Inner City to Inner Hippie
December 22, 2009 4:32 PM Subscribe
I currently teach high school in a low income area in a large suburb of Vancouver, BC. I am considering a move to a small community and am wondering what to expect.
My school has been designated Inner City, because of the low income area, high student transient rate, and students in some form of government care (read: foster care, social worker supervision, social assistance dependent). While I deal with a lot of the problems of a low income school, the kids are really great, friendly kids. Teachers that come to our school from higher income areas always comment on how nice our kids are, and that their former students seem to have a sense of entitlement that is absent at my school. A lot of our students have such crappy lives that any kindness at all is very well received.
One thing that I really like about where I live and teach is that the two places are far apart. I rarely bump into a student when out doing personal errands, or at a restaurant, for example.
What is it like to be a much tighter part of the community with students and parents? What can I expect to be different, the same? What are some issues that I may not be considering at all?
My school has been designated Inner City, because of the low income area, high student transient rate, and students in some form of government care (read: foster care, social worker supervision, social assistance dependent). While I deal with a lot of the problems of a low income school, the kids are really great, friendly kids. Teachers that come to our school from higher income areas always comment on how nice our kids are, and that their former students seem to have a sense of entitlement that is absent at my school. A lot of our students have such crappy lives that any kindness at all is very well received.
One thing that I really like about where I live and teach is that the two places are far apart. I rarely bump into a student when out doing personal errands, or at a restaurant, for example.
What is it like to be a much tighter part of the community with students and parents? What can I expect to be different, the same? What are some issues that I may not be considering at all?
Best answer: The main issue I've seen as a teacher in a smallish community is that you really need to watch your mouth when you're out and about. Anybody could be a parent or school board member of where you teach, and if you have a habit of venting about your experience or even the smallest issue or grievance or funny story in public, you might find yourself in trouble or your comment might be repeated to someone you wish it hadn't. Your behavior out of the house matters.
The good really runs from feeling a deeper connection to students out in the real world. You see them at work, see where they end up in life, hear about how things are going, and feel connected to them in a way that you don't in a place where you basically encounter them only at work. You know the parents of the children you have in school before you ever meet their children. Your lives have many points of connection, which can enhance your ability to help a student. You often know their story well enough to anticipate how different scenarios will pan out. When a student is absent, you often know why. I knew my step-daughter's boyfriend before she started dating him, and his family.
I suspect any of this would be true if you lived in the same neighborhood in a big city as your students. Neighborhoods in cities often function like small towns.
posted by RedEmma at 5:55 PM on December 22, 2009
The good really runs from feeling a deeper connection to students out in the real world. You see them at work, see where they end up in life, hear about how things are going, and feel connected to them in a way that you don't in a place where you basically encounter them only at work. You know the parents of the children you have in school before you ever meet their children. Your lives have many points of connection, which can enhance your ability to help a student. You often know their story well enough to anticipate how different scenarios will pan out. When a student is absent, you often know why. I knew my step-daughter's boyfriend before she started dating him, and his family.
I suspect any of this would be true if you lived in the same neighborhood in a big city as your students. Neighborhoods in cities often function like small towns.
posted by RedEmma at 5:55 PM on December 22, 2009
People in small communities are used to interacting with professionals in social and professional contexts. It's just a normal part of life in a small community to know your (or your children's) teachers, doctors, pharmacists, etc. and to run into them in town. As someone who has lived in small communities for most of my life, this isn't really something that I would think of as a problem.
posted by ssg at 6:24 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by ssg at 6:24 PM on December 22, 2009
Depending on the grade it's not just the kids but the parents whom you'll meet more often in small communities. Oddly enough the parents themselves lose their individual identities and become "Jim's parents" or "Suzy's parents", see if you can go beyond that.
posted by furtive at 6:24 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by furtive at 6:24 PM on December 22, 2009
Best answer: I made a similar change as you one province over. While most folks as is indicated are accustomed to interaction in the community, this has it's good and not so good sides. And it depends how much it bugs you. I really couldn't stand going in and renting a DVD on Friday night, going to Movie Gallery in my sweats to rent some mindless trash with a student at the cash. I now use Zip in part for that reason. At least with HS you won't have as much issue going to pubs/restaurants, but maybe their parents? Ditto for any community engagement you do. I don't mind some of it, some of it bugs me. It depends on you. It may be normal for many, and not a problem (like ssg), or it may be a big problem. I have colleagues that live in the city and commute an hour a day in order to not deal with it. I know many folks who keep a 'to do on a regular trip to the city' list in part for this reason. I really miss restaurants from the big city. Our small city specializes in 'tasty pasty': diner food, Smitty's, East Side Marios, Boston Pizza. We eat real restaurant variety in the city. This will depend on your tastes and the specific community. Ditto with Movies- only a crappy theater.
I'm spoiled now, though, with no traffic and rush minutes instead of hours. It only ever takes 5 minutes to get anywhere. And it's easier to get to know what your students are into and to have a common base of experience to teach from. That's the great part.
posted by kch at 7:47 PM on December 22, 2009
I'm spoiled now, though, with no traffic and rush minutes instead of hours. It only ever takes 5 minutes to get anywhere. And it's easier to get to know what your students are into and to have a common base of experience to teach from. That's the great part.
posted by kch at 7:47 PM on December 22, 2009
I just noticed your inside title. In AB small communities, compared to Vancouver and other Canadian cities, it's far more conservative and there's far less exposure to diversity. This means that if you're a hippie (or 'odd' in any other way), you really will stand out (for good and for bad) and you can't assume that your students have necessarily been exposed to half of what you might assume that have around all sorts of issues, political diversity, sexuality, ethnicity, class etc.. FWIW: I teach social issues etc. at the university level in a small AB city. YMMV.
posted by kch at 7:53 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by kch at 7:53 PM on December 22, 2009
You can't get drunk and bitch about your students in the pub, because someone's mum will be standing behind you. You can't take a puff of the joint being passed around a party, because that's someone's brother over there. It's really not advisable to have lots of casual sex, especially with anyone who might be someone's parent. [And yes, I have examples of all of the above from the place I went to school]. If none of these things are likely to be a problem for you, it gets into another level of slightly complicated social interactions. What do you do when some of the older students join the same sports club as you and everyone goes out for a drink after the game? [the answer where I came from: you don't buy them drinks, they don't try to get you to buy them drinks, they ignore you as much as possible and you ignore them as much as possible when they're holding something that they shouldn't be drinking in public].
posted by Lebannen at 3:45 AM on December 23, 2009
posted by Lebannen at 3:45 AM on December 23, 2009
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If you like kids, you'll find something to cherish in each setting...
posted by HuronBob at 5:48 PM on December 22, 2009