A Reluctant Disciplinarian in the Trenches
Last week I read Gary Rubinstein’s book, The Reluctant Disciplinarian, and was pleased by his self-effacing look at his first year of teaching. He seemed a perfect example of a teacher whose students, “Ate his lunch.” When he recounts his laxity about classroom procedure, rules, and even personal dress, I cringed. He was certainly ready to teach mathematics, but in no way was he ready to teach students.
In the book, Rubinstein described his carefree student teaching days, where his students were careful not to mess with the new guy lest they incur the wrath of their “real teacher.” This calls to mind the idyllic teaching situation we MTC first-years are presently enjoying at Lafayette High and Oxford Middle. The building is immaculate, students are respectful, and we have plenty of support from our fellow teachers and administrators. Everything is run like a military war game, meant to prepare us for the harsh realities of conflict: specifically, teaching at a poor school in Mississippi. Sadly, just as a military simulation cannot tell a soldier how they will react in combat, the student teaching experience in Oxford does not represent the real challenges of being a teacher in a critical needs area.
If MTC teachers do not learn from the mistakes and advice of people such as Rubinstein, we will be as miserable and frustrated in our attempts to teach as he was. He advocates consistency, discipline, and preparedness, and I believe these are three traits that must be modeled by teachers. The students waiting for us in August when the school year starts are every bit as capable of making our lives challenging as though who tormented Rubinstein his first year. Perhaps even more so. But hopefully, if we prepare ourselves for battle with an intelligent plan, we will be able to avoid the terrors that Rubinstein experienced. As for myself, I do not plan to be a reluctant disciplinarian: I plan to be a resourceful classroom manager. Now I just need to decide on an appropriate exit strategy.
In the book, Rubinstein described his carefree student teaching days, where his students were careful not to mess with the new guy lest they incur the wrath of their “real teacher.” This calls to mind the idyllic teaching situation we MTC first-years are presently enjoying at Lafayette High and Oxford Middle. The building is immaculate, students are respectful, and we have plenty of support from our fellow teachers and administrators. Everything is run like a military war game, meant to prepare us for the harsh realities of conflict: specifically, teaching at a poor school in Mississippi. Sadly, just as a military simulation cannot tell a soldier how they will react in combat, the student teaching experience in Oxford does not represent the real challenges of being a teacher in a critical needs area.
If MTC teachers do not learn from the mistakes and advice of people such as Rubinstein, we will be as miserable and frustrated in our attempts to teach as he was. He advocates consistency, discipline, and preparedness, and I believe these are three traits that must be modeled by teachers. The students waiting for us in August when the school year starts are every bit as capable of making our lives challenging as though who tormented Rubinstein his first year. Perhaps even more so. But hopefully, if we prepare ourselves for battle with an intelligent plan, we will be able to avoid the terrors that Rubinstein experienced. As for myself, I do not plan to be a reluctant disciplinarian: I plan to be a resourceful classroom manager. Now I just need to decide on an appropriate exit strategy.
posted by Joel Hebert at 9:52 AM
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