The Reluctant Disciplinarian, by Gary Rubinstein, is a helpful guide written after surviving a difficult teaching situation through an alternate route program. The author took part in Teach for America, and offers insight based off of his successes and failures in the classroom. In reading through The Reluctant Disciplinarian, I was reminded of how much of a first-year teacher I am (aka how much I have to learn), but was also comforted by the fact that that is OK.
Since we have started our time with the Mississippi Teacher Corps, it feels a general consensus about the first-year teachers is that we don’t know what we’re doing. We are regularly evaluated for our work in the classroom and are given very helpful feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of our lessons. Admittedly, I have found this learning curve to be difficult at times as I would prefer be naturally good at whatever it is I am doing. This is a simple reality of life that has its consequences. When receiving feedback, and realizing that some of your issues are habitual (for example, using OK as a filler word), you grow frustrated, and with this regular frustration, discouragement is born. It is easy to think “why can’t I get that right?” or “why can’t I put this in a way for the students to really grasp?”, but I think an ultimate answer is “how long have I been trying?”. The Reluctant Disciplinarian was a comforting reminder of the fact that I am still very new at this and that I don’t know what I’m talking about, and that is part of it. With the nature of what an alternate route teaching program is, there is obviously going to be a learning curve. It will come with instruction and it will come with classroom management. Rubinstein’s words grant hope that this is normal.
Within the book, there are practical tips for first year teachers that will be very helpful to think about and hopefully employ during the next two years. What will be interesting to see, and hopefully track, is what tips will I develop from my own experience? What content will I take away? not only for further teaching, but more for life. Something tells me the lessons learned from teaching will have avenues and applications for life outside of the classroom as well.
You are right. The skills developed through teaching are most certainly life skills used elsewhere. I like your take on the book.
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