growNman
growNman
I am growNman 88. Embracing the Resilience of Educators: Navigating Professional Hurdles and Mastering the Craft of Teaching with Purpose and Dedication
Ever felt trapped in a job that doesn't ignite your passion? In this episode, I share my own compelling journey from social studies teacher to unexpected math instructor at Lansing Public Schools, and the professional dissatisfaction that followed. Despite excelling in classroom management, my heart yearned for roles beyond direct teaching. Listen as I navigate broken promises, a significant pay cut, and how these hurdles underscored the importance of communication, emotional control, and understanding in both professional and personal realms.
Experience the emotional highs and lows of a dedicated educator facing systemic issues in a profit-driven world. From tackling poor test scores to creating an inclusive learning environment, I reflect on the perseverance needed to thrive despite setbacks. This episode is a testament to the resilience required in teaching, the frustrations with administrative decisions, and the importance of continuing to improve as an educator. Through consistent effort and commitment, we explore how to master the craft of teaching and make a lasting impact. Don’t miss this inspiring discussion that urges you to "get after that action" and be great on purpose.
what up, though, and welcome back to I'm growing man. It's your man, john d, in the building. I got some news to say I'm leaving the current company I was with to go to another company well, go to lansing public schools. And I wanted to get on here and pretty much just tell my students kind of what happened and parents those of you that care to listen. I started with the company in the end of January of 22 of 23,.
Speaker 1:January of 23 started out as a social studies teacher. There's been like a leadership change so I'm just watching. They know that I'm certified. They had some people that was just pretty much warm bodies. You know they didn't get hired for this position but you know they were taken out of another position to fill this role because they needed people to teach the subject matter so they couldn't control the class. That asked me to take over the math class. So I take over the math class In my head, like I know that I could, I can control my classroom. So I wasn't worried about that, but I didn't really want to be a classroom teacher at that point. So I kind of finished out the year.
Speaker 1:I didn't kind of learn the way that they wanted me to do it because in my head I didn't. I didn't want to teach. Because in my head I didn't want to teach but I wanted to be in education. So they offered me a math specialist role because I told them I didn't want to teach and I felt like they knew that I'm pretty good at what I do as far as a presence. That's why, when I say that I'm good at what I do the presence like the students know. They know who I am because I try to.
Speaker 1:I try to give them the grace that they deserve, because they're kids and a lot of times as adults we don't have the patience because we have so many things going on in other places. And then we come here and we have to, like, teach these kids a subject area, but they don't even know how to just be kids. And we talk to them and they respond. I'm kind of how to just be kids and we talk to them and they respond. I'm kind of getting this tug of war and I got into the point where I tell them who I am. I'm like look, I'm human. I know that you're going to mess up because you're a kid, but this is how you respond. I give them a few options, because what I want them to do, I want them to start thinking so that their their responses, they have different responses that can deliver a result that they want, because a lot of times as humans, we don't know how to control our emotions and if we get mad we overreact and make a situation worse than it is.
Speaker 1:That's what I've learned through working on communication. If you are friends with somebody, nobody's going to intentionally disrespect you. If you asked enough questions, you would know maybe they were just scared. They didn't know how to tell you because they knew how you would respond, and it was like a combination of things why somebody wouldn't say things right. So you just got to know that if you had enough information, you wouldn't ever overreact because you already understand, you know why they're doing what they're doing, but we can't control our emotions, and when you can't control your emotions, it's unfortunately, it creates some bad practices amongst people when it comes to communicating.
Speaker 1:And I'm saying this just speaking in my own sense. Like me and my wife, I remember in the beginning I used to tell her like this is how I talk. You know she didn't say you could get better in my head. I'm like you married this person so I convinced her that it was okay because that's who I was. But if as a, as a person that's talking to somebody, like as a teacher talking to my students, if they don't receive the message, they're not going to get it. And I think think that the students this year because I started out as a math specialist this year and then I had to go right back in the classroom. But going back into the classroom I didn't want to remember. I told you that I got another job opportunity and this company decided that they wanted to compete and they paid me to stay. Decided that they wanted to compete and they paid me to stay. Now this is where it hurts me, because I do negotiations. I say, hey, this amount of money, I'm going to get this money and I need. Am I getting another year? The lady said absolutely. She said you'll even get a raise at the end of the year, depending on your evaluation. I said I need to know because I have this job on the table and I already know what I could go with that. She said I'm telling you. You got that. So in my head, I like the kids. So it was like icing on the cake. I got what I needed and I got to keep the kids.
Speaker 1:Three weeks into me working, I get an email that tells me I need to call somebody. I'm talking to somebody in HR and he told me that this rate that they gave me is only good in the school year. Like like, as a teacher, I get paid all year round. They told me that if I'm not teaching I don't get that rate. So now it hurts my heart because I'm like I turned down a job that I had and because she said this, so I tried to reach out to her. She never responded. That hurt too. So in my head I'm like okay, it's a business, I get it. So maybe a couple months later I get an email that says that my pay is going to be decreased after this year. So I got now. Mind you, this pay decrease was $16,000. $16,000, right. And I was like, oh my God, I missed out on a job and they ain't even giving me what they said they was going to give me. So in my head, something's going to work out. I believe the universe is going to come together. And all of this because at this point I'm really bothered.
Speaker 1:But I have a conversation and they say that the test scores of the kids were poor and I said I just got them in December. What did y'all expect? So they were poor. They were these students. They were given another opportunity to see if they had any type of girls. 62% of the students attained their goal. 62% 81% maybe showed growth. 81% showed growth. And this was just from that fall.
Speaker 1:I came in December that fall grade and then what I did in this test and I was like, wow, we can do some really good things next year. Like in my head, because I haven't taught math. I hadn't taught math in a long time. I've been an administrator for years but I had committed to myself that I was going to give them the best math teacher possible. So I had been working every day Like what can I do to get better at math? Try to make up, because you know, like I have a degree in math, a specialist, like I can do math, but to teach it it's a different animal. But I had started working on, I figured out my experience in education what can I do to get the most out of these kids? And I feel like I understood what I was going to do for next year. So, mind you, this is my head thinking, with all of this background noise of my money that's just disappearing as I walk.
Speaker 1:So it's the end of the school year and I decide I'm work summer school. So during summer school I feel like I actually realized that I'm not coming back to the school. So I had to find another position, which I did, which is even a pay decrease from what I originally was supposed to get. When I was going to leave the first time they lied to me Remember that hurts my heart, that nobody contacted me. But anyways, I get a job and then I put in my resigned.
Speaker 1:Now I want you to listen to this. This is the reason why education systems, when it's a profit, they don't even realize who they have, who they had. This school is by far a school of color. The administration doesn't have one person of color. It was two black men in the building by the time at the end of the year and neither one of us are coming back. They let me go because they didn't want to pay me the money that I was told I was supposed to get. And you know like I guess it bothers me because those kids deserve more and I really wish I could have given it to them. Now I believe, like they understand the formula. I just hope that whoever you know they they have, can create the environment where they can learn, because they're going to be math teachers, but to create an environment where the kids want to learn and it's a different experience. So I came on here to just say, like, as a business, a profit business you would think that they would have done everything they could to keep me there. You know, I didn't even say this.
Speaker 1:So I got there January of 23, the eighth grade class. When I was there, I was their sixth math teacher Six. I came in when I was a social studies teacher. They had two people in there and then I became the third one. So then this year, remember, I became a specialist. They got a new teacher. That person quit. They end up getting an online teacher and then it became me again Six math teachers. And I'm going to tell you, even last year's math teacher, with the person I was in my head I wasn't going to go back into teaching. So I wasn't. I wasn't like working on my craft. So this year when I went back in the classroom, I was working on the craft, so the kids got a whole different math teacher.
Speaker 1:And then when I'm thinking like if the world and this business is talking about inclusion and diversity, it's crazy to me. You can let me walk away. You know, like I don't know, I guess I'm just disappointed. You know, my wife was like you know it's a profit business. You know this is nothing to them and I just thinking like it's, but it's education. Like you know, we here to like try to pour into other people, kids, and they just trying to take the dollar and not even understand what the point is.
Speaker 1:And then not only that, like I have so much experience. Like this is like one of the best schools I ever worked for, too. Like this is literally one of the best schools I've been in. I think they do. I do believe they support the teacher in the way that I do. Like just looking at all the schools that I've been in, like I do believe they they support, they support that, but they don't care about the experience that goes into it.
Speaker 1:Like I was in Orlando and Atlanta and then I went abroad. Like I have so much experience, it would seem like you, lucky, you get me for this cheat and then you don't even like that's. I don't understand. Like is it? It can't be about the kid, it has to be the prophet, because you promised this and then you know the wife says she was gonna do whatever she could to keep you in that school. She was willing to lie and then I was like we had education, I got a family, and then I'm just like I don't. I don't know how to look at that. That's why, to me, like I'm no, like somebody like me, the administration is too young to realize who I am. Like I was really working on my craft.
Speaker 1:I wanted to be a really good math teacher. I'm still going to become a really good math teacher, but I'm talking about one of the math teachers where kids were like they know they're good because Mr Lewis is constantly getting better in math. Mr Lewis is constantly getting better in math. Like that's like I wanted. I wanted to at least give these at least these kids that I was going to have this year, because the most difficult part about teaching is like creating the culture where the kids buy into it. I got kids to buy into it and like it wasn't important enough. The reason why I said administration is too young, because if I was an administrator and I see there's no way I let him get away. Oh, we need him, but they're so young that they don't know what the room to fight for. And I'm not going to tell anybody what to fight for, because this is a learning experience for them. Because this is a learning experience for them, they hope that they can run across another black male math teacher that wants to, that wanted to do it, but I didn't even write people up. The people I wrote up it was because I had to write them up. You can go.
Speaker 1:If y'all talk to anybody in that school, everybody knew that I enjoyed going to work. I did. Even when I came home, I enjoyed Me and my wife used to talk about the school because I enjoyed going there. So, and you know what, check this out. This is no lie. There's nothing they could do to get me to come back Like I was thinking what could it be? This is going to have to be a learning lesson for them. And you know, I know I love those students, but as a company, you have to pay a little better attention of your talent Like middle school math teacher. Those are difficult, they difficult.
Speaker 1:And then you find one that wanted to come back and you woof check this out. You go to any middle school man, I mean middle school and find out about the turnover rate, math, the ones that don't leave because they know how to do it. But the school that I'm going to, I'm excited about it. I know I may not look like it, but I'm excited because I believe I could do, I could move a little faster because I was just. That was like the smallest, like measurement of me thinking I know what I can turn the culture of some kids around Like I didn't. I had them like five months. You know and you know what. I'm going to check this out. I'm teaching summer school now, by the time y'all get this out, it'll probably be my last day. It'll be yeah, so you got it. My last week will have already happened and like they made me feel like I was special.
Speaker 1:I've never like, like I've always had great relationships in schools, but this I don't know. These group of kids, I don't know. I think it was more because my intentional reasons of trying to become better made me feel like if you have a little patience, you know you can, you can reach a kid Like I tell you this some of these, these kids, they got way more information than me, than I like as an adult. I tried to give them, I tried to pour in them. Y'all talked to any of them kids, they'll tell you I was trying to get a mirror. I said I want y'all to have what my kids have, but I only got about an hour so they can only get so much. But they know I was trying, I got in their face. But you know I got in their face because I need them to know that we're on the same team.
Speaker 1:Some of the toughest kids. They'll tell you, like he always said, we was on the same team. Like they kids. They supposed to act like kids. So we can't be acting like kids if we want them to be mature, and that's what I realize. Kids make us act immature sometimes and they miss the message If we can't remain cool when they act like a kid. We need to evaluate how we approach teaching, even parenting, scaring kids. They can be quiet, but are they learning? Are they receiving the message?
Speaker 1:Took me a long time to realize that, but I do believe that kids love structure and that's another thing. I think what separates really good teachers from good teachers is. There's a structure that everybody knows. I'll give you an example. This is this is classroom management 101. And people don't even talk about this, but I know this works for a fact Nobody's allowed to open a door without my permission.
Speaker 1:Nobody's allowed to be near the door unless they throw paper away. But even if somebody's at that door and it's an adult, they can't open a door without asking for my permission. I said I don't care who on the other end, if it's an adult that can get in there, use their keys. Other than that, you turn around and ask me. And you know what this does Like. Everybody knows that rule, but what it does is it reduces that door opening.
Speaker 1:When you turn your back because nobody's supposed to be by the door, you just like create a culture where kids can be by the door. You see kids in and out. Kids don't sneak out of my room and when they do, maybe they needed to do it. You know, and I don't go look for you because I feel like this I'm trying to give you everything I can. If I'm coming to look for you, it's taken away from all the other ones, and all the other ones are more important right now because I'm here to teach math and my students know that. They know I'm trying to give them everything. That was something that teachers need to know. This is something all teachers should know. That was some real game right there.
Speaker 1:Don't let anybody open that door without your permission Nobody. I don't care who's on the other side it could be their parent, it could be assistant principal, it could be the principal. Do not. And they can point down and they need to look back and say hey, mr Lewis, is it all right if I open the door? Oh, for sure, because it creates a protocol in the classroom where, if that door opens, like everybody knows, like they're looking at me, because they know and you know I'll tell you this, it's.
Speaker 1:You know, kids aren't perfect, but it's. This is the best times, like when you catch them and I'll be like this who opened my door? And they'd be like I'm sorry, no problem, just next time don't do it, keep it moving. And they'll do it two or three more times because they're just not thinking. And you know, sometimes teachers can get mad, like you're doing this on purpose, like no kid wants to get an adult mad on purpose, but this is the type of teacher that they're losing, the one that was really trying to figure out the formula to like becoming really good at this. They dropped the ball. I know that sounds scary, but they dropped the ball. And they sounds scary but they dropped the ball and they still was underpaying me, like what I'm really getting underpaid now. But you know, it is what it is. If I was as good as I thought that way, me getting paid like this, right, so apparently I played the wrong way or something, because the way that I'm thinking now, if I was like this in the beginning, yeah, we wouldn't be right here right now.
Speaker 1:Like I understand, I understand to all teachers. If you look for for the weekends or you look forward to holidays, vacations, and you're not working on your craft, then it's a job. But if you work on your craft, no matter what, it starts to look different. When you work on your craft every day, like I say, okay, you don't have no kids, you need rest, you need to be working on your craft. It's that important. If you want to be cold, I know they be talking about test. I know they be talking about test or master teachers. You do this or whatnot.
Speaker 1:There's a level of mastery that you can't get unless you work on it every single day. Like at some point you understand what works and what doesn't work. You know the effort you got to put into it. But if you, if you don't approach teaching like that, it's probably the reason why we're underpaid and people say teachers need more money. I don't know anybody who really do that. That's why NBA players make a lot of money or professional whatever. They work on their stuff every day. Why teachers don't do that. Because we don't approach it the same way. And that's just my opinion, right? My opinion is like this I've seen so much growth in me as a teacher from the way that I approach it now, teaching math, I look at it like if I work on it every day.
Speaker 1:At some point I got to become really good at it. I look at it like as far as playing in sports, everybody they got this routine. You find teachers that do that. They different. They kids different. And I'm not saying that there aren't good teachers out there that don't do that, but I know if you do this, you different. And, like I said, I've only done it for like four or five months and I've grown that much as a teacher that I wish I would have taken it seriously like this in the beginning, because there's a level of mastery in teaching that I know can happen. Just got to work toward it. I just, I just hope maybe young people end up going into teaching, maybe young people will end up going into teaching. They approach it like that Because if you can teach somebody anything, if you really understand how to do that, people will see growth everywhere. So put that work in Everybody. So that is the teacher that they're losing or lost.
Speaker 1:Honestly, I feel like if I was rich I would go get compensated for the money that they promised me. I really would, and I would do that just on the principle, not that it can't help me, but I just feel like profit companies take advantage when I know that their intent is to make money, but they do want to make a difference. I just don't feel like I was treated fairly and I lost a job because they promised me. They promised me and they continue to change all of the information. And now I'm here.
Speaker 1:But this wasn't a plea for me to go back, because I wouldn't go back, I really wouldn't. I would't. I would stand firm on that. I think my students would understand that this company is going to have to learn just to be more aware of their talent. They still don't know the talent that they have in the building. But when you're dealing with a profit company, we're just I don't know. I hope we're making a difference, but y'all make today better than yesterday. Don't worry about anything you can't control. G A, t, a. Get after that action or that action will get after you. Be great on purpose.