When I graduated from college with a degree in political science…
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
When I graduated from college with a degree in political science in 1985, I had no clear idea what I wanted to do, job-wise. Shortly thereafter, I became a substitute teacher in the L.A. Unified School District’s southern section. I did not have a teaching credential or any real training. This was part of the “emergency credential” program L.A. Unified was using to address the severe teacher shortage they faced.
Hilarity ensued.
It was very much a learn-as-you-go, sink-or-swim situation. Unsurprisingly, the first school at which I “taught”, Washington High in Culver City, never asked me back again. But pretty quickly I figured out the basics, and over time acquired a repertoire of classroom-control techniques that, if they lacked theoretical rigor, at least had the attribute of having proven themselves in real-world situations.
One example: On more than one occasion I obtained complete compliance and enthusiastic engagement with the day’s lesson by striking the following bargain: If the entire class completed the assignment I would, in the final minute of the period, get on top of the table at the front of the room and do the big-shoe dance.
If memory serves, I only ever actually did it twice (during substitute assignments at Gardena High). But the fact that I once had, and might conceivably do it again some day, became part of this weird folklore that attached itself to me among Gardena students, who regularly asked for it.
Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/48746798087.
