I work at a school during its night school hours. My team is cool and as an employment specialist/advisor, it’s been great having them quickly show me the ropes the first few weeks of me being there. I’ve also gotten acclimated to the students themselves, who at first grilled the hell out of me, unsure if I’d help or be worth giving a chance. At the same time, half of them thought I was 19 and even the security called me out after coming back from my break, confusing me for a student cutting class. But now that I’m comfortable with my role, I’m uncomfortable with what I see from others.

Now yes, I’m a newbie, a rookie, fresh meat and I look young as hell compared to the staff that isn’t my team in the office who have been there for years, but I don’t need to be a sage to know what’s going on with these teachers. The program I’m involved in is basically like a hub for those who messed up prior to their senior year. Young adults come to finish off what they have left after having messed up somewhere down the line and are now trying to make things right. While they sign up, the majority take forever to finish, because they have kids to feed or just want to make money, so work becomes a priority. And for those who don’t have to deal with those responsibilities, they’re simply distracted. The teachers, more so than me, definitely understand this, yet perhaps have other priorities than their job as well.

Maybe I’ve been a student too long or my bias with the caseload has blurred my point of view, but I’m pretty sure teachers aren’t supposed to let students walk out of class when they feel like it. Correct me if I’m wrong, but classes are supposed to be taught, not given out in a worksheet. Perhaps I’m crazy, but aren’t teachers also supposed to explain the work they give out, and challenge the students to excel rather than giving out answers to tests days in advance? I will say, that although it makes life easier for the students, it makes the experience a load of crap.

The program itself simplifies the graduation process, not the education process. Attendance counts for a lot but so does the work put in, and even though they just have to pass, for many, college is the goal afterward, something no one should “just pass.” It is my job along with my team to get them into the mindset of how important that all is.

At the end of the day we don’t give them the grade, so if the teachers aren’t around or throw lessons at them like they’ll learn it all by just doing it, the students won’t feel like they’re getting help at all. They also won’t want to go to class, if they know they can’t learn what they need to in order to pass in the first place.

I saw a teacher apparently work in the office instead of teaching class, so one of the students who was supposed to be tutored by one of our staff left, but she was going to go afterward. Another teacher couldn’t give the test to a student because he couldn’t see well after an eye doctor’s appointment and said taking him out of the class would make their life easier. In addition, a few other teachers have just let their students come to me instead of being in class and given something to do.

They give off the vibe that not only do they not want to teach, but that it’s a hassle to even have the students in their rooms. If you’re the student, how do you think that’d make you feel? If they don’t care, why should you? It needs to change, not to make my life easier or have them be doing their jobs, but ultimately to help the students that much more before the real world rudely shows them what they need to have learned.