Mr. Stoppels the teacher

So as I said in my previous blog, I'm a supply teacher. I love being in a classroom and teaching teenagers. I especially like working with behaviorally challenged youth. It's challenging and it's fun. I was doing my practice teaching placement at an Ottawa High School and one of the teachers had a very hard time dealing with difficult teachers and she wrote them off as "idiots" and "morons". That made me realize that there are a lot more students who just get written off and lost in the mix because some teachers don't know how to deal with those types of kids. I want to show those "bad kids" that someone does believe in them, and that there is hope for them. I understand that school isn't for everyone and I want to help those who are not destined for a post secondary education that there is still a lot for them to do to make a great living and contribute gainfully to our society.

I find a lot of these types of teens are often angry and think that they are "retarded" because they have been treated that way, and have been told that they are by their peers and perhaps even adults. They chalk their failings up to being slow, or dumb, because no one has been able to teach them about how they are smart.
A vice-principal once told me: "The questions is not 'how smart are you?' but 'how are you smart?'". Once you find out how a child is smart, you can find out how to relate the material, and this is where learning begins.
But as I said, a lot of these kids are angry. A lot of them have not been given the time, effort and energy from teachers that they deserve or need. They may be illiterate, which boggles my mind completely. (I'm not sure how a child makes it to grade nine without being taught to read or write...there must be a flaw somewhere!) A lot of them reserve to swearing a lot in class/school for numerous reasons. They work and hang out with people who swear a lot and perhaps they just lack a vocabulary that allows them to use different words and express their emotions more effectively.
I don't mind being sworn at. And it's not so much that they swear AT me, but they swear in front of me. I allow a certain amount of vulgarity in a class with those teens. It doesn't offend me, and really, once I have a full time job, I'm going to make it a goal of mine to teach those kids different words to use. Teach them to think and be more creative with the words that they use. Just one of the ways that I plan on using my classroom to teach beyond the curriculum.


I believe there is too much focus put on the curriculum. There is so much more to life that these kids also have to learn. I don't want to only share my knowledge about science (or whatever the subject might be) but also my knowledge about life and the challenges it brings. High School is a tough time for teenagers and teachers/schools need to help them through it with more of a focus on their daily and personal lives as well as focusing on the curriculum.

I think it is the high schools job to prepare its students for life after high school. That means for a post secondary education if they choose to pursue that route. But also prepare them for the world and life that happens while they are pursuing that post secondary education or entering the work force directly after high school.