Student Teaching: The Final Product (Part 1)

Wow, I haven't blogged in ages. That is because I was impossibly busy with student teaching at Streamwood High School. Don't worry, I didn't get to enjoy the following things as well: Exercising, watching TV, sleeping, being outside, anything. The following is my first of a series of blogs that will be relating to my student teaching experience. Some will be funny, others reflective, and still others just no bullshit ranting. Enjoy.

It's funny; most people get into teaching because they hate or fail at what they thought their dream was. I on the other hand have only further realized my dream after hating/failing at teaching.

Before we go any further however, I should explain that I did not fail at student teaching. I did fail to enjoy it as much as I thought I would though, which is all that really matters. It came to the point where I would seriously feel ill walking the steps of Streamwood high school at 7am every morning. It got to the point where I, Sam Wrobel, would lose my appetite for entire days. Most importantly, it got to the point where I would be writing lesson plans and think, "I have to fill another 10 minutes with some activity," whereas a teacher should say, "I only have 50 minutes with these kids today." It wasn't that I didn't like the kids- well that isn't entirely true, there were a few that I wasn't too fond of- I just enjoyed teaching them what I wanted to teach them, and not what the state of Illinois and the backwards U-46 school district wanted me to.

During my ten weeks of student teaching (and many more weeks of observing prior to) and working at Lynfred Winery (Woot!) I began to realize that finding a fulfilling career in educating does not have to mean forcing 16 year old students reading at a third grade level to sit somewhere they don't want to be, and hate you for making them. I found much more fulfillment sharing and educating on the joys of the fermented grape to adults than I did in for former scenario. 35 students packed into a small classroom with only a blackboard and a VCR (yes, a VCR) because the district can't afford to pay teachers is fucked up. The horse shit, bullshit and dog shit that teachers have to put up with from administrators and the district bureaucracy is fucked up. The fact that no child is left behind, and they are continually passed up along the food chain to become someone else's problem is fucked up. The fact that we have a young generation of "functioning illiterates" is fucked up.

So, fuck it. I'm gonna have a glass bottle of wine and salute those that are content to be teachers. If you'd like to join me, I can be found relaxing in a sedentary position at a small number of locations. One way or another, stay tuned...