Teaching - The cure for apathy

Lately I've been substitute teaching - a lot. I started out with the K-6 kids, but lately I've been taking jobs in the 9-12 grades. My assignments have all been at charter schools, so I have yet to experience life in a Detroit area public school. I've subbed for a wide range of students in humanities classes (mainly English), and have noticed one common thread in all classrooms -- kids know when they are receiving substandard teaching.

The first high school I subbed at was predominantly Hispanic/Latino. There weren't enough books for each of the students to be able to take a copy home, so they were forced to read the assignments - out loud - in class, and then do the work. I subbed in an African-American History class, an 11th grade English class, and a Weight Training class (for 11 & 12 grade girls).

The students were somewhat shy, but all of them tried to engage in the activities that their regular teacher had left for them. I was able to get students to discuss the process of "dehumanization" (they were studying the concept and practice of racial superiority in the history class) and the HUAC and the hunt for communists during the 1950s and how it related to the Salem witch trials (in the English class). It was obvious that the regular teacher was organized and focused, and that the teachers she worked with were also following organized plans for the students.

These teachers had high standards, but also took into account the actual day-to-day needs of their students. Throughout the day I heard teachers talking to students about college and career plans. The students themselves were excited about being part of the Homecoming planning committee or the cheerleading squad or taking the senior class trip in the spring. Their school building was clean and well-cared for, and the adults at the school talked to the kids like they mattered. There were signs all over the school that encouraged kids to graduate, to attend college, to know their history, and to be proud of who they are.

The second high school I went to was predominantly African-American. I subbed for a Geography teacher (who was actually in the classroom for the first period) who had great intentions, but was an inconsistent role model for the kids. The teacher wanted to be inspiring and motivational, but everything about his classroom and his own behavior spoke volumes about his inability to be consistent. He yelled at the kids for putting their feet on chairs, and proceeded to sit on a desk and rest his feet on a chair. His desk looked like a bomb had gone off on it, and he had trouble finding the lesson plan for the day, but he yelled at a kid who didn't have the top button of his shirt buttoned (but failed to notice that kid didn't have a top button on the shirt).

Only one class period was interested in actually learning something about geography, the rest of the kids were either disconnected, disengaged, or downright rude. I have to admit that the 4th period group finally got to me -- they were so rude and disrespectful that I finally sat behind the desk and ignored them because I simply couldn not discipline them in a way that made sense.

As I left this school, I compared it to the previous week's school and noticed that this building was older and less interesting than the other school. It looked like an office building, and it sat on the edge of one of the busiest streets in the city. There was no outside area for kids to hang out or play, and the inside was extremely institutional -- dark stairways, lots of securtity guards, and all bathrooms except for the ones just outside of the main office were locked tight. Teachers stood in the hallways during the passing periods and yelled at kids to get to class.

On the walls, there were lists of rules for everything from behavior to dress code, but I didn't see any teachers attempting to enforce rules such as "Girls may wear one pair of earrings, if they are hoop earrings they may be no more than 2" in diameter." The school's mission statement was hanging on the wall just inside the entry way, but nowhere else in the school did I see signs of encouragement or attempts to instill pride or self-worth. I certainly would have wanted to be a student at this school.

This week I subbed at a third high school that served a predominantly Muslim community. The classes there were divided by male and female, and most of the girls wore headscarves and long black dresses (though I found out later that the vast majority were wearing the most fashionable jeans and t-shirts underneath). The teacher was a woman who had clear cut standards and rules for her classroom, though the rules were limited to the most basic principles such as respect and timeliness.

I subbed in 9th and 10th grade English classes, and was both delighted and frustrated to learn that 14 and 15-year-old girls are the same no matter what they are wearing or what their cultural or religious backgrounds may happen to be. The girls in these English classes were lively and delightful and a complete HANDFUL. One class period, I had to bribe the girls to finish their work by promising them that they could listen to their homemade CDs once the work was finished and handed in (the CDs were full of rap, and the latest R&B - similar to the music that the girls at the Hispanic high school were listening to).

Then came 7th period American Literature - and six boys. I was worried that I'd have to fight with them to get the poetry assignment done, but they rose to the occassion and finished the assignement quickly. So I handed out the second assignment (the regular teacher was well prepared!) and they began working and talking to one another. To make a 50 minute period short, we ended up having one of the most engaging conversations I've ever had with a class of students. We talked about sexuality, careers, and college, and I promised to send them each a packet of information from the college where I teach part-time. I'm not sure that they belived that I'd follow through on my promise, but I did - that very same evening.

This school was obviously a newer school. There were lots of windows, air and light coming into the classrooms, and the school was immaculately clean - even at the end of the school day. The security people were watchful, but kind, and the teachers seemed to have lots of activities for the students to do and learn.

I know that it's kind of like comparing apples, oranges, and mangos, but these three schools have convinced me that the reason students succeed or fail is not simply due to the quality of the teachers, the materials, or the buildings. Students succed or fail based on the interest that adults take in their lives. Students mirror the values of those who model behavior for them -- be it one day or one year. It's made me much more congnizant of my own behavior in the classroom (not that it was ever bad), and of how much one day of subbing can either add to or detract from the overall goals of the teachers who work with these kids on a daily basis.

What I really love about substitute teaching is that it continuously requires me to reevaluate my assumptions and beliefs, and in the process, it makes me want to be a better teacher - period. And, I come away from each substituting job a little wiser and a little more uplifted -- and hoping that maybe the students I've taught, have too.