Reflection

In preparation for my interview (scheduled for July 8th!) I have been thinking a lot about potential interview questions I may be asked and reflecting on the things I have learned in my teacher prep courses.  I have also been reading up on classroom management procedures (Thank you Harry Wong!) and strategies to close the achievement gap in American schools.  I have been pouring over one question that until recently was a struggle for me to answer: "Why do I want to teach in a very urban school district?"  

For a while the reasons generally had to do with the "things to do" in the surrounding areas and the sight seeing that can be done, to be honest.  I know that might not be the right thing to think but that was my gut reaction.  Then I took a step back and told myself, "Wait!  You are not going there on a vacation... you will be living and working there!"  Then reality set in when I told a couple close friends that I got an interview for the DC schools and the replying text message I got in response said one word only, "Deathtrap".  Wow, thanks!  That is exactly what I want to hear in preparation for my interview... Not.

After reading several articles about urban schools (since that was not a topic we talked about in my teacher prep classes) I quickly realized that why I wanted to teach in an urban school is the same reason that I wanted to teach period.  

Many people that I went to school with wanted to teach in exactly the environment that they went to school in, which was largely suburban, middle class neighborhoods.  That is fantastic for those schools because they are given a plethora of teachers to choose from and hire to work in their schools.  However, what happens to rural and urban schools then?  Don't get me wrong, urban schools definitely have their share of problems: achievement gaps, violence, poverty, lack of resources for students and teachers, irrelevant content, students from very emotionally draining backgrounds, and more.  But then it hit me... why would I not want to teach in that environment?

It sounds weird to family and friends that I talk to when I come to that conclusion but that is the honest answer I feel in my heart.  Every day in education, teachers have the chance to make a difference in their students' lives.  That could be with the education they provide or a number of other things that students are not getting from outside of the classroom.  Suburban, rural and urban... that opportunity is there.  However, what better place to have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others but in an urban school.  The students in those schools arguable need more support than other students because many of them do not receive the necessary support outside of the classroom.  Moreover, if there are those problems with the school district, what will be solved if educators turn their backs on the school to look for other places to work?  Nothing that I can see.  

I know that I have many hoops to jump through before I get a job, even when I already have an interview lined up.  To be honest, I am not getting my hopes up that the DC interview will lead to anything more than the initial phone call (first of 3 interviews) because there are a number of applicants.  All I can do is do my best to convey my passion and love for education and hope for the best.  When the job is the right fit for me, my ideals and enthusiasm will match up with the district and then I will know I have found it.  Until then, I can keep researching and learning more and more about the field I will hopefully soon enter, more prepared than ever.