Crazy Teacher Encounter

I just met the crazy teacher that reminds me exactly why our urban schools are failing. A quick recap…A female teacher entered the makeshift bungalow teachers lounge at a school under construction. I said “hello” as she was preparing to use the scantron machine. As I engaged her in informal conversation, she looked at me and said, “What’s with all the questions?” Funny…I was just asking her what she taught.

She proceeded to ask me a variety of questions about my background…how long did I teach? Why am I at this school? When I shared with her that I taught in South L.A. for nearly 10 years, I saw a little of the door open. She wasn’t pleased with my presence, that much I know. I told her that I was the resource the district selected to work with math teachers. She taught math but didn’t tell me her name or grade level that she taught. I have no idea if she was supposed to be in my meeting that was supposed to start nearly 5 minutes ago. All I know is that she lectured me on the lacking values that the school placed on the teachers. She evidenced this statement with a reference to the bungalow that is serving as a teachers lounge. Every classroom meets in a bungalow. The bungalow has a small, old fabric couch that is jammed behind a roller stacked with butcher paper…8 rollls of butcher paper but 5 of the 8 rolls are unused. There is a water dispenser without cups. A teachers workroom that has your basic elementary supplies…construction paper, a cutter, a laminator. Of course, I don’t know what the district would have to do to assuage her concerns…She continued to lecture me on how the community doesn’t value teachers. It literally was a 4 minute monologue about what I don’t understand. She learned that I finished a Ph.D. eight years ago, that I taught in a rough area and that I left a good paying job to work with challenged schools. I learned nothing of her. I was insulted by her tone, her word choice, her body language. And she wonders why people don’t value teachers. After all, I am the one hired to come and help them out. Education is a funny world.