not argue Brown versus Board of Education so that some of us could stop doing our jobs as parents,” Sen. Obama said. “That wasn’t the deal. And I know that nine little children did not walk through a schoolhouse door in Little Rock so that we could stand by and let our children drop out of school and turn to gangs for the support they are not getting elsewhere.”

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Last week, at we had an open house for Summer Algebra Academy. In the past, these events make me nervous like no other. Talking in front of students up to the age of 18 is not a problem for me. But parents? Different story. This time around, I felt more comfortable than usual.

My projector failed on me, so I couldn’t show parents the slides I had prepared for them. I forgot to print before leaving my apartment, so I couldn’t hand out my pre-made parent letter. Nevertheless, I winged a pretty good explanation of what their student was experiencing in my class.

Things were going well, until…

“Any questions?”

(One hand raised in the back)

“Yeah, why have I not received any graded work back from my son? Do you grade anything?”

…

The same parent would go on to ask several other demanding questions, putting me under fire in front all the other parents and students.

“Do you use academic language in class?”, “Why doesn’t my son receive homework in the weekends?”, “Why can’t my son tell me what he’s learned in class on a daily basis?”

…

At first, this angered me. Give me a break. I teach well. Your son is learning. Trust me. In retrospect, however, I can’t get mad at all. Regardless of whether or not I feel her question-barrage was justified, all this parent was doing was looking out for her son. Can’t hate on that. Can’t hate at all.

In my young career as an educator, almost every student whose parent I’ve met does above average compared to his/her peers. A parent’s involvement in their son/daughter’s education makes a difference. While that might seem obvious, you must keep it in mind – especially if a parent ever makes things difficult for you.