"What used to be - children are to be seen and not heard - we don't really live by that anymore, thank god! But children now have other issues, like how to stay alive." - Michelle Pfiffer, Dangerous Minds
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From the DC Education Blog. "WUSA Channel 9 has a disturbing report about students attending the Friendship Edison public charter middle school being attacked as they are leaving school each afternoon. The attackers appear to be students from the nearby Browne Junior High. Some of these attacks have resulted in broken bones, and one incident last Friday that involved 50 or so students from Browne attacking exiting Friendship Edison students en mass has prompted the city to beef up police presence in the area." (news video, click here)
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Being an inner city school teacher is very challenging. I feel like Michelle Pfiffer in the movie "Dangerous Minds". This story goes almost as similar with my story: Teacher and ex-marine Louanne Johnson accepts a full-time job at a East Palo Alto highschool without realizing that the students in her class are highly intelligent, but with social problems. She either must give up or learn how to get the students' attention and help them learn.
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I had my first traumatic experience in my first school assignment. One student was sleeping; the teacher asked me to wake him up. So, I carefully said “Excuse me, your classmates went to the cafeteria, you might want to join them”. He looked at me. His eyes blazing red! I stepped back. He quickly grabbed a sharpened pencil and poked it on my throat. He threatened, “Do you want me to cut your throat with this?” Just then the aide came in to check on us and immediately called the security when she saw what the student was about to do to me. Whew! That was a near death experience! Never went back again to that Center." Luckily, the school where I teach right now is far better than that first school assignment. The teachers challenge me to be the best neophyte teacher I can be. And my students, though they're very challenging too, they can be sweet and cooperative to me.
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From time to time children get upset and angry, teachers need to be able to de-escalate the situation. There's a vital need for training. Intervening physically is a predictable occurrence. It could be to hold a child to prevent them injuring themselves or others. But it is going to happen. I had a certain amount of training on Behavior Modification Strategies. But nothing that would have prepared me for the kind of violent outbursts that I encountered from some students. Nothing on restraint techniques, for example.
If that man could get that angry in the street, was there something in his background that could have been detected when he was a child? I felt that my attacker could go the same route, become that angry violent man in the future. If he isn't given the appropriate interventions now, he will grow up to be someone who might stab someone to death at a bus stop because they have looked at him the wrong way or said the wrong thing.
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Now, do you still think it's all "milk and honey" for me here?
28 comments:
I've seen how dangerous inner city school life can be only through movies (like dangerous minds and coach carter) but I've never heard a first-hand experience from anyone.
It's hard to make sense of this violence.
People try to figure out why, sometimes pointing to the lack of parental guidance, peers, and whatnot... and they're partly right.
The sad truth is, society is just plain decaying into moral oblivion (2 Tim 3:1-5).
I think you have a lot of courage in keeping up what you're doing. Frankly, I wouldn't be sure If I'd keep on doing something that almost got me killed.
Dangerous Minds is one of my favorite movies. I am quite certain that there are more violent stories that are involve the youth today especially in school.
Wow! your first hand experience must have been a chilling one...scary!
That was one frightening experience. Good it didn't change your mind from being a teacher.
teacher sol, i know u could've been a very good doctor but thank God you answered "the call". kasi we need teachers like you! God bless!
DRE, I thought it's only in the movies too until it happened to me, and I'm still in it right now...still surviving. By the way, can you write down your blog url here so I can visit your blog and link it up too?
DUKE, let me know if you find some more movies of this sort, I'll buy the copy. It's pretty scary compared to where I came from, but I'm slowly adjusting...still holding on.
EVI, most teachers already left their profession, thus there a big retention problem in this profession here, I thought of joining the bandwagon. But God is watching me, He led me to the DC Area Writing Project where I met veteran teachers who trained me to be a teacher leader. The motto is: teachers teaching teachers. Now I'm passing the torch. I just facilitated a professional development workshop to newbie teachers yeaterday. Pay the grace forward...
NIKKI, yes, it must be a "calling" otherwise I won't be in this profession anymore...
mam sol,
dapat yata mag-aral ka rin ng martial arts. kakatakot ying experience mo na yon a.
my other favorites movies with teachers as main actors are: "dead poet's society", "holland's opus", "finding forester" and "pay it forward". at siempre yang "dangerous minds". and the soon to be produced by mother lily starring teacherso. hahaha.
Teacher Sol, I hope you are not teaching high school. It's a little riskier when you are dealing with immature adults who can be under the influence of you know what even inside the school. Perhaps you should stick to teaching graders who can be equally rebellious but less of a physical threat to you. It is great that the school had provided you folks the psychological training to deal with these rebel kids. It definitely helps.
thank God you's still alive! what an experience! these things don't always sound real when viewed in a movie house.
oo nga eh kasi even your life is in danger at times. i also salute your husband for being supportive of what you do.
you're making me think tuloy of going into developmental pediatrics! :-)
I admire your strength teacher sol! have you also watched Higher Learning? This is a good movie to watch also somewhere in the line of Dangerous Minds:)
Congratulations to all your achievements, Marisol. You really proved to the world that you deserved the honor( 1st honorable mention) you received in our batch. You're an epitome of a true Betan and a UP alumna! Nice to know that you are globally competitive now! Soar high mare, as you face the challenges of "special education "in the 21st century. Hey, you're not posting in "kapuso".Ive 'been waiting for your messages there.
KA URO, I've been looking around for self defense classes close to where I live, wala yata eh. I know a little of aikido at yung tumakbo ng mabilis at sumigaw ng malakas...hehehe
BW, I am teaching junior high school students. You're right, these students have personal issues aside from being diagnosed with Opposition Defiant Disorder or ADHD or Conduct Disorder or Emotional Disturbance. Some of my students are into that "stuff", and the girls get pregnant and undergo abortion at the age of 14. Other students, when they're absent, they see each other in jail. Sad that this is happening to the youth of today.
ERUANNIE, that's why I always say that I miss teaching back home, I miss the students there who definitely have high regard for teachers.
NIKKI, my original plan was to go into developmental pediatrics, and yes it's in line with sopecial ed. You can collaborate with clinical psychologists and special educators. I had my neuropsychology training at PCMC and they have good facilities there. St Luke's has the best, I've heard.
DUKE, yes I think I've watched Higher Learning, about senior HS students yata yon or college students, at may gang wars din except parang it has something to do with cutural discrimination. Yun ba yon?
BINGBING, mare, thank you for the kudos. This is to let you know too that though I am struggling, I'm very ok and still surviving. Regards to our batchmates there back home.
Junior high isn't that bad. They're still relatively younger.
Have you watched on TV that incident in Georgia ( a few weeks ago) where cops handcuffed a 5 year old girl for pulling a wild tantrum at school, throwing chairs and things all over, breaking stuff all over the place ? The teachers called the cops to intervene. Lo and behold, the little girl was treated like a felon! You should see the horror on her face as she was wailing hysterically when they tried to put the irons on her hands.
I thought it was a bit too much. Many are of the opinion that the incident might do more harm than good to the kid. Conservative folks think that the horror was the ultimate lesson that she will remember for the rest of her life.
Interesting how people approach discipline and cling to the "spare the rod but spoil the child" traditionalist thinking.
I just had another thought for this post of yours.
Yes, it's still "milk and honey" for you there, at least financially. The emotional and social aspects, however, are different things.
Apir!
BW, yes I saw that news on TV,it's very heartbreaking. You see, I do not approve of my students being sent to jail for stealing a cellfone (and was returned) or verbally threatening someone (but not actually doing the threat). We should know how to punish the negative action, not the child. Would it do them any better if they be put to jail at a very young age?
In junior high school, children with any learning or attentional or behavioral problems have all the "normal stresses" to deal with that their peers have. In addition, they must cope with their specific difficulties, challenges of being special children, which generally intensify at this time.
This is a period in all children's lives when they need structure and the feeling of "connection", and being noticed and valued. How do we feel when we are being discriminated, condemned as a felon, treated as an outcast? Like us, they have feelings too. People has to know that they DO NOT really want to do these innapropriate behavior, it's their disability which makes them do it. It's so frustrating for them that most people who are supposed to help them are the ones putting them on the spot, like some teachers or parents.
DRE, funny ka talaga...hahaha... you really think very highly of me ha. Mukha ba akong may pera? Ngek!
This is going to be my second year here in the U.S. as an OCW (immigrant ka na ba or citizen?) and I am still in the entry level. My husband who's on a dependent visa still is not earning even a penny, bawal, so I am the bread winner in the family. I am still in the entry level, at hindi naman malaki ang sahod ng teachers kumpara sa ibang professions dito. Kaya nga may retention problem sa profession na ito, nagrereklamo sila na sobrang baba ng sweldo sobrang stressed naman at abused ang mga teachers.
The cost of living here in the heart of Washington DC is very high, apartment rent lang kalahati na ng paycheck ko. Plus yung other half of my paycheck napupunta na sa bills. Eksakto lang, di man lang makaipon. Siguro magsisimula na makaipon kami pag may trabaho na si hubby.
Anong "milk and honey" financially ang sinasabi mo dyan? Sige padalhan mo ako dito ng donation ha pang balikbayan box ko, inaabangan din sa Pinas ang mga padala ko kasi sobrang dalang ang padala ko....intayin ko ha...LOL :D
Hi Sol, such a frightening experience. Teaching is indeed a very tough job. That's why I always give high respects to teachers. Always take care of yourself, a lot of children need good teachers like you, Sol.
That's really saddening...Ingat kayo jan okay???
TITO SAM, salamat po sa paalala, nag-iingat naman po ako dito...
IAN, okay friend, ingat ka rin dyan...
SHA, i guess all teachers teaching a in high-minority group or in an inner-city school has the same stories to tell...
ALAN, I also thought the same thing, but then read my next entry to this and you'll think twice about what you wrote here...
JAYRED, I got excited when I read your comment, you hit the bulls eye! Good answer, Jayred! (teacher na teacher ba ang dating ko :D) In one of my entries in my DIGITAL BOOK, I already blogged about America as the land of "milk and honey". Yet it's not that easy for us to achive the great American dream. We really have to work hard for it. Di pinupulot o pinipitas sa puno ang pera dito, mga kababayan. But our every effort is being recognized. I am still struggling financially but my every endeavor is being appreciated by my school district and by my professional organization (I'll blog about my school next).
From my DIGITAL BOOK entry:
I was thinking that even though the chances to make money in America were small, chances to do so in the Philippines were almost non-existent. The major reason to migrate to the United States was mainly economic. Ask any Filipino why they decided to come to America, and they will take a step back and answer as if it were quoted directly from a text book, "it is the land of opportunity…a land of promise."
As president Hoover would say, the American dream is "A chicken in every pot, and a car in every garage,” or as others would say, “it’s the hope that everyone can enjoy life and be successful at it”...if one works really hard.
I couldn't believe it when I read your post about being threatened. I can't even imagine what I would have done if that had happened to me in my first year of teaching! You must be a very strong and amazing person! My life was recently threatened (verbally) and it was a horrible experience - and I even work in a private school! So, I admire your courage and willingness to not give up! Your students are fortunate to have you in their lives - even if they don't realize it.
Errrh... Apir nalang tayo Great Teacher Sol! Hek hek hek.
Hey Teacher Sol,
I read this blog latter than the news about your school. First of all, thank God you've survived that attack. After Columbine, schools gradually gained the reputation as one of the dangerous places to be. Dito sa Canada, gang naman even Filipino gangs are prevalent. Yun nga may napatay ng Filipino student. Hope you can transfer to a safer place. Dito sa Canada so far in my stay here, wala naman katulad nyan except gang to gang conflict (isolated). I like Canada for raising a family... laid back... pero mataas ang tax 30% dito sa lugar namin pero if you have dependents you will receive money from the government. Ingat ka ha.. do not hesitate to learn self defense... malay mo maging black belter ka pa... joke lang.
HOLLY, there are times that these students make me feel inportant to them and I treasure and hold on to those moments. I have to remember that these kids have behavioral disabilities and its their disability that makes them do it, not actually them as a person.
DRE, apir! hahaha :D
ANONYMOUS, i always dreamed to be a black belter when I was still single during my aikido years. But now that I am married, I don't think my husband would be willing. Sayang sana naging balack belter muna ako bago ako nag-asawa, sana very confident ako ngayon makipaghalubilo sa mga ganitong klaseng estudyante. I could teach them self defense pa to catch their interest (Dangerous Minds nga ang dating!).
i rotated at pcmc before & i know they are good.
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