Tuesday, April 01, 2003
My job requires that I be a lot of things: a teacher, a big sister, a counselor, an organizer, a friend, an informed adult, a role model. And I love my work. I don't take it as seriously as many of my fellow Teacher Corps participants, but when it comes down to it, I'm never hesitant to get up in the morning and walk into the school with my coffee and gradebook in hand. However, after today, I am more than tempted to hand in my letter of resignation to a school where the problems seem so huge and so deeply rooted that I can never change the way things work.A brief summary: I was involved in the selection of certain Seniors who were to be nominated for some scholarships given by members of the community. The selection process was wonderful. It was a love-fest of sorts, praising the wonderful students, many of whom are the reason I am happy to get out of bed in the morning. These kids deserve this money for school. They deserve truckloads of it. And when those trucks are empty, someone should refill them. And now, with the scholarship deadline set as tomorrow, I've learned that the school might be even shadier than I thought. While helping a number of students prepare their resumes and organize their application materials, it was brought to my attention that the vast majority of the applicants did not write their own essays. In fact, the essays in question had been written by their senior English teacher. In addition, a student came to me for help on his essay fully expecting that I was going to write it for him and left rather exasperated after I wouldn't give him a single word to write down.
If a school does not exist for the sole purpose of educating our children to be self-sufficient, intelligent adults, why does it exist at all? I am frustrated and confused and tired. I don't know what my next step will be.
Heather at 2:05 PM
