Let me explain something to you-I am an urban educator, and I wear the badge with pride. My first year of teaching ended with me looking as I've just described. And yet, I came back for more--and more. To make it worse, I teach middle school!
OK, quit rolling your eyes. Yes, they're pains in the butt. Sure, they think they know everything. And yes, they're definitely more interested in each other and their social lives than they are in learning how to write a proper sentence. So what's a teacher to do?
Well, for starters, take a deep breath. Being an urban educator is the equivalent of being on a massive roller coaster on a full stomach. In one day, you will deal with heartaches, drama, broken dreams, 'aha' moments, and outright rebellion. And that's just in the first ten minutes of class!
All of the stories about teachers dropping out in the first five years of teaching make perfect sense to me, except I don't like being a statistic. I'm getting ready to begin my fifth year as an urban educator, and I've no intention of dropping out. See, unlike many of those 'drop out' teachers, I didn't start teaching at the age of 22, when there was a world of opportunity waiting to be explored. Instead, I came to teaching the hard way, from the parenting side, at the age of 40. And why urban education? Well, to make a long story short, because that's where they need me.
So what makes an urban educator? Let me see if I can lay it out for you in a way that makes sense. Here goes.
First, an urban educator needs to understand that kids are the same no matter where they live. I've taught in religious day schools, I've taught in middle-class suburban schools, I've taught in upper-middle class suburban schools, and I've taught in urban schools. Kids are kids. They will try everything in their power to disrupt the class when they are bored, will work hard for a teacher they respect, will respect a teacher who doesn't back down, and will fight for their rights until they are blue in the face, even when they know they won't win. Rule number one as an urban educator-they're the kids, you're the adult. They may not think so, but it's a fact.
