The Politics of Teaching Politics
22 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
‘We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control’ -Pink Floyd
Teaching, a rewarding profession that everyone benefits from. In New York, there is a blatant need for good teachers that will help educate the future of dismal America. But, as with everything, politics is a strong force even in the humblest of professions. How can we provide ‘good’ education when so many other factors corrupt the minds of young professionals?
Upon graduation in 2008, I received a somewhat lucrative offer from a school district. I naturally took the position in order to jump start my career as an educator. I thought that I would actually be helping students become model citizens of America. About a third of the way through the school year, I realized that this would not be happening.
Three Village School District is situated on the North Shore of Long Island in a fairly wealthy part of town (you can make your own assumptions if you like). The district, like many others is a naturally competitive one, but not in the way that most of us think. When we think of school competition, we think sports and academics. While there was a fair amount of this going on, the bigger competition was, which persons pockets will be fatter by the end of the year. Three Village works very much like a cut-throat corporation, stepping on everyone’s foot each step of the way.
By December, my idealist teaching philosophies were thrown out of the window and I was bogged down by more mundane matters such as the color of my skin and how much money I had in the bank. When none of those aspects met the Three Village standard, I was cast down as an outsider; backs were now turned. While I loved all of the students that I was teaching, I began to develop a hatred for almost every adult. Is this what edcation should be about?
We all know the answer to that question but, this is the way of the teaching world (in most schools anyway). Many of the students at Three Village suffered as a result. Their high school experience did not prepare them for life, instead the district prepared them for a life of superficial expectations. While some benefited from my ‘real world’ attitude, others just fell victim to the Three Village vacuum.
There are also many other aspects that one would not expect to find in a school district such as racism, sexual harassment, nepotism and prejudice. My question is, how are we as educators supposed to successfully teach in an environment such as this. One of my colleagues told me that you have to ‘play their game’ and get used to the fact of being a pawn of society. These words of wisdom became my survival kit for the upcoming months.
Since my position at Three Village was not secure, it was blatant that I would have to interview again for the position. This process was like a circus. The administration sees fit to intimidate every member of their staff. So, the interview consisted of ten to twelve people asking you every sort of non- essential question one can think of. For example ‘What were the last three books that you have read?’ If someone could tell me how this pertains to being a good teacher, I would be greatly indebted to them! In short, I was sabotaged by people who formed prejudice opinions of me.
Three village did not hinder my goals as a teacher, but instead made me question everyone’s motive for entering the profession.
If I had to do it all over again, I would not change anything because my first year as a teacher has taught me many things. Being an effective teacher takes courage because one must shy away from the institutionalized state that most school districts want you to follow. We as educators do have a path to follow, to make education a unique and purposeful experience. Teachers cannot flourish if the politics clout our vision, one must overcome these obstacles and stand up for their beliefs. While the teachers of Three Village deserve credit for putting up with such disservices, I happily live my life away from the maddening crowd.
