My Worst Year of Teaching!

We hosted our first "Ask the Author" phone sessions at the beginning of this month and I really enjoyed speaking with several teachers and parents. One call, however, resonated very deeply with me. It was with a teacher from Minnesota who originally had a specific product question. As she explained her situation, however, she made a striking comment. "I am trying my best, but many parents want to blame everything on me!" Her voice cracked as she said it. I felt her pain. I've been there before!

The summer after I married, I moved to a new part of town and began looking for a new job. I quickly learned that finding a job is all about who you know. Being new to town, I knew no one. September had come and gone with no luck and I was very discouraged. One day, I made a bold networking move (which is another story for another day) and connected with a principal who needed a teacher for her fifth grade classroom.

While waiting in her office for an interview, three different people popped in, each advising me to get out of there. Interestingly, each of them described the group as, "The class from (and then they sank into a whisper) H-E-L-L!"

For better or worse, I was offered the job and I poured my heart and soul into it. But the months that followed were the longest of my life! The classroom was a disaster. Mouse droppings poured out of the storage cabinets, interlaced with throngs of clutter left by the previous teacher. There were no textbooks or established curriculum of any kind. There were no teachers with whom I could team because the school only had one fifth-grade classroom. I had to create all materials from scratch.

For a few months, I did not leave that building before 9 PM. I got the classroom in order. I developed curriculum materials for math, language arts, science, and social studies. I had things humming.

But, it was not long before the vultures dove in. The Nasty Parents.

Every day quickly became a battle. This specific group of parents challenged every decision I made, every assignment I created, and every routine I put in place. "What took you so long to start teaching here?" they asked. (As if I voluntarily opted out of a job for six weeks.) "Why is it taking you two weeks to grade their work?" (Did I mention I had to create EVERYTHING from scratch?) They were undermining discipline in the classroom. (If the parents did not respect me, why would their children?) As the months went on, things escalated. Eventually, they approached the superintendent to complain and petition to have me fired.

The superintendent came to visit me and assure me that everything was okay. "I kept asking them why they were upset," she said. "I asked what you were specifically doing that they didn't like, but they couldn't come up with anything. The most specific complaint they had is that you make them write sentences with their spelling words!"

She went on to explain that this group of parents had a history of causing problems. Their children had all been in the same class since kindergarten and the parents had been trouble-makers for years. Not only did these parents have a bad reputation, but their anger was escalating because the school was scheduled to be closed at the end of the year. I basically stepped into a No-Possible-Chance-of-a-Win situation.

Thankfully, prior to arriving at that school, I had two years of successful teaching experience under my belt. Without that prior, POSITIVE experience, I would FOR SURE have left the profession thinking I was an utter failure. There are no words to properly convey what it feels like to pour yourself into something, only to have it routinely, systematically, and heartlessly squashed by others. I felt like I was going crazy!

Many people asked why I didn't leave. There were a few reasons: First and foremost, I needed an income. Secondly, I did not have a "Plan B." Third, I wasn't about to let them get the best of me!

But, they were getting the best of me. My health quickly deteriorated. I have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis; that year caused my worst flare-up! Every morning, my hands and legs were so stiff I could not grasp anything and could barely walk. My husband would start shower water for me, then walk me to the bathroom. We had only been married for a few months and his formerly vibrant and reasonably healthy wife was now walking worse than his 90 year-old grandmother!

I couldn't squeeze shampoo bottles, so he would patiently wait outside of the shower and pour shampoo into my gnarled hands when I was ready. After a long, hot shower, I could eventually flex my fingers and walk normal. The only sign to the outside world that I was struggling was rapid weight loss. Generally, that is a welcomed side-effect, but not at this expense.

The director of human resources for my school district was willing to grant me a medical leave. In fact, she was the one who noticed the weight loss more than anyone. "Every time I see you, you've disappeared more," she once said.

I was eager to get out, but reluctant to give up. Every time I hit a point where I didn't think I could take any more, we reached a scheduled break...Christmas, winter break, and spring break. The short reprieves were just enough to get me through.

Eventually, one fateful day, a student in my class brought a cap gun to school. (Again, another story for another day.) But, that episode turned the Nasty Parents' attention off of me and on to our principal. I felt bad for her, but it gave me a reprieve from their wrath!

The end of the school year turned out to be a great success. With cooperation from my class, we implemented a "Mini City" economic initiative that integrated all subjects together. It was fun for the students and a bit hit in the community. (The attention drawn from said "cap gun" incident.) I also received a few "thank you" notes from parents who witnessed my struggles from a distance. (Apparently, the Nasty Parents were successful at intimidating more than just me.) The following year, I was able to secure a job in a new school district, where I was able to resume my career under better circumstances.

There were a couple other positive things that came from that embattled year. Most significantly, that was the point when I realized, at a visceral level, that I needed to make a SOAR a reality. As my world felt like it was caving in around me, my work with study skills was a constant beacon of hope!

But, what do I say to this teacher from Minnesota? My fellow colleague who is putting the best she has into something and getting blamed for things she cannot control? At best, this situation is demoralizing. At worst, well...it could cripple her sense of value for years, or even a lifetime. The sadness and frustration in her voice have been nagging at me for weeks.

I don't know if I have any specific words of encouragement other than to share my story and acknowledge that she is NOT crazy. I imagine many teachers reading this might have experienced something similar, whether it was a one-time situation or something more long-term. Either way, teachers are often isolated and do not realize that others have faced similar challenges. I hope it helps her to know that she is not alone.

I have a Leadership Bible sitting next to me. I have been sitting here trying to find a passage that might offer words of encouragement to my fellow teacher. I figure, regardless of anyone's faith background, if a situation is described in the Bible, you have to know you are not alone; at the very least, the same struggle was fought a couple thousand years before you! I flipped through several pages when I realized that this is the very same story of the key figure in the New Testament...that there is at least one Teacher who has come before us, with nothing but positive intentions. He was persecuted more than any of us.

He changed the world.

I hope my fellow teacher can maintain her convictions and change the world, too.

Susan Kruger is the author of SOAR Study Skills; A Simple and Efficient System for Earning Better Grades in Less Time. Get Susan's FREE Homework Rx Toolkit, featuring 25 Ways to Make Homework Easier...Tonight!, at her website: http://soarstudyskills.com/.

Corporate Training Increases Overall Productivity

Corporate training is a vast term which refers to all types of training that are required to increase the overall productivity of an organization. It is normally conducted within the corporate environment. These types of training differ in every organization depending upon the requirements and strategies.

For example: An organization may require customer service training whereas other corporation may need technology training to improve the efficiency of their employees.

However, there are certain crucial and basic trainings that may be required for every corporation. IT training is one of the most important aspects of every organization these days.

There are various types of programs which are designed to provide IT training to the corporate employees. They provide certification on completion of the training. The company bears the expenses incurred for such type of employee training.

What is Certification?

Certification basically means a credential earned by an individual on completion of course. It is given only when you pass the examination. It is widely used for mastering the new technological products in the corporate world. The products could be mastering the new information system, software development, database management, server administration etc.

These IT certifications are always an added advantage when you apply for a new job. It also helps for the personal and professional growth of an individual in the corporate world. Hence, corporate employees nowadays actively get involved in such certification courses.

Outsource Corporate Training

Nowadays, corporate training responsibilities are also outsourced to third party companies. This could be also due to the unavailability of the expertise among the existing resources.
The organizations which provide training service are the specialists in their respective fields. The clients either opt for consultation or try out online leaning from these organizations which provide training. Every organization wants to be well equipped with the latest technology prevailing in the market.
IT certification courses are also available for a short period of time like a week long or for ten days. They are more like workshops held by the companies. The main aim of an organization is to increase the efficiency and productivity.

Corporate IT training is by far the most valuable and cost effective trainings that the companies are investing in. It allows an organization to compete with others in the market.

It is important to cope up with the ever-changing technologies. Each day there is something new being introduced in the market and it is extremely crucial to gain all the knowledge and updates about it.
Most of the times, the employees are sent for programs which are irrelevant. It is always wise to use other resources strictly according to the company requirements.

Sometimes the independent training companies also sign up a contract for stationing their trainer inside the outsourcing company for a certain period of time. The training companies conduct research and design a training module depending upon their client requirements.

Apart from the training on IT, the companies also outsource their training responsibilities on various other fields like team building training, leadership training, organizational training etc.

There are management training programs also available which are aimed at enhancing the time management skills, managerial skills etc. These programs create a positive effect in the corporate offices ultimately increasing the productivity.

It has been observed that the corporate education budget for training an individual employee increases as the company size grows. Hence, big corporate offices do not hesitate to send their employees for special training programs.

Only by providing sufficient training to the employees, the corporations can delegate more on new responsibilities. Professional education is an integral part of every organization.

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