Teacher rant

I have had the opportunity to work with students for the past 7 years. Mainly as a mentor and a staff member at a group home at night, primarily serving “at-risk” youth. I now teach that same population.

Schools are always looking for the next strategy, or tool that will help students learn the skills that they need in order to be successful.

I have been to schools where all of the students had an IPad, but they turned out to be little more than distractions during instruction time. I have heard catchy chants, colorful charts, the use of incentives, and just a barrage of new things that were supposed to improve student achievement.

I know the issue is extremely complex, and I do not claim cover everything here, but after sitting in classrooms with mentees, and making home visits, I am more convinced that the main factors that affect student achievement are outside of the classroom.

I am not saying that new tools and strategies are not a good way to meet educational goals, but there are factors that lessen their impact.

I observed some of the following the  last several years:

• Students came from single parent households.
• Students came to school hungry
• Student had one or more parents in incarceration
• Student was a victim of violence
• Student was homeless

During my credentialing program, I was presented with different ways to accommodate student learning. Nevertheless, how do you accommodate students that have not eaten, slept in their car’s last night, or have not seen their mother in three years. These are things I routinely helped students process solely as mentor, but many teachers were unable to. That is not an easy task as teacher because there is so much additional pressure to meet test standards and avoid being labeled as “bad” teachers.

Maybe I have not been to enough schools, or teaching long enough, but I just have not seen sufficient effort within the educational system to accommodate students facing these types of issues. I can think of ways to boost comprehension for a student with a langue barrier, learning disability, or a cultural difference.

How do you get the students with a parent doing 11 years in prison to buy in to the importance of even attending to school? I really want to see an emphasis on accommodating these circumstances in the teaching profession.

Rant / rambling over

5 things I learned after becoming a father

1.Love has a different type of meaning

We say we love this person, and we say we love that person. But I say take that love and multiply it by ten. I am a “solid” guy, but I can’t describe how much I love my children without getting a little misty eyed. Some days You’ll hug your kids and look at you kids, and even the feeling of love is an understatement. Like, I’ll go to jail for you, and I’ve watched locked up.

2. Time- your kids eat it

I am an early riser, typically waking up between 5:30AM and 6:00 AM. My son likes to wake up around 6:30. I barely have enough time enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the news before some little guy cries out “I hungy”. Gone are the days you could sit and watch a movie without pausing it 20 times. Do you play COD for hours at a time? Forget that!

You will spend your time figuring out the important things in life. Like, where are your clothes dude, what is that smell and where is you diaper, or doing my favorite thing: reenacting an episode of cops.

“What’s that in your mouth? Come here, I just want to talk to you pal. Hey, hey, be cool. Spit it out! Spit it out! We got a runner!”

Good times

 3. You are the most important person in somebody’s world

Your children rely on you for everything. Pooped? Let me grab a diaper. Then wash my hands, change my shirt, and throw away my pants, throw away your pants, shirt, socks, and done.

Need water? Let me grab you a cup. Not that one? Not that one?

I dont speak minion. Oh, no don’t cry.

Your new title requires that you be able to fix everything, and that’s not including providing the very basics of life such as food and shelter. Now it may change as time passes, but in the earlier stages you are answer to all their problems.

4. You are more of many things you thought you could never be

• You’re more tolerant- I once listened to the damn Whip/ Nae Nae song 14 times in a row.
• You are more responsible- My Friday nights are dictated about what I want to do with my kids on Saturday.
• You’re more generous- No, I did not want that last chip even though I had it in my hand and was about to eat it.

5. It is completely worth it

In the end, all the time you no longer have, and the energy you expend, and the sacrifice is worth it because you never loved anybody so much.

How did I get here?

I graduated from SDSU in 2006 with a BA in political science, and an initial desire to work in federal law enforcement. After working multiple temporary jobs, I landed a job with an investment and securities firm. However, my position was a casualty of the 2008 financial crisis, and I was forced to look for new opportunities.

That loss would eventually lead me to my current profession. I started working in after school program at a local elementary, teaching math and ELA. I would later work as staff at a summer program, and then as mentor to at-risk-youth at middle school. I even worked as a staff member for a youth group home at night during that time span

My passion for working with youth, my thirst for knowledge, and my ability to share that knowledge in a way that was digestible, naturally led me to teaching profession. I’m currently a high school social studies teacher at a school serving students with some difficult circumstances. Some of my students are as old as 20.

The job can be difficult, but it is fulfilling and I could not see myself doing anything else. So, despite that setback almost 9 years ago, I am exactly where I want to be. I did not know where I was going, but I kept my kept moving. I share this story with my students because many cannot see beyond their current pitfall, and cannot see an ending where they’re in any better position.

I emphasize the idea that you will never know if you stop and quit. Keep yourself available to the possibility of a better life keeping on moving.

I’m Glad The Moment Is Fleeting

Well, I’ll start by saying that this is my first post on WordPress. Currently,I am a married father of two. Seems like a pretty typical description for a 30 year old man right? Yet, ten years ago I could have not imagined that I’d be where I am today.
I was a hermit that had plans of  moving to Seattle, getting a plush cubical job,  living in a one bedroom apartment, and be content to just exist. Now, I am a credentialed teacher. Interacting with dozens of individuals a day, pushing them to be the best that they can be.

How did I get there? Well, I have Myasthenia Gravis and I lost my mother around the age of 13. I guess living within myself was a coping mechanism to deal with those issues for a long time . However, that has changed for many reasons, much of which I will discuss later.

So, maybe I can use this platform to connect with people that have faced, or still face, similar challenges and write about issues that WE can all relate to.
That’s all I’ve got for now,
Good night

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