Inside Mrs.B's Classroom
Courage, Hope, and Learning on Chicago's South Side
by Leslie Baldacci Chicago has a shortage of teachers. To encourage people in other professions to become teachers, Teachers For Chicago offers the opportunity to teach after a six week summer school class to those with college diplomas and GPAs of over 2.5. Mrs.Baldacci became a teacher under TFC. Her first class had 36 7th graders. Her best behaved student was an autist with a personal aide. Of the seven teachers who began with Mrs.B, only two remained at the school the following year. The administration, especially the principal, did not aid the teachers in any way. Teachers were unlikely to recieve any of their top three choices of grades to teach, and so Mrs.B found herself teaching 2nd graders. Propblems that the 7th and 2nd graders both had seemed more tragic in 2nd graders, as the 2nd graders didn't hold their problems out of sight.
Chapters in this book are generally two to eight pages long and anectdotally cover one aspect of teaching in the Chicago Public Schools through TFC. Baldacci often compares her students' education and lives to that of her own children. Teaching is described as being very stressful, and the reasons for Chicago's teacher shortage are made a little clearer.
Question: What makes a good teacher?
Happy reading.
