School Teacher

School Teacher

MissHoney

Chicago, IL

Female, 33

Changing lives and saving the world. I've taught various grade levels in MA, CA, and IL., always at schools with progressive education philosophies. So I've done zip-lines & ropes courses, traveled abroad with students, taught Sex Ed, done service work, performed in teacher-student talent shows, and initiated lots and lots of dialogue about friendships. The longer I taught, the more I realized it's the emotional and social lives of kids, rather than the subject I teach, that I really dig.

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44 Questions

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Last Answer on December 22, 2012

Best Rated

Do most teachers take the summer off, or do they work other jobs during that time?

Asked by RyGuy about 13 years ago

I don't think there's a “most” because there are so many different types of teachers: teachers who are parents, teachers who are single, teachers with huge graduate school debts, and/or teachers who work at higher-paying schools. Most teachers do *something* during the summer. It may be a job, it may be parenting kids who are off for the summer, or it may be pursuing graduate work or professional development. I think very few teachers spend the entire summer watching TV, at least amongst those I've worked with. Even if teachers aren't working a second job, we meet and plan curriculum, go to workshops, attend courses, or travel. I worked... Read More +

When you hear something as tragic as the Connecticut story today, does that alone make you never want to set foot in a classroom again?

Asked by so, so saddened... about 12 years ago

I'm sorry for the delay. I wanted to take time to process and consider without just replying through pure emotion. Because I have been just so, so sad this week. My honest answer is no. Sadly, I can say no because I was training to be a teacher when Columbine happened. And since then, there were at least four others I can think of off the top of my head before Sandy Hook. Are you a bit rattled? Sure. I can fully and totally reconcile the statistical chance of me being harmed in my classroom or my students being harmed or there being an incident in my school being very, very, very low. Years of being afraid of flying have made me better... Read More +

Every few years I hear some education pundit clamoring for year-round schooling, primarily to "catch up" to the schooling of other cultures. Do you love or hate the idea?

Asked by Detentionagain about 13 years ago

Oooph. You want to get me blacklisted with my teacher friends? So. The traditional (as in one room) school year is based on the farm cycle. Did you know that? So, crops get harvested, kids are no longer needed as much...ship them off to school till the Summer planting season. We were an agrarian society and families needed kids as labor at specific times. And school days are sometimes dependent on bus schedules and things like that (while teens need more sleep they can also wait safely for a bus in the pre-daylight hours while an elementary kid can't as easily, hence the younger you are the later your day tends to start.) Many schools... Read More +

A couple months ago a teacher in California was fired when her porn past was discovered (http://fxn.ws/JxFgVi). Do you think this was fair?

Asked by BX over 12 years ago

Oh.Hmm.Can I skip this one?? Here's the thing. I teach Civics. And Ethics. So I'm clearly a nerd who never did much wrong. I don't speed. I pick up litter. I return my shopping cart EVERY time to the shopping cart thing in the parking lot. I do. I never downloaded music illegally. And I knew I wanted to be a teacher forever. And I vote and do good things because I want to model that for my kids. I don't even complain about jury duty. I LIKE JURY DUTY. And so, I'm going to do the magic teacher trick. Instead of answering a question I just don't know the answer to, I'm going to turn it back on you. Sorry, buddy. I believe in the redemptive... Read More +

How do you see parents failing in aiding their children's education?

Asked by Jonna about 13 years ago

Most of my teaching has been in independent schools with well-to-do families. In that environment, over-protection is hands down the most prevalent parent-related issue that I see hampering kids. It’s totally understandable that parents would advocate for and protect their child. As a mother, I understand. But many parents so badly want their children to succeed that they prevent them from ever failing. Along with protecting them, parents have to help them build self-reliance, resiliency, and a sense of consequence. If a kid forgets an assignment, they'll bring it up to school. I've seen one mom at school almost every day for the last... Read More +

With so much new technology, are kids coming up with more sophisticated ways to cheat?

Asked by Merideth about 13 years ago

Fabulous question. Yes. And, eh. So, technology is so much more than things with cameras and wireless. I imagine every teacher has quietly cursed against every technological advancement. While they all make teaching better, easier, and more effective (truly), that means every clever student who wants to cheat has a new tool. Phones I'm sure caused stress a hundred years ago when they were rotary dials! But, the internet, for example, is a middle schooler's best and worst friend. So many kids who don't understand original research (or who don't want to) are caught by the beauty of Google. If a phrase in a paper sounds too sophisticated,... Read More +

Do most teachers aim to become administrators, or do they prefer to remain in the classroom?

Asked by jrock83 about 13 years ago

That's a tough call because administration means many things. There are administrators who manage/oversee teachers, those who deal primarily with parents, those who deal with students, and then those that work at an intersection of those groups. Most teachers stay in the classroom, and if they leave teaching, they may stay in education (reform, policy, training). Growth is also in the classroom so it's easy to feel challenged with each new year (new technology, a new crop of students, new units to teach, new opportunities for collaboration). There are also administrators who've never taught in the classroom (my personal belief is that... Read More +