Teaching

Teaching in NYC is one of the most difficult and rewarding things that you will ever do. I teach seventh grade Social Studies in a under performing school at the northern tip of Manhattan. The school has 97% free lunch and is primarily made up of Dominican immigrants. My students are all bi-lingual but speak English exceptionally well. I love my students, even though I want to strangle them on some days. J I attend Fordham University, which is exceptional. You do not get to choose your university and I hear that the experiences vary widely.



The application process was pretty basic. You had to do a 5 minute lesson (keep it very simple). I did Haiku poetry. Other people did introduction to fractions using 10 M&Ms. Then you are given a scenario that the school is failing and parents want answers on how you will fix it. You discuss solutions in a group and decide on the top three solutions. Then everyone must write a letter to the parents. I found this to be the worst part because there are no word processors. Think about your organization first and then write as fast as you can, there isn’t much time. The last part is an individual interview. They are looking for people who don’t quit easily and believe that all students can learn. I hear the applications are down this year, so if you don’t stick your foot in your mouth you are in.



The Fellows program and the NYC Department of Education are Extremely disorganized. I did get paid but my husband hasn’t been paid yet (he started in December). It took them four months to get me health insurance and I am still not on direct deposit. They change their mind all the time. At the beginning of the year, they informed me that I had to teach in the workshop model twice a week and last week they decided that I didn’t have to. The Board of Ed came to visit and cared more about my bulletin boards than my teaching. It is a crazy system and you just have to not get too worked up about it. Focus on your students and you will be fine.



The summer program is very intensive and only prepares you minimally for the real experience. Then they kind of desert you. The most important determinant of your experience will be the actual school in which you teach. You do have some choice in that. Make sure that you have a supportive administration. Also, you need to realize that you will not be teaching middle-class suburban kids. Your classes will never be perfectly quiet with students raising their hands and doing all of their work. They may truly want to learn but many have such horrible things going on outside. One of my students lives in a shelter in Queens and commutes almost two hours each way. Others have parents who are drug users or just don’t give a damn. You can become a surrogate parent to them. You just have to be consistent, firm and committed. Don’t make excuses for them and demand quality work. Most will come around and the rest will at least try more. On most days, I really feel that I have found my calling. On others, I just try to regroup and attack it from a different angle. My students are learning a lot. My husband has had a similar experience. He teaches eighth grade math in Washington Heights. His students are a little rougher and older than they should be (literally and figuratively). The hardest part is realizing just how little they actually know. The system has really let them down. That is where you come in…



Just know that it is probably one of the toughest jobs you will ever do. Also, learning to teach is a process and you will not be super teacher on your first day. Though, you can do a pretty good job. Just keep working and it will all start to fall into place. My husband got an email from one of his students thanking him for being such a great teacher and for caring so much. It came on a day in which he had felt like a failure. My mentor came to watch me teach and several students shouted “You’re a great teacher Mrs. Pecunia! You don’t need a mentor”. It felt good to hear but I was also grateful to have a mentor to help me improve even more.



Understand that the job of teaching continues long after the last bell rings. Lesson planning, phone calls and grading take a couple of hours a night. You will find your free time significantly limited. The next time someone mentions all the time I get off, I swear I will smack them! The graduate coursework isn’t overly strenuous. I already have a Master in Policy Analysis and found the coursework to be a lot easier. However, it can be difficult to juggle everything. Just be organized.