Hello Loves,
I am a Christian educator teaching in a Christian environment. If you’re still reading, let me break some of the stereotypes I can assure that some of you have. I do not hate gays or liberals; in fact, I have very good friends who are both. I do not believe that women who have abortions are automatically going to hell. I do believe that as humans, we all make mistakes and we each have to fight our own demons. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs although people scrutinize mine as soon as they hear the word “Christian”. I am a Christian, which means I am a follower of Christ and the perfect life He led.
As I mentioned, I teach in a Christian school. Specifically, I teach eighth and tenth grade English. To be completely frank, this was far from my first choice of an environment to teach in. I graduated in 2007, right as our great American economy began its demise, expelling me into the wasteland of very few jobs and an excess of new graduates with broken dreams and nowhere to go. I got a job working as a Barista at Starbucks (which really is a great company to work for).
Allow me to invalidate another stereotype. At least at the Starbucks I worked at, employees were kind and down to earth. We never made anyone feel uncomfortable by correcting their “large” with a snooty “venti”. In stark contrast to what the media has portrayed, many of the customers were extremely condescending, rude, and passive aggressive. I assume they thought I was some high school dropout, which is sad. The reality of the job market today is that there are so many college graduates working in menial retail and fast food jobs because there is nowhere else for them to go. So be careful whom you are nasty to, as they may be your child’s future teacher or even your future boss.
lilipilyspirit.deviantart.com
While working at Starbucks I attained a permanent substitute position in a public school. This position scarred me from substitute teaching, and made me desperate to find a fulfilling education career with pay being an afterthought. Eventually, I found a job teaching at a small Christian school on Long Island. I was ecstatic. I had my arsenal of teaching tactics: behavioral management, teaching with technology, and differentiating instruction, to name a few. I got hired a week before school started, but that didn’t matter. I was newly married, enthusiastic, and ready to put my nose to the grindstone.
Nothing could go wrong.
Curveball #1: Upon being hired, the next day I was told that I had to teach a section of ESL. Did I mention that I am certified in ESL? No? That’s because I am not. Nevertheless, I was still excited to start school. This could be a valuable learning experience. With immigration policies constantly evolving, having experience in ESL could only be an asset. Curveball #2: Teaching with technology is part of the collegiate curriculum for future educators. Coming from a relatively affluent public school environment, with computers and SMART Boards in every room, my current classroom is very much the opposite. Giving notes now consists of writing everything you want to convey on sub-par blackboards, or using ancient transparency machines. To submit my electronic attendance, I have to go to the teacher’s lounge. Curveball #3: The same students who I teach in ESL, with little to no English speaking skills, I have to teach in English without deviating from the established curriculum (which is based on the NYS curriculum). This means teaching literary works such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar to students who need “justice” explained to them. Talk about differentiating instruction… times 100. Think about having severely learning-disabled students integrated into mainstream classrooms, without the necessary support staff.
Even though I have had to come up with creative ways to surmount the obstacles placed in front of me, teaching in this school has been one of the most gratifying experiences in my life so far. Watching those same ESL students, who I feared I was inadequate to teach, blossom and go from being able to piece a few words together to being able to have full-fledged conversations, is priceless. Not being hindered by abstractly interpreted law to talk about my faith if a student asks me is also a benefit I never thought I would have. Students are extremely respectful, more so than in a public school environment, because their parents put a larger stake in their child’s education. Simply put, they care more because they are paying directly for their child’s schooling.
Although I get paid probably less than half of what public school teachers do, I have probably more than half of the freedom they have.
Call me a hippie or a liberal, but that freedom is priceless.
Live, Love, Learn,