Teaching on the South Side: Looking Ahead to the Third Week

After my first day of school, I attempted to post a quick paragraph just to let everyone know I was still alive and doing well. There were problems with Blogger that day, and my first, optimistic, post never saw the light of your computer screens. Or at least, I didn’t think it did. The post only showed up when I tried to delete what I thought was a blank entry. If you are so inclined, you can view my first-day post by scrolling down.

Anyway, my first day went very well: the children were more or less well-behaved, the faculty and staff were friendly and helpful, and I was actually able to punch into the time clock, which reassured me that I was indeed in the system and would eventually receive a paycheck. Sure, none of the Achievement Academy students had schedules, none of the Achievement Academy teachers had rosters, and no one was sure when any of these things would materialize, but I heard that the situation was much the same in the rest of the school, and was that this kind of controlled chaos was nothing new for the first couple days of school. I made flexible and general lesson plans for the next few days, anticipating that there would be some student-shuffling in the next few days, and went home looking forward to day two.

Tomorrow will be the start of the third week of classes for Chicago Public Schools. So what the hell happened between day one and now, you ask? I have neither the time nor space to catalog all of the triumphs and frustrations of working with disadvantaged students in what sometimes seems to be an bloated and inefficient bureaucracy (I believe I have mentioned before that CPS is the nation’s third largest school district). Then again, bureaucracies, in general, are not known for being user-friendly. I, at least, received a paycheck last Friday. Some of my co-workers, including the administrator in charge of the Achievement Academy, did not get paid. Eventually, I will have access to a copy machine that is meant solely for Achievement Academy faculty and staff. My friend Anne, who teaches at another CPS school, told me that the photocopier in her building was out of commission indefinitely. She has made three trips to Kinko’s for every one trip I have had to make thus far. Last week, my classroom was outfitted with five new internet-connected Dell desktop computers, courtesy of the monies set aside for the Achievement Academy. Most teachers are lucky if they get one.

This is the mantra of the highlights of my position that I keep reciting to myself when the stress of implementing a new plan for a new school makes my blood boil and threatens to make my head explode. There are organizational difficulties, personality conflicts, communication gaps, and student problems that often seem to be conspiring to drive me crazy. The kids, despite the problems a few of them sometimes exhibit, are just kids. They might talk too much during class time, or have the extremely annoying habit of walking or looking away from me when I’m talking to them, but, overall, the kids cause me the least amount of stress. When I close my door and get some of these kids to actually read, I know I have chosen the right profession. The administrative details will work themselves out in time. And if they don’t, I’m sure learning a lot about cultivating Zen-like patience. Any other choice would lead to a coronary, and it would be silly to have a heart attack over things beyond my control.