Feels Like The First Time
The life of a first year teacher is anything but boring.
Jamie, a colleague, is a first year teacher. Teaching is one of the few professions where we tend to throw our beginners into full job responsibilities right at the beginning and expect them to perform as a pro. There is a common sense of being completely overwhelmed with new forms, rules, expectations, meetings, reports, institutional knowledge, and being in charge of classrooms full of students to teach.
Much of what beginning teachers should know about education and the "system" are often obscured and only learned slowly. An eye opening experience for Jamie was a presentation in a college class for the Teacher in Residence program by an attorney discussing educational issues and liability.
Some advice: Stay out of private areas with any student. Always be in public areas. The attorney cited the case of a male chemistry teacher who allowed a female student to make up work after school and was alone with the student. Later, the student accused the teacher of inappropriate conduct. Without witnesses and evidence, it really doesn't matter much if he was innocent. You can pretty much throw the teaching career away.
The attorney also discussed due process rights, something that was news to Jamie. The attorney also discussed the teacher's responsibility to report suspected child abuse and neglect and the potential consequences for not following through or understanding the requirements.
As if just getting up to speed teaching wasn't enough of a challenge.
That's one reason why I belong to a professional association like the Colorado Education Association and recommend it, in particular to new teachers. Yes, Colorado law is very unforgiving for teachers during their first three years of teaching, since they can be let go for no reason whatsoever. Still the issue of legal and liability coverage for teachers is huge. Would any intelligent doctor practice without malpractice insurance? Would any reasonable driver get behind the wheel without liability insurance? Yet teachers are often chastised for joining together for their professional betterment and protection. Why is it as a whole that we respect teachers so highly, yet often only when they remain vulnerable or sacrifice their own time, family and careers? The "anti-union" group would apparently like to see teachers powerless and mute.
And that just isn't good for education or educating.
Jamie, a colleague, is a first year teacher. Teaching is one of the few professions where we tend to throw our beginners into full job responsibilities right at the beginning and expect them to perform as a pro. There is a common sense of being completely overwhelmed with new forms, rules, expectations, meetings, reports, institutional knowledge, and being in charge of classrooms full of students to teach.
Much of what beginning teachers should know about education and the "system" are often obscured and only learned slowly. An eye opening experience for Jamie was a presentation in a college class for the Teacher in Residence program by an attorney discussing educational issues and liability.
Some advice: Stay out of private areas with any student. Always be in public areas. The attorney cited the case of a male chemistry teacher who allowed a female student to make up work after school and was alone with the student. Later, the student accused the teacher of inappropriate conduct. Without witnesses and evidence, it really doesn't matter much if he was innocent. You can pretty much throw the teaching career away.
The attorney also discussed due process rights, something that was news to Jamie. The attorney also discussed the teacher's responsibility to report suspected child abuse and neglect and the potential consequences for not following through or understanding the requirements.
As if just getting up to speed teaching wasn't enough of a challenge.
That's one reason why I belong to a professional association like the Colorado Education Association and recommend it, in particular to new teachers. Yes, Colorado law is very unforgiving for teachers during their first three years of teaching, since they can be let go for no reason whatsoever. Still the issue of legal and liability coverage for teachers is huge. Would any intelligent doctor practice without malpractice insurance? Would any reasonable driver get behind the wheel without liability insurance? Yet teachers are often chastised for joining together for their professional betterment and protection. Why is it as a whole that we respect teachers so highly, yet often only when they remain vulnerable or sacrifice their own time, family and careers? The "anti-union" group would apparently like to see teachers powerless and mute.
And that just isn't good for education or educating.
posted by curtis @ 6:39 PM
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