That theme would have been true even in the 1980s or a decade before. I got my BA in History in May 1983, but seeing the poor job market, my parents suggested I get into a drafting program, which I did. I graduated from the program in January 1984, was interning at GE Radar/Sonar, when I got an offer to teach history at an inner city junior high school in upstate NY, via my former main professor. The rate was lower than what GE was offering me to come on board as a very junior drafter, but there were promotion prospects. When I asked around, I found out that the previous teacher had been stabbed by a student, and that there were a lot of teachers on disability because of student assaults. I had seen this in the early 1970s as a junior high student in another school. With initial reluctance, I turned down the teaching job and went full time into drafting. There are times when I wish that I could have become a full time teacher and gone for my PhD in either Byzantine or Medieval European history. But I was realistic, and the schools these days are both corrupt and dangerous.
That theme would have been true even in the 1980s or a decade before. I got my BA in History in May 1983, but seeing the poor job market, my parents suggested I get into a drafting program, which I did. I graduated from the program in January 1984, was interning at GE Radar/Sonar, when I got an offer to teach history at an inner city junior high school in upstate NY, via my former main professor. The rate was lower than what GE was offering me to come on board as a very junior drafter, but there were promotion prospects.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked around, I found out that the previous teacher had been stabbed by a student, and that there were a lot of teachers on disability because of student assaults. I had seen this in the early 1970s as a junior high student in another school.
With initial reluctance, I turned down the teaching job and went full time into drafting. There are times when I wish that I could have become a full time teacher and gone for my PhD in either Byzantine or Medieval European history. But I was realistic, and the schools these days are both corrupt and dangerous.
That's the way they should dress. Reality is probably more like a lion tamer.
ReplyDelete