tutoring

[man]

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I'm in my 4th year of teaching high school math, so I'm by no means a seasoned professional. But as a public school teacher, you'll fail kids. That isn't even a question. The only question is how many.

Often times it's not your or the student's fault. Sometimes the student's brain is just not mathematically mature enough for certain concepts. Sometimes certain students and teachers just don't mix. I've failed plenty of kids who went on to get high grades with other teachers, and also vice versa.

Sometimes the kids I fail are really hard workers. It breaks my heart to give them the same grade as some knucklehead who does absolutely nothing, but that's just what has to be done. If you pass a hard-working kid out of pity, he'll just be in more trouble in the next level math class.

There's an old saying that my mentor teacher my first year told me, and that is that in a class of 30 students, about 5 will probably fail no matter who's the teacher, and 5 will ace the class no matter who's the teacher. You need to focus most on those other 20.

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that's a really sobering account of teaching. but I have no doubt that it's true. thanks for the input.

what size is the district you teach in? do you find it worthwhile to teach kids one-on-one? do they have the motivation to contact you about it? how far do you have to go to get in touch with the students you want to teach?

also, are the summers off really as awesome as it sounds?

[Sooga]

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I'm in my 4th year of teaching high school math, so I'm by no means a seasoned professional. But as a public school teacher, you'll fail kids. That isn't even a question. The only question is how many.

Often times it's not your or the student's fault. Sometimes the student's brain is just not mathematically mature enough for certain concepts. Sometimes certain students and teachers just don't mix. I've failed plenty of kids who went on to get high grades with other teachers, and also vice versa.

Sometimes the kids I fail are really hard workers. It breaks my heart to give them the same grade as some knucklehead who does absolutely nothing, but that's just what has to be done. If you pass a hard-working kid out of pity, he'll just be in more trouble in the next level math class.

There's an old saying that my mentor teacher my first year told me, and that is that in a class of 30 students, about 5 will probably fail no matter who's the teacher, and 5 will ace the class no matter who's the teacher. You need to focus most on those other 20.

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that's a really sobering account of teaching. but I have no doubt that it's true. thanks for the input.

what size is the district you teach in? do you find it worthwhile to teach kids one-on-one? do they have the motivation to contact you about it? how far do you have to go to get in touch with the students you want to teach?

also, are the summers off really as awesome as it sounds?

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I used to teach in the LAUSD, which has roughly 230592039701937509173509701 students enrolled K-12. I moved this summer to a district which has (I think) about 10,000 students total, K-12. In fact the district is so small that the high school at which I work is the only one in the district. I basically do what I can during class, and I'm almost always in my classroom about 30-45 minutes before school, and at lunch and sometimes after school, so if some kid wants some extra help, my door's always open. I don't think there's anything quite as rewarding as helping a kid that you thought was one of the lower-achieving kids, and then seeing them gradually raise their grades up to A's and B's throughout the semester.

Oh, and summers off are PHENOMENAL. And that's not even taking into account the 2 weeks off for winter break, the week of spring break, and all those 'fringe' holidays that not everyone gets (Rosh Hashanah, MLK day, etc.)

[man]

I'm gonna keep this going although it's not really on tutoring.

how much flexibility do you have with your cirriculum? I'm guessing that this varies by state/district/school, but my biggest fear is getting caught up in a bureaucracy where I can't teach how I feel is right.

does it cost a lot to get liscensed? I'm pretty well versed in both physical and social sciences so I think I'd be a good candidate for teaching lots of subjects but I'm not sure what the process is like there. I'm guessing it makes me a pretty desirable candidate to be versatile, though.

also, can I dye my hair blue?

[Blarg]

I used to give a lady who was going senile private lessons on using her computer. It was the same lesson every week.

Sometimes I felt like strangling her. Sometimes she really tried hard, but sometimes her work ethic was really low, and those times, mixed with the general fuzziness of her mind, eventually really frustrated the heck out of me. I mean, slow progress is one thing, especially if you're trying. But virtually NO progress, especially if you're not? Damn, hard to get happy about that. I was glad when we finally finished, even though I desperately needed the money.

I've also taught little kids, and their lack of attention span, and often indifference as to whether they learn anything, can make the whole thing seem more like babysitting. Which often is essentially what it is.

I think it's important to divorce yourself in a certain way from your esteem of the subject you're teaching, and not judge others by your own standards. Stuff you really like and that you're really good at, you'll tend to put a lot of effort into, and that's of course the best way to learn anything. So it's natural to think that if people want to learn your subject, they should bring at least a good work ethic, even though we can't expect an affinity for the subject or particular knack for it. But sometimes a student can't even give us this.

And that's key. It's not so much what they give us as what we give them. We have to be able to work with their level of desire and understanding, not with what we think the right level should be, or would be with ourselves. If we can increase their desire to learn about the subject, that's good teaching. If we can increase their work ethic, that's great too. But we have to start with what we have and just develop that, and it may not be much. If a little bit more seems like not too much to ask, that's no good if the student isn't willing to give it to us as teachers. Our job is to make it easier and more attractive to him to make that extra effort and be a little more interested. If we can't snag his interest or make him meet certain standards, some of the fault may lie with him. But a subject doesn't teach itself, and merely being able to communicate how the pieces fit together isn't enough to make a good teacher, unless you already have a really good student.

And it's no good for a regular student. To teach them well, you have to work from the bottom up, by listening, not the top down, by lecturing. There's an art to finding out where they're at and how to reach them. and it has more to do with the student than the subject. If you don't like working with students as much as you like your subject, you'll never meet your own teach potential or expectations.

[BeerMoney]

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I'm gonna keep this going although it's not really on tutoring.

how much flexibility do you have with your cirriculum? I'm guessing that this varies by state/district/school, but my biggest fear is getting caught up in a bureaucracy where I can't teach how I feel is right.

does it cost a lot to get liscensed? I'm pretty well versed in both physical and social sciences so I think I'd be a good candidate for teaching lots of subjects but I'm not sure what the process is like there. I'm guessing it makes me a pretty desirable candidate to be versatile, though.

also, can I dye my hair blue?

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You may want to go the boarding school route.. Phillips Andover, Cushing, etc..

You seem to enjoy teaching but not dealing with other [censored].

I've been drinking.

[Sooga]

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I'm gonna keep this going although it's not really on tutoring.

how much flexibility do you have with your cirriculum? I'm guessing that this varies by state/district/school, but my biggest fear is getting caught up in a bureaucracy where I can't teach how I feel is right.

does it cost a lot to get liscensed? I'm pretty well versed in both physical and social sciences so I think I'd be a good candidate for teaching lots of subjects but I'm not sure what the process is like there. I'm guessing it makes me a pretty desirable candidate to be versatile, though.

also, can I dye my hair blue?

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Well the big thing now (in California anyway) is 'teaching to the state standards'.... so basically you have a list of state-mandated things that your kids need to know by the end of the semester, and that's pretty much your curriculum guide. Most schools have a pacing plan that follows a textbook and covers all of the standards, though I suppose if you really wanted, you could pretty much teach however you liked, just as long as you could show that you are teaching to the State standards.

For me, getting my preliminary credential took about 3 semesters and only cost about $4k or so at the local state school. Since the credential is issued by the state, preliminary credential coursework anywhere (as well as the actual credential itself) is basically the same, so it literally makes no difference where you go to get it. A teaching credential from UCLA means exactly the same as any rinky dink state school.

The thing is, if you're going to be teaching secondary (7-12 grade), then you need to be credentialed in a certain subject, i.e. History, Math, Science, etc. So while it's good that you have a lot of different skills, your credential will only be for one subject. You can always get credentialed in more than one subject, but of course that means more coursework.

As for the blue hair, it all depends on the school. I think you should talk it over with the administrators and see if they'll have any problems with it.

[man]

bm,

andover? maybe like, if I had better grades. I'm guessing. the bureaucratical [censored] I obviously would hate to deal with, but you'll have to deal with some unpleasant stuff in any job.

blarg,

blarg you big old turkey, I hope I someday know as much as you! I agree with much of what you said. the trouble with teaching a large class (which I've never done), I'm guessing, is that while you have to mold your teaching style to fit a number of different students, you can't really do that with a number of people. furthermore with a subject like math, where the teaching of the material is kind of unmalleable, it's probably even harder to connect with everyone in the class.

I dunno. I guess I'll have to speak to more teachers (WINK WINK OOT) to get a feel for what it's like.

[MikeNaked]

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how much flexibility do you have with your cirriculum? I'm guessing that this varies by state/district/school, but my biggest fear is getting caught up in a bureaucracy where I can't teach how I feel is right.

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I teach in a small, urban district in Portland, OR.

Flexibility w/ curriculum is a double-edged sword. Sure, it's nice to teach what you want, but remember, you *always* have to teach to the state standards. The curricular vehicles you use to get there are usually up to you. And then you can work at a school such as mine, where people can pretty much do what they wish because of a lack of accountability, so you have people showing "Billy Madison" and "Jingle All the Way" in their Social Studies classes.

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does it cost a lot to get liscensed?

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Doesn't cost a lot but it's a pain in the ass. Expect to pay ~$300 and fill out tons of paperwork. You'll have to take tests proving your competence in your subject area. Really depends on what state you live in. Check your dept of education.

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I'm pretty well versed in both physical and social sciences so I think I'd be a good candidate for teaching lots of subjects but I'm not sure what the process is like there. I'm guessing it makes me a pretty desirable candidate to be versatile, though.

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Versatility is a boon, no doubt. School districts generally are looking for more Science teachers than Social Studies teachers however. Simply a case of supply and demand.

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also, can I dye my hair blue?

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Yes. Wait until you get the job first though.I had green hair for half a semester.

[man]

sooga,

so, credentials depend on the amount of coursework you've taken in a certain subject? (probably varying by state?) do they depend on tests? I've taken a variety of courses for lots of semesters (I'm pretty sure I'd be qualified to teach all kinds of physics and history though I'm not even a minor), so I guess that's a good sign.

anything else that anyone has to add is appreciated. let's hear some more negative comments! also positive ones! whatever!

[Sooga]

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sooga,

so, credentials depend on the amount of coursework you've taken in a certain subject? (probably varying by state?) do they depend on tests? I've taken a variety of courses for lots of semesters (I'm pretty sure I'd be qualified to teach all kinds of physics and history though I'm not even a minor), so I guess that's a good sign.

anything else that anyone has to add is appreciated. let's hear some more negative comments! also positive ones! whatever!

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No, getting your credentials entails taking an entirely different set of coursework that you probably didn't take as an undergraduate. It's mostly useless, but it's stuff like Child Psychology, Diversity, and crap like that.

I don't know what the requirements are in other states, but in California, there are 3: The CBEST and CSET tests, and your credential. The CBEST test is a joke, and it basically just makes sure you can read and add/subtract. If you have a pulse and a brain, you can pass the CBEST without even studying. The CSET on the other hand, is subject-specific, and it is a lot more rigorous. I have heard many stories of teachers having to take that test over and over and over until they finally passed on their 6th try or something ridiculous. Then lastly is the credential which is just a bunch of useless of classes that you will neither remember, nor have any use for once you start teaching.