A Little Background....

I think it is appropriate for you to know a little more about my teaching experiences.

As we read the past few articles, I reflected on my beginning teaching experiences. I was that young twenty-something fresh out of college taking her first teaching position in an inner-city elementary school in Miami, FL. who never had much urban experiences in her field course work in undergraduate courses. I was an over protected kid with over bearing parents who hated for me to drive on express ways until well... um... I took this teaching position over 20 miles from home straight up US-1 then I-95, etc. and hated it even worse! As a matter of fact, my father drove me to the interview (stop laughing!) and told me you can't work THERE!!!

Well, I took that job. It struck me odd that the Principal asked me, "How do you teach Black children?" I was thinking what kind of question is this? Is she trying to see if I am a racist since I am white and blonde. My response was simply, "Like any other child with love, respect, taking them from where they are to where they need to be." Little did I know. How green. College never prepared me for what I was about to step into, the culture, the needs of the children, all the takes place before you can even open a text book; I had no clue. Luckily, I was a Title I teacher, so I was able to learn from trial and error with small groups of students on a whole different level. I did that for a couple of years then became a fifth classroom teacher.

Those years teaching in the inner-city taught me so much. It was not easy!!! I saw many teachers ran off by students. I have cried out of frustration and wanted to run off as well many times, but I did not. Students counted on me. They knew I was REAL. I was there for them. I cared. I have taken children grocery shopping before. Called HRS when abuse was happening in their home. Created a safe haven and unique lessons that involved service grants to better the community or clean up a beach. Learning was fun! The year I left to teach closer to home, since I moved further south in Miami my students scored so high on their district test scores they had to re-test them.

STAR teachers do exist!