What are teachers afraid of 100 to 1. What are teachers afraid of? Don't take everyone's word for it
What did he justify, who did he blame? I assume that I was made out to be the “villain”. Based on this experience, I made the following conclusions:
1) Management of any rank welcomes only materials of a laudatory nature.
2) It is not given to us to know who will see criticism of them and what.
I didn’t write excuses, but since then I’ve asked every education worker if it’s possible to mention their last name and school, regardless of what topic I’m interviewing about. The answers vary; according to my observations, they partly depend on geography: the farther you are from the authorities, the more freely you can breathe. The director of the rural school laughed in response to my question: “We have muddy roads from September to May, no one will get there, and by summer everyone will forget. Write what you want." The teachers of one of the city schools, who invited me to a meeting, asked for help, accusing the director of lawlessness. But when I explained that I needed to mention at least the name of the school, they literally turned pale and trembled with fear: “It’s impossible, she’ll fire us all!” I heard the same thing from teachers at various schools and universities.
Some bosses believe that their position gives them the right to threaten subordinates, and they do this even when the person no longer obeys them. A couple of years after the renovation story, I quit my job, but I continue to write. Published a purely positive interview with school librarians. The school principal called me at home and threatened to order me not to enter the school. Why? I should have asked him, he would have given more accurate information. Perhaps, but I had an editor's assignment - to interview a librarian. When I need to ask questions to the director or head of educational authorities, I go to them.
A constantly discussed topic is teacher salaries. I hear the indignant voices of old women at the bus stop: “Did you hear, these teachers’ salaries will be raised again, they’re completely fed up!” I read the reports of the heads of education departments at various levels, according to the data given in them, since the introduction of NSET, the salaries of teachers in the city and region have increased significantly, the average figure is also growing steadily, in two or three years from twelve thousand to twenty to thirty thousand rubles per month. I talked with the directors of many schools - they were happy to show me documents and estimates. Indeed, with skillful management and an honest approach, the salaries of teachers and staff have increased significantly. Unfortunately, there are other examples. Teachers say on the condition of complete anonymity: if the workload is 30 hours, the salary is very decent. If they stay at the rate, that is, 18-20 hours, then sometimes they get 5-7 thousand. Achieving payments from the stimulus fund is not so easy. In some schools, everything depends on the favor of the director, head teacher, member of the distribution committee, that is, the division follows the principle “I give it to whomever I love.” In others, the responsible persons shrug their shoulders to all questions: “There is no money.”
Married women complain most of all that with the introduction of the National Social Insurance Fund it has become impossible to calculate the family budget. One month you get 7 thousand, another 10 (additional payments for olympiads, conferences). An additional payment is not a salary - today it is there, tomorrow it is not. You need to look at simple numbers, namely basic salary. It is he who determines the well-being of the teacher. An experienced teacher with a full workload and classroom management receives 10-12 thousand per month, depending on the presence or absence of additional payments. It is in no way protected from unpleasant surprises: say, the director gathered the class teachers and announced that the money for additional payments for class teaching had run out. In March. Where did they go? In the spring, the high school class teacher practically spends the night at school, preparing documents for exams and graduation.
Subject teachers, especially foreign language teachers, take private lessons and earn money by tutoring. Their attitude towards work is gradually changing. “Before, school didn’t bother me, but now I can’t wait for the lessons, for which they pay me pennies, to end, and private traders come and immediately put money on the table.” Another important component has subtly changed: previously it was considered unethical to conduct private lessons with one’s own students, but now it is in the order of things. This means that during the lesson the teacher does not pay attention to the student, and the student is idle. Both know that they will meet after school and, for an additional fee from their parents’ pockets, will improve their performance. I asked many colleagues if they would engage in tutoring if they had a normal salary that did not depend on the whims and favors of their superiors. The answer is simple: of course not. They also name a specific figure: 30 thousand rubles per month. I try to imagine that I took 6 lessons at school, and then another 4-6 lessons at home, for a total of 40 hours a week. What kind of preparation for lessons, what kind of professional growth can we talk about?
I ask why they don’t protest and seek transparency in the distribution of funds. Some younger teachers give one answer: while their children are in school, they are afraid for their children. The director and head teacher have a lot of leverage over any teacher. Inconvenient schedule, “windows”, two shifts, excessive workload... Yes, it happened, I angered the boss - and she planned for me eleven (!) preparations per week for the school year, with a norm of 2-3. Having three children, I never had a free Saturday. But all these are small things compared to what they can do to our children at school, from lower grades to ridicule and humiliation. “Have you forgotten, your child is going to a medal?” - they sometimes asked me with a gentle smile. I assure you, upon hearing these words, any mother-teacher will rise up and march in formation wherever they are ordered. And it’s not about the medal; veiled threats have many faces.
Of course, there are other reasons why teachers remain silent, or they will tell the invited correspondent how things are, but ask not to mention their names. Pensioners are afraid of losing their jobs, and with it an additional source of livelihood. You can’t live on a pension alone, but you can live on a pension and a salary. Talk to older teachers and they will tell you two main reasons why they continue to work and hold on to their jobs. Many have grandchildren and even great-grandchildren at school. And everyone, so to speak, has a financial incentive. The teacher sees poorly, hears poorly, does not remember the names of the students, but somehow conducts the lessons. One elderly teacher in front of me innocently called her student Asya Vasya, that is, the name of her father, who studied in her class many years ago...
Younger teachers are clearly aware of the concept of “social vulnerability.” A geography teacher tells how she tried to achieve the required payments and did not achieve it; all her attempts were dashed by the familiar phrase “the money ran out.” She believes that it is easier for foreign language teachers; they live by tutoring. She doesn’t argue with her boss, she’s afraid they’ll fire her, where will she go? Previously, there were always authorities where one could turn for help, but now there are virtually none. They tell how teachers and parents write letters and complaints, but the situation does not change. And people come to the conclusion that they need to endure and adapt to the existing situation. Parents will write a complaint against the teacher, the authorities will talk to them, explain that there is no way to replace them, or they will offer a replacement, which scares the parents even more. Teachers complain about the director, an inspection is carried out - and nothing changes.
I repeat once again: this situation is not everywhere. Where the school director skillfully manages in new conditions, where the distribution of funds is open, where work is being done to attract young people, where they actively cooperate with parents and care about the welfare of children, the positive effect of reforms is immediately visible. People are not afraid to talk to a correspondent; they proudly show their achievements, talk about problems, and share plans for the future. There is normal work, normal school life. I wonder how things are in other regions. Does a teacher have the right to his own opinion, to criticize the existing state of affairs, to freedom of speech?
Nina KOPTYUG, Novosibirsk
Photo by Maria Golubeva
What are teachers afraid of? In works of world art, many questions are asked: “For whom does the bell toll?”, “Do Russians want war?”, “Why do birches make such noise in Russia?”... But no one has ever wondered what teachers are really afraid of. But the question is interesting and sensitive. On the one hand, you look - they are ordinary people and their fears are ordinary, human ones: mice, for example, or a fear of heights. And on the other? I had one friend, a former “teacher”, who was all about herself (now she works on television, by the way). So she was very afraid to admit someone else's superiority in knowledge. No matter how they proved to her that she was wrong, she did not want to admit her own mistakes. But mistakes in a teacher’s work can ruin more than one life – already at its very beginning... They say that the world is ruled by “C” students: they are practical, active, and cold-blooded. They don’t need to reason, because life, most often, provides only one option. It turns out that a person has no actual choice. This points us to one of the teacher’s fears - the fear of uselessness. Remember for yourself: how many times in your life have you found the periodic table or the hard-to-memorize logarithms that you were so stubbornly hammered with at school useful? How often do you think about how voltage affects resistance? If an adult cannot understand why he needs this knowledge, then a child even more so... An equally common fear of a teacher is the loss of his personal life. No matter how many teachers/teachers I remember, only a few are truly happy in marriage. I don’t quite understand what factors prevent representatives of the teaching profession from having a normal family, warmth and home comfort. Perhaps it is the fear of being judged by colleagues, and perhaps even by students. Or the fear of having another bad experience... Unfortunately, we will never know about this. I would like to dwell on computer fear. It's no secret that there are many teachers who not only do not know how to use a computer, but also do not know how to turn it on. And the strangest thing is that some people don’t even want to learn it. It is clear that it is not easy to master rapidly advancing technologies. But the basic programs can be studied, especially since there are now a million training courses and seminars for teachers. As a last resort, the students themselves can help in mastering some programs. But here we run into another fear - the fear of loss of authority. Why, the eggs teach the chicken! For some reason, some teachers believe that authority lies in wearing a crown on your own head. And God forbid that this crown should be shaken!.. All of the above is very reminiscent of the “golden” rules of life: don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, etc. In my opinion, a teacher should not only have an individual approach to children, but and an individual approach to oneself. This approach consists of the desire to learn new things, the ability to recognize talent, the desire to show the need and practical significance of the subject, and sometimes admit defeat. Unfortunately, sometimes one gets the feeling that the teacher is sitting not in an office, but in a glass box and does not want to get out of it. Only a select few teachers, despite dissatisfaction and condemnation from students, parents and management, manage to move forward. The rest will forever remain something like the protagonist of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial! Author: Chervyak Yaroslav Viktorovich -
The last celebrations of graduates of pedagogical universities have died down, and the bravest students who chose the path of teaching rushed to conquer the heights of teaching. They are young, energetic, full of enthusiasm and maximalism that has not yet gone away. They happily take on complex tasks and try to understand the specifics of the structure of the chosen educational institution.
However, with the beginning of the new school year, the flow of work activity becomes more and more stormy. During this difficult time, a young teacher may make mistakes that can turn into quite big troubles in the future.
1. No need to be afraid of children
Beginning teachers, as a rule, do not have experience communicating with students of different ages. Therefore, it is very important to choose a certain manner of behavior with children in advance. You need to have a clear idea of what kind of teacher you would like to appear in the eyes of your students. There is no need to be shy or babble - speech should be clear with clear accents. You can't hide or look away - eye contact is necessary for more successful networking. Slouching, putting your hands in your pockets, or exhibiting other insecure behavior is discouraged. If students sense your fear from the first lesson, this can be the beginning of a very difficult relationship between students and teacher.
When I came to school, the head teacher of educational work gave exactly this advice: “don’t let them feel your fear.” It sounds a little strange and exaggerated, but it was very useful to me. I clearly remember my first lessons: my heart was pounding, my voice was hoarse, my palms were wet with excitement. Even my own name slipped out of my head. But it was precisely the phrase of an experienced teacher about fear that did not allow me to shamefully desert from the office. I straightened my back, cleared my throat, raised my head, took a deep breath and let the first batch of students into the classroom. They sat down, staring at me with curiosity.
Their eyes carefully scanned my every movement. Children, by the way, are excellent, but very cruel psychologists.
I sighed and began to speak confidently. The analogy about a negotiator with terrorists kept popping into my head - I also politely but adamantly put forward demands. We immediately set the rules: do not test my patience. From three comments about their behavior - the diary is on the table. Two more warnings - I’m writing a comment for parents. If the fun continues in the lesson, then I give a “pair” after the control question about the material covered. And none of the students ever had any complaints if I carried out similar actions in the future - after all, they themselves agreed with them at first.
But I didn’t limit myself only to demands - that would be destructive. We came to a compromise: they can always come to me and retake the material, correcting their grades. Moreover, I promised that at any time at school I could explain the material to them if they did not understand something. Demand increased significantly at the end of the quarter, but there were practically no hard feelings.
2. Don't be afraid to make mistakes
A teacher is not a robot or a machine. There is no need to immediately try to convince students that you are completely right and infallible. When introducing yourself in class and reading out the names, apologize to the children in advance for the fact that you may pronounce them incorrectly. Also, you should not take it with hostility if one of your students makes comments to you about teaching the material. Teach them to justify their point of view.
If you bend your line for a long time, you will get a complete parallelepiped.
A young teacher already has enough stress - there is no need to aggravate this by the fact that his reputation will be ruined by someone’s offended recommendations, in the style of “what kind of teacher is he - she doesn’t know anything!” There is no need to stubbornly show students that you are older and know more than them. This will cause a negative and completely natural desire to prove the opposite.
If suddenly someone starts to bully you during a lesson about the material, listen politely to him and ask him to defend his point of view. The child will feel that he is treated as an equal and will no longer have the desire for confrontation.
3. Show respect
You will not be respected if you behave disrespectfully. Do not show disdain or arrogance, do not shout until you are hoarse - you will not be heard. Only clear, polite and reasoned speech, as if you were talking to an adult. Don't forget about wonderful words like "thank you" and "please." You should not put all your requests in the form of an order.
I had Artyom, a fifth grade student. He was a new student who missed the first two weeks of school due to family reasons. Accordingly, when he came to school, it was stressful. For all. Artyom looked larger than his peers, but in mental development he was slightly inferior to the others. He desperately wanted to be accepted by his classmates and teachers. When this did not happen, the poor boy found very radical methods to attract attention to himself: from completely ignoring comments to throwing his vomit at his classmates.
The teachers gave up on him, Artyom’s parents practically settled in the school, and his classmates avoided him more and more diligently. I admit, at first it was also difficult for me to talk to him in class and explain what he could and could not do. Obeying an impulse, I started screaming. But I intuitively realized that this only strengthens the wall of misunderstanding. And I started talking to him like an adult: “Artyom, be so kind as to move to another seat, please.”
Politeness really works wonders. The child obediently stood up and changed seats.
“Artyom, please be a little quieter, I’m very tired and my head hurts,” he nodded and fell silent. Then he began to give me his drawings, he was always polite and was not afraid to come up and ask something. I was the only teacher at school who never called his parents or complained about him to the head teacher or other teachers.
4. Keep your distance
Don't get too close to your students. Immediately after college, as a rule, the age difference is small, especially for high school students. Remember that many of your actions and words can be reinterpreted and passed on to other teachers, administration or parents in a completely distorted form. You cannot close yourself in the office with students; it is better to keep the door open.
Avoiding students is also not a good idea - it can alienate children. Know when to stop and choose the golden mean.
Nowadays, schools are attended by a variety of children from a variety of families. There are also very religious people among them who have their own perception of moral standards. Among my students was Grisha, who was the son of a parishioner of a local church. The boy went to school with a Bible and, instead of repeating material, preferred prayers, which his mother indulged in every possible way. As a result, Grisha consistently got 5-6 deuces in each quarter. But my mother did not believe that prayers worked worse than homework, so, in her opinion, the teachers were to blame for everything.
I also got it for... my collarbones! I didn’t allow myself to wear things that were too revealing, but the boat neckline seemed too deep to Grisha’s mother. She explained her assessment of her son to the school principal as follows: “our new teacher’s smiles, jokes and collarbones kindle a fire in her son’s loins and he cannot concentrate.” The conversation was passed from mouth to mouth, giving rise to a lot of gossip and not very adequate judgments, fraying the nerves considerably.
5. Don’t take everyone’s word for it.
No matter how cute, sweet and innocent the students may be at first glance, you cannot take their word for it. Secure any of your actions with entries in your diary, duplicating them in an electronic journal. Especially when it comes to grade correction. If you identify a problem with a particular child, immediately notify the parents about his “successes.”
In the future, this will protect you from various kinds of claims from parents and school administration.
I had a sixth grade student, Sashenka. A quiet, modest girl who always shyly lowered her eyes when I asked her. For a long time I wrote off unintelligible answers about unfinished homework as hyper-shyness, until my ward began to become impudent right before my eyes. Modesty did not prevent her from talking in class and writing notes, and her notebook remained almost pristinely clean.
By the end of the second quarter, Sashenka had a deuce. About three weeks before the end of the semester, I started scheduling her retakes. Gave additional homework assignments. Having received one B, Sashenka calmed down and continued to do nothing. I waited until the last minute to give the assessment, believing that tomorrow it would definitely come on its own. She never came. And the couple’s mother was very surprised.
The story continued, so we move on to the next point.
6. Keep records
Don't forget to type in All data in an electronic journal, put grades in a diary and a paper journal, do not give children their tests and tests. Keep separate folders for each class and put pieces of paper there. Give them to parents at a parent-teacher meeting.
Sometimes it seems that compliance with points 5 and 6 borders a little on paranoia, because it is very difficult to combine sincerity, enthusiasm, ebullient energy and such bureaucratic control. But in our time, when the teacher is to blame in the most absurd situation, it is better to play it safe once again.
Let's return to the story about Sasha. After my unsuccessful attempts to force the child to study somehow, communicating with the class teacher and talking about how important it is to make efforts, the girl still preferred to do nothing at home and write test papers in transliteration (for example: instead of a simple English word “ milk" wrote the ponderous "moloko"). When all the deadlines were over, I, not without regrets, gave her a D in the quarter.
What started here... The student’s mother turned my third quarter into a complete hell. As it turned out, Sashenka persistently threw out all the “test” papers, tore out pages from the diary, and always told her mother that everything was fine and she could handle everything. It was a complete surprise for the mother that her daughter had a couple in a quarter. With righteous indignation, she went to the director to demand a review of the assessment, my qualifications and consideration of the option of dismissal.
Due to my inexperience, I preferred not to solve problems only with parents, but to negotiate with students personally.
In addition, it was possible to fill out the electronic journal once a week, because it was accessible only in the computer science office, where it was not always convenient to come. Now the school administration demanded a revision of the assessment, fearing for statistics and reputation. Commissions from the Regional Educational Institution began to come to my lessons; the director decided to take control of the educational process. Before entering the school, in front of all the students, I had to submit my lesson plans, written down to the smallest detail, for her to check. I paid in full for my cool attitude towards the bureaucracy.
I don’t remember how many valerian tablets I took, but it taught me to scrupulously collect every piece of paper with a vocabulary dictation, every notebook with tests, and put all the marks in the electronic journal, even those written in pencil in the journal. I had to develop immunity to the insults of students who had to explain to their parents why the “2 in pencil” was in the electronic journal.
I graduated from the pedagogical university only 3 years ago and I have very fresh memories of my first year of teaching. If someone had told me about these simple rules, I would have been able to avoid many problems, which would have made the start of my teaching life much easier.
While observing all these rules, I sincerely wish you not to overdo it and maintain your love for teaching. Do not become hard-hearted ahead of time; children at all times need those who can instill a love of knowledge and teach them the basic skills of ethical behavior. Good luck!
