TEACHER APPLICANT
After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager
teaching prospect said,
"Let me see if I've got this right
You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their
every waking moment with a love for learning.
And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity,
modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse
and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.
You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted
diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and
raise their self esteem.
You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship,
sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a
checkbook, and how to apply for a job.
I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment,
recognize signs of anti-social behavior, offer advice, write letters
of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage
respect for the cultural diversity of others, and oh, make sure that
I give the girls in my class fifty percent of my attention.
My contract requires me to work on my own time after school,
evenings and weekends grading papers. Also, I must spend my summer
vacation, at my own expense, working toward advance certification
and a Masters degree.
And on my own time you want me to attend committee and faculty
meetings, PTA meetings, and participate in staff development
training. I am to be a paragon of virtue, larger than life, such
that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and
respectful of authority.
You want me to incorporate technology into the learning experience,
monitor web sites, and relate personally with each student. That
includes deciding who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable
to commit a crime in school.
I am to make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, even
those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their
assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with
handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their
mental or physical handicap.
And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter,
telephone, newsletter and report card.
All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few
books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that
qualifies my family for food stamps!
You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me......
NOT TO PRAY