My Second Year Teaching

I almost left teaching after the disaster that was my first year, but I had a thought that, maybe, I could do better if I didn’t start halfway through. So, I decided teach one more time and give it another chance. Starting from the beginning, one full year, I would do better.

I had the books that had been recommended to me: THE First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (Book & DVD) and THE Classroom Management Book. I had the experience of one miserable year and several ways that I thought I could do better. And, I had a mentor.

The New Teacher

A new math teacher was brought in to help take over for another math teacher I didn’t know who retired. She was also brought on to cover my honors classes, so I only taught 8th grade math that year instead of 7th honors, 8th, and 8th Algebra. It made life easier for me by cutting back on the amount of prep I had to do as a new teacher.

At first, I just knew she existed. But, very quickly we ended up becoming friends. She had been teaching for several years, and had even been friends with the teacher I had taken over for. She’d been in a charter school before coming to our middle school, but got bored and wanted a challenge.

This teacher, I’m going to call her Mrs. Smith, was a life saver for me. Whenever I had difficulties figuring out where and what I wanted to do, she helped me. When I struggled with Classroom Management, she could give personalized help knowing the school resources and strategies for the community.

Through her, I learned an important lesson about my disastrous first year. My failures, and my struggles, were normal. Furthermore, many of my difficulties were not my fault.

My Difficulties Were Not My Fault

If I had been a more experienced teacher, there was probably a lot of damage that could have been mitigated. However, there was also a lot that was out of my control. As a beginning teacher, I didn’t know this. I thought that I was solely responsible for my class, but it wasn’t just me.

Mrs. Smith began working with the teacher’s union in that school, and soon told me about how many issues the politics of the school had. There was an ‘in group’ and there was an ‘out group’ and if you were in the ‘out group’ you weren’t wanted or helped. The entire math department, except for the Department Head and one new 6th grade teacher, was in the ‘out group’.

It wasn’t just at our school either, it was a district wide problem. Our Superintendent decided that all students would pass Math, no matter what they did. Her exact words were: “No one should be held back just because they failed math”. I was being forced to pass students who couldn’t multiply to Algebra. They had been forced to 8th grade without the ability to add. The problems these students were facing were compounding, not getting easier.

I later found documented evidence that the vice principal had lied multiple times to make me appear like a lousy teacher. For example, I checked out a computer cart from the library. Then, when I went to return it, the librarian had me send it to another teacher. I had emails showing that teacher had the computer cart for a week before the vice principal decided to file a report, claiming I had mismanaged the computers and they were now damaged and a mess (while the computers were with the other teacher).  Of course, I reported it to the teacher's union right away, sending them everything I had found.

I learned to recognize a Toxic Work Environment

This wasn’t the only issue, but was one of many. Under the guidance of Mrs. Smith, I began learning how to recognize the signs of a toxic work environment. I began gathering evidence of the many issues and attempts to undermine me, and turning them over to the Teacher’s Union.

Mrs. Smith, as our school rep, continually assured me that I was not alone. She told me that the ‘in group’ at the school was doing all kinds of things behind the scene to make anyone in the ‘out group’ try to leave. We had a teacher who used to be a University Professor relegated to ISS watch all day. A retired engineer had multiple stink bombs set off in his classroom, and the student responsible was barely given a reprimand. Trustworthy students reported that office employees told them, and the trouble makers, that they didn’t have to listen to certain teachers.

I recognized that I did enjoy teaching, but I didn’t enjoy teaching there and they didn’t want me there. Having the vice principal insult me to my face multiple times pretty much sold me on not returning. I turned in my resignation, and, at the end of the year, I left with Mrs. Smith’s encouragement.

Mrs. Smith was a big proponent of charter schools, so I thought, why not give them a try? For my third year, I wanted a complete change of environment and applied for a charter high school.

I hope you found this article helpful in your adventures in teaching. To support this blog and teaching resources, please donate on Patreon or check out my store on TeachersPayTeachers. Thank you for your time and let me know if the information I gave you was helpful by leaving a comment or review below. Have a wonderful day! ~Ashley Van Reynolds