Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans by Rafe Esquith

Author:Rafe Esquith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2017-04-24T11:44:41+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Leave Some Children Behind

Leave no child behind.

It’s a lovely sentiment. It’s one of those righteous expressions that belongs on the wall with Clean water for all and Cancer is a bad thing. No one wants to leave a child behind.

But we should. Some children need to be left behind. Not the ones who are struggling with the material, or whose problems make focused learning difficult, but there are students who have not earned the right to move forward.

We have created situations where children do not understand that actions have consequences. School systems, under fire from all corners, have become desperate to please everyone. In doing so, they hurt the very children they are supposed to be helping.

If we stand in the shoes of a child in today’s school system, it is easy to see how a ten-year-old has internalized a sense of entitlement. He did not have to apply to go to his public school. His only requirement for admission was to live in the neighborhood. He wakes up in the morning and saunters into school, where he receives a free breakfast. When the 8:00 bell rings, he is rounded up to get to class. If he does not have materials, paper and pencil are frequently handed out. Books are free. Hopefully, he will do his best during the morning sessions, but even if he is rude to his teacher and mean to his peers, he is given a free lunch at 12:15 P.M.

Even the most incorrigible children get to keep coming. The most serious consequence for unacceptable behavior is usually a scolding from an administrator or a teacher. The effects of such punishments wear off quickly.

When it comes to tough love, I learned my lesson the hard way. When I was a very young teacher, I dreamed of taking my class to Washington, D.C. At the time, my school ran on a year-round schedule, which meant my students were on break from school in November. It’s a fantastic month to take kids to our nation’s capital. The weather is beautiful, the crowds are gone, and the kids spend glorious autumn days learning about their country and discovering the beauty of our nation.

My first attempt to take students seemed to get off on the right foot. A supervisor downtown even wrote my class a personal check to help make the trip happen. I made many mistakes on this initial adventure. Our itinerary was too full, and I had not yet learned to be flexible if the weather didn’t cooperate. Still, I did a few things right. The kids were well prepared both scholastically and socially. They were ready to fly on a plane, stay in a hotel, and ride public transportation with courtesy and confidence.

But I made one huge mistake. My principal called me into his office a couple of weeks before the trip. A parent had complained because I was not taking her child. Ironically, this child had a biblical name, but I assure you, any connection between his namesake and his character ended there.

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