He told me that under no circumstance was I ever going to be a teacher
Underpaid, under appreciated, and under valued in society.
Thanks for your service as a teacher.
Suspended Alabama freshman Antonio Alfano has ‘disappeared a little bit’
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Underpaid, under appreciated, and under valued in society.
Thanks for your service as a teacher.
I remember many years ago when I was coaching travel baseball. My son (age 14 I believe) had a particularly bad night at the plate and in the field, mostly due to lack of focus.
I got got into him pretty good on the ride home. His first response to me was “well I’ll just quit....”.
And that was when I unloaded. “This is how you are going to handle adversity? This is what you’re going to do when you face difficulties? Good....you just do that. I’d rather you show me your true character now instead of later in life when you quit on your family, your friends, your colleagues, and life in general. At least I can prepare others and let them know when you encounter problems, you’re going to be the first one to bail. And above all, I’ll let them know I failed you as a Father.”
I always felt bad about that night. I always thought I could’ve handled it better or in a different way.
Not long ago my son, now 28 years old with a successful career and soon to marry, told he remembered that night well. As some here know, my son in his late teens struggled with substance abuse and came very close to ending his life. In that blackest, darkest, most desperate moment of his life, it was that conversation that helped him realize he
could “continue”. He wasn’t going to lay down and die. He was going to get up and fight.
And I thank God every day for that conversation that night 14 years ago.
I got got into him pretty good on the ride home. His first response to me was “well I’ll just quit....”.
And that was when I unloaded. “This is how you are going to handle adversity? This is what you’re going to do when you face difficulties? Good....you just do that. I’d rather you show me your true character now instead of later in life when you quit on your family, your friends, your colleagues, and life in general. At least I can prepare others and let them know when you encounter problems, you’re going to be the first one to bail. And above all, I’ll let them know I failed you as a Father.”
I always felt bad about that night. I always thought I could’ve handled it better or in a different way.
Not long ago my son, now 28 years old with a successful career and soon to marry, told he remembered that night well. As some here know, my son in his late teens struggled with substance abuse and came very close to ending his life. In that blackest, darkest, most desperate moment of his life, it was that conversation that helped him realize he
could “continue”. He wasn’t going to lay down and die. He was going to get up and fight.
And I thank God every day for that conversation that night 14 years ago.
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I tell my child this all the time. I love my job but it has really changed over the years with the demands on teachers and the time spent doing them.He told me that under no circumstance was I ever going to be a teacher
Underpaid, under appreciated, and under valued in society.
Thanks for your service as a teacher.
In high school and community college I agree, but at a 4 year institution of higher learning I say yes and no. I just recently graduated from Alabama ( not trying to boast) and a lot of my professors said something to this effect. Most recommended the learning center as an avenue for assistance, but all made it clear that it was YOUR grade and didn’t care if you passed or failed if you didn’t take the steps to help yourself outside of class. Most of these type of professors were general studies classes who had hundreds of students. It is used mostly as a wake up call for what to expect in the next 4 years. But I do think for Math and Sciences more effort should be made to ensure success.
When you go to a place where you are more of a number than an individual then it is on you to seek help and it is on you to make sure you succeed.
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Your dad was wise. When kids tell me they want to teach I don't discourage them, but I don't really encourage it much either. It's their life, and my experience won't be theirs. I had a good run. No regrets.He told me that under no circumstance was I ever going to be a teacher
Underpaid, under appreciated, and under valued in society.
Thanks for your service as a teacher.
as a college professor who gets good evals from students, I've found that setting the standard from the beginning for the class is paramount. Then you can deal with individuals as the class progresses. I also "present the material" in a lot of different ways (video, refresher review, in-class assignments, group assignments, etc). People learn in different ways so I try to address all of them at some level each class. It usually works out pretty well regardless of what a student makes - gradewise - in the courses I teach. But I do agree with the premise it's up to them what they do with what we work on and I show data from my prior courses that show that engagement during, before, and after the class is highly correlated with better grades. Numbers don't lie and those who just show up and listen and go home and do nothing usually get a grade that's reflective of that.
As a student at all levels, I never took a class "because a professor was easy" and, in fact, chose professors who I knew would challenge me at a high level. I also subscribe to the philosophy of "IF you're the smartest one in the room, leave and find another room." Iron sharpening iron and all that. BUT, not everyone is built like that so we have to reach them in other ways. "B's" were unacceptable to me after I figured out what I was doing in college (around my 2nd sophomore semester) but that meant I had to double down on my efforts at every level. Most of my current students work 25+ hours a week and take 9-15 credit hours - something I never had to do. So, I take that into consideration while still expecting and holding a high standard. Again, the outcomes usually show it's working out. I also wasn't cradled my whole life or groomed to do one thing or told I was great every day -- if ever.
Regardless of all that, if you just stop showing up for class, refuse to talk to counselors or coaches, NO MATTER THE CAUSE, I really don't know what else can be done. Sometimes you have to suffer consequences before realizing you're an adult when you enter college even if you don't act like one. The current nonsense of "I'm going to enter the portal if I don't get my way here" isn't helping.
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I taught at a community college for several years and never knew a teacher who would not spend however long it took after class to help a student who wanted the help. In advanced courses the professors might seem more aloof, but if a student approached for help, they would be pleased. Many students are afraid to ask.
It’s my fault: I made a bold prediction he would force five fumbles.So . . Alfano is not likely to be a contributor this season, eh?
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The 'In Your Face Professor' I had cut his class size in half. He found out on day one, who would do what it took to achieve. This was a big deal to me, because I just got by in high school. After the day one wake up call, I worked to get on and stay on the Deans List.
It's not hard to see that the Professor was a retired Army D.I. Veteran.
I was a hard nosed kid and appreciated the fact he would not coddle any of us.
BTW: It was a general studies class of about 75, before he scared em off.
I've said this before on this board I think but it bears repeating here. A young cadet in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets during Hell Week (lots of screaming and lots of push-ups) decided at one point that he had made a mistake in going to Va Tech and told his chain of command as much. The cadet leadership marched him to the office of his deputy commandant, who spoke with the young man, then called the young man's father. The young cadet told his father, "Dad, I think I have made a mistake in coming to Va Tech. I'm quitting the Corps of Cadets." After a long pause, his father said, "You're a grown man. It's your decision. Where do you want me to send your things because you ain't coming home."
The young cadet reconsidered his decision to quit, stayed at Va Tech, graduated, and went on to a 30 year career in the USAF.
Colonel (Retired) "Rock" Rozak tells that story to young cadets' parents at Va Tech every August now.
Families can be an excuse for a young person to quit or they can bolster a young person when facing adversity.
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I agree.
When I was teaching in college (I taught at a few), I would routinely tell my students that I got paid the same whether everyone earns an A or everyone earns an F. I then followed that with a reminder to the students that if they were having difficulty, to come see me as soon as they realize they are in trouble with some aspect of the course.
Some did. Others realized their excuse was weak and did not bother. I taught a Tuesday-Thursday class as 1230-1345. A student (American kid of Vietnamese descent, but culturally all-American from Northern Virginia) missed class for two weeks. When he did show up, I asked him if everything was okay. He responded, "Dude, I can't get up this early."
5-star kids... many are great in both talent and attitude, but you can expect one like this every now and then.
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He told me that under no circumstance was I ever going to be a teacher
Underpaid, under appreciated, and under valued in society.
Thanks for your service as a teacher.
I'm a teacher. No one whines like teachers. Here in Alabama public school teachers are paid quite well.
I don't think teachers are underappreciated or undervalued either. That's hard to quantify though.
Alabama's teacher salaries are in the bottom third of the nation. Maybe fare a bit better when adjusted for CoL but hardly "quite well."
The only place to be as a state employee is in some job under the big umbrella of "administrator." The rubber-meets-road side of any government entity is generally filled with underpaid employees relative to the market. Without even trying I could leave my job at UA as a software engineer and get paid at least 15k more and probably only have to relocate somewhere closer to Birmingham worst case...and I know this is true because of all the people we've lost who are less talented than me but have decided to pull the trigger lately. Some of those people who left were a pay grade lower than me so they were getting closer to 20-25k more by leaving.
The only place to be as a state employee is in some job under the big umbrella of "administrator." The rubber-meets-road side of any government entity is generally filled with underpaid employees relative to the market. Without even trying I could leave my job at UA as a software engineer and get paid at least 15k more and probably only have to relocate somewhere closer to Birmingham worst case...and I know this is true because of all the people we've lost who are less talented than me but have decided to pull the trigger lately. Some of those people who left were a pay grade lower than me so they were getting closer to 20-25k more by leaving.
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