New Teachers

It is a phenomenon of science that the greater the discrepancy between two objects or areas, the faster the transfer of materials between them. Two objects differing greatly in temperature will experience a rapid transfer of heat. Two solutions differing greatly in concentration will experience a rapid rate of diffusion. In two populations, disparate in age, should we expect the rapid transfer of knowledge?

Darn Tootin’. When looking at teachers and their students, people tend to expect that younger teachers have more of a “connection” with their students and can use that to build a productive rapport. We see movies about the young, brash teachers making a profound impact on the lives and learning of their students, while the ol’ farts exemplify everything that is wrong with the system. What a load of @%$#%. Young teachers are funny and it is no wonder that most don’t make it very long in education. I actually think it should be illegal for anyone under the age of 30 to be in control of a classroom. They just don’t have that certain look in their eyes yet that signals a true understanding of the education process.

You see it in the interview process. Just walking in the door is generally enough to tell you everything you need to know about a young teacher. The generally fall in to the extreme end of some personality category. They are overly confident or overly shy. They work too hard at being funny or at being serious. They are ridiculously strict or laughably easy. They have yet to find balance and that is critical for successful teaching. And the kids spot them as quickly as do their peers.

Kids are extremely difficult to fool. They respect one thing – honesty. If you are honest about yourself, you can do almost anything in the classroom and they will go along with the flow. If it is truly in your personality to be strict, they abide by your stringency. If they sense you are being strict because you are scared of them and worried about holding onto the classroom reins, they will work their wiles to crucify you. If you are honestly an easy teacher, they go along with it. If you are easy because you don’t really know your material or are worried about the kids not liking you, they will pick up this vibe and complain to their parents about the lack of learning in your class. Not to mention, they will manipulate you shamelessly during the year.

Young teachers are simply not sufficiently secure to present their real selves in the classroom. Their teacher preparation classes paint a certain picture of successful teachers and they are terrified that they do not fit the bill. It is not surprising that most new teachers live on the edge of nervous breakdowns. Nothing is the way they were told it would be and their insecurities build and build. The kids feed off this and the cycle continues. I’ve seen newbies descend into tears when a student proclaims that they hate the class. It is like when a new parent hears “I hate you” from their kid for the first time. Veterans know that the student is just trying to push a button or is acting out due to problems completely unrelated to the situation.

Old folks know the score. With that knowledge, they can devote more attention to actually teaching material than battling their personal demons. Does this mean that all veteran teachers are good teachers? Absolutely not. But one should never fall into the mindset that older teachers are minions of Satan. Even though some of us have a personal connection with the Dark Lord, that does not mean that we are the bane of students everywhere. Ignore the slightly sulfurous smell in our classrooms and you’ll find some righteous education going on…