The Problem with Young Teachers

I've been through good schools and I've been through bad schools-both have had their share of excellent and awful teachers and though circumstances ultimately decide the situation there is no denying that there's a significant problem with teachers that come straight out of college and jump into a classroom. Respect to a teacher is owed but in many cases it seems that it must be earned, as was the case in my New York City high school, which is located squarely in the Bronx. At one point during my four year stint, the school reminded my fellow students and I of a revolving door, as young teachers would come and go every semester without fail.

The most common factor with the departing teachers was their age. While I've had several excellent teachers under the age of thirty, I was in honors classes, which happens to be a significant step up in terms of behavior. Instead of dealing with being called names and constant threats, the worst behavior that my class could muster was a little back talk and general chatter. Not knowing how to deal with bad student is the hallmark of a young teacher as they would either flee the classroom entirely or call upon security constantly to aid them. At one point there were even certain periods which were seen as a free forty five minutes because they knew there would be no way the teacher would establish control.

Another problem with young, incoming teachers is that they feel that they should be liked. While being liked by your students can make life much, much easier, it isn't something that teachers should strive for on their first day. The purpose of a teacher is to teach above all else. Too many times I've seen young teachers try to relate to their students whom are only a few years younger than them. One such occasion included a young female teacher discussing her boyfriend with a few of the girls in her class, which was extremely disturbing. There's no excuse to set aside math skills in order to discuss your relationships-in fact, there is no excuse to even mention that you have a relationship in the first place.