I Was a First Year Teacher: An Environment Built for Failure.

Back in 1999, I was substitute teaching. I still do so when my "real" job permits. In December of 1999 a principal told me that she liked my "no nonsense" style. She asked me to take over for a first-year teacher who had literally been driven to a nervous breakdown by her 5th grade class. I knew it would be tough, but I did not fully understand how tough. I took the job.

My first hint about how bad things were was that the departing teacher was a mess. I'm no Dr. Phil, but you could smell the depression on this young woman from twenty paces. The principal introduced us, then beat a hasty retreat beneath this departing teacher's glowering gaze. I helped her pack up and I got the feeling the two small cartons we filled were it. Her classroom was as barren as a windswept steppe in January. There was no classroom library, none of the usual encouraging or educational posters, and worse, no student work displayed.

Using my own money, and with the help of my wife and daughters (who were about 5th grade themselves) I prettied the place up with various posters and placards and other things we found at a local teacher supply store and other places. We built a small library and since I was also the Geography teacher for the entire 5th grade, I brought in a portion of my own collection of National Geographic magazines, and several large wall maps. All told, I put out something around $500 to turn this cell into a classroom. My pay as a first-year teacher was $900 a month after taxes. I can't imagine how a typical first-year teacher would outfit this room out of his or her own pocket.

My team "mentor," should've been my next hint. This lady had loads of experience. She was nearing retirement and seemed nice enough. But I could never get a straight answer out of her about how to do something. I would ask very direct questions such as "how do you think I should approach this kid, given his/her problems with fillintheblank?" Without fail, her reply would start with a blank stare followed by a vacuous response such as "whatever you think is the best approach."

Wait. What!?

Here was this designated "master" teacher, telling what was for all intents and purposes an inexperienced, first-year teacher to do whatever in the heck I thought was best? No wonder that other first-year teacher had had a breakdown. I was beginning to think I'd stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone.

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