Advice Needed Please

Greetings, ATS!

Looking for advice from my respected friends.

Here's the scenario: I teach first grade in a poor school. I have to create fifteen lesson plans for everyday...it takes an average of thirty to forty five minutes to plan and prepare for EACH lesson. I cannot stand my administrator and have seriously contemplated quitting teaching altogether....the stress this past year almost did me in.

I've been trying to transfer to a different school in my district. I want to stay with my district bc I have tenure and if I move to another county I could be downsized. Last hired, first fired if jobs disappear. However, there aren't any positions open for me to transfer to, except one.

The new position is a Bible history class in middle and high school. I'm not licensed to teach older kids, so I would have to pass a licensing test (which wouldn't be a problem).

Pros of the job: only one lesson plan per day. Since this is an elective course, the students who are in the class have chosen to be there...so their attitudes would be pretty decent. I have a degree in theology so I know the material. I would have a longer planning period.

Cons: taking the test...I have to pay to take it and its not cheap.

Major con: I'm agnostic. This class isn't a religious course, it's the history of the bible. However, I'm sure the majority of students will be believers. I'm not sure if my personal beliefs would come through or not ( in theory, since I'm not teaching spirituality they shouldn't.). But could I, as an agnostic who was once Christian, teach this course effectively?

Any and all advice appreciated.

You should abandon those poor first graders first chance you get and teach something you don't really care about. That's my advice, anyway.

If you hate your job so much, and I gather you do based on the fact that it's what 90% of your threads are about, you should quit and do something you love. You're killing yourself teaching those "poor" kids.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Sounds like your the right person for the job...

Its bible history so it will be by the book... No personal theology required...

Sounds like a piece of cake.

Go for it ! History is history and therefor intresting. You wont be the first one who has a job out of personal beliefs i know many who studied theology and picked a jobs like priests ( salary is good ) and were not really into religion at that time. But there is good reasons to accept the job, you might find it intresting.. well its history, seeing students who really are into it and not just spending time there might give you the boost to do our job excellently ( i believe you can do it excellently anyway.. ) and even better than you thought you would. And also there is a option when there is new vacancies in that school you would be considered to those more easily when they know you capabilities.. having shoe between the door..

i think you should concentrate on gettin' rid of that administrator.
don't you have some devious (bart simpson) type of kids you can sick on him?
or are you teaching them too well?

Hey Smylee,

Just to say that I don't know how anyone who claims to have read all your posts can claim you ate condescending to the "poor" grade ones you are currently teaching - didn't get that at all.......

I would say that if you have reached a point that you feel your stress levels are high to the point that you've been close to quitting teaching altogether, then why not have a change and see how it goes? Gaining the additional license may also open doors to other vacancies in the future too so can't see many disadvantages in gaining it.
You sound well qualified to teach the Bible History subject and it doesn't sound like your personal views will neccessarilly be called upon to any great extent.

Life's too short to endure working in an area that causes great stress and if you have another option then, I say, go for it!
Good luck Smylee! ( from someone just about to start a new career in teaching! )

reply to post by smyleegrl

Any and all advice appreciated.

Follow your heart and what your heart is telling you to do.

Maybe this is God's will that must be accomplish.

And some changes will happen in your life also.

But don't be afraid be strong,because each path is made for a reason no matter how hard that path may look like.

I'd go for it.....students who want to learn are much better than those who are forces and while you may not believe 100% your scepticism will be a good point to use as a challenge so they learn not just by rote but by challenge and thus know what the real meaning is

I was a a great RE student at school but never took it up properly as a subject due to it being a unfashionable subject...wish i had gone for it now as sane religious discussion is good for the mind as it keeps you sharp

reply to post by smyleegrl


This is a Bible history class correct? In that case, it will have more to do with the life and times of the peoples mentioned in the Bible, the world events at the time, and in the regions specified, and perhaps also more to do with the history of the document itself and how it came to be and all that?

I think you would probably teach a more purified version of Bible History than an out and out believer, even one like me (not your typical bible thumper). If I understand you properly, it would seem that the course is one which contains, or ought to contain very little faith related subject matter, and be more about understanding the cultural context in which various key elements of the Bible came about, and the archaic use of language to boot.

If I am wrong then feel free to clump me over the head a bit, but it seems to me that if you are qualified to understand the subject matter well, then you ought to be teaching it. My Religious Education teacher at high school had no faith of his own, but spoke in great detail about all manner of beliefs. I never forgot a single thing he taught me though, which is why, unlike some people I can tell the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim without the customary embarrasment of getting it wrong in conversation with them.

It doesnt take belief in Jesus to do the Christian thing, and it certainly doesnt require any faith what so ever, to teach a history lesson with a particular regional and religious focus. You have an opertunity to teach that class in an unbiased manner. I say grasp at the oppertunity with both hands, and dont let go till it starts to go blue.

reply to post by smyleegrl
You need a change of pace smylee. You don't need to be religious to teach a Bible history class as it's geared toward the historical aspects and accuracy and inaccuracies rather than the theological. If you are sure you can pass the test spend the money and get your foot in the door - you would be first in line should a new position more to your liking come up if you let them know it's your ultimate goal, and you get to keep your tenure. You can always go back to the elementary school in the future should you miss it! Good luck!

Blind leading the blind. I think what you are looking for can only be found inside your heart. There are forces working around you in concert with your spirit trying to bring you back in his arms. The peace will come from the understanding that all the pain you have gone through was necessary part of your spiritual growth and when your done here you will pass on to an eternal place much like this one. What we view as life is the unwinding of God's plan and with the acceptance of the good and the bad we march on. He loves you.

Originally posted by TinkerHaus
You should abandon those poor first graders first chance you get and teach something you don't really care about. That's my advice, anyway.

If you hate your job so much, and I gather you do based on the fact that it's what 90% of your threads are about, you should quit and do something you love. You're killing yourself teaching those "poor" kids.

I don't hate my job. I love teaching children. The problem is, teaching has become endless paperwork and mandated testing. Therein lies the problem.

Yes, I respond in a lot of the educational threads because its a subject I'm passionate about. I care about the future of education and the children very much.

As for calling the children "poor" I was referring to socio-economic class. It's a simple fact that low socio-economic students tend to have the most problems.....this is not their fault, please understand. But typically they come from single parent families with the parent juggling work and raising a family. It has been my experience that working with the students at my school brings with it a different set of challenges than, say, a school in a more prosperous area. Basically my school is a lot like an inner city school than a rural one. I'm sure you can understand how an inner city school would differ from other schools.

In no way did I mean to imply anything else, so if it came across that way then I apologize.

Thanks to everyone who replied. You've helped me clarify my thinking somewhat. I hope you all know how much I value and respect your input.

Kudos to all.

I think the this would be a welcomed change for you. Give it a shot.

reply to post by smyleegrl

Be very, very careful about your decision unless finding yourself without a job is not a problem.

1) If the class is new or experimental, the school board may just drop it if it seems more trouble than it's worth.

2) Experimental programs are sometimes funded by foundations so as not to cost the school district more money. You may not be in agreement with the foundation sponsor's goals.

Typically, the safest person to teach a class like this is a tenured teacher in the same school already. That way, if the class is ended, the teacher goes back to teaching whatever she/he was teaching already. Not a great loss that way.

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I'm only speaking from the experience of being a former High School student back in the old days. Only recently (due to internet information super highway) have I been able to track which foundations were behind a course I took. The course was fairly wide open which made the showing of a certain propaganda film all the more obvious as the essential ingredient for the course's existence, and a certain mock U.N. session had to be conducted with students as delegates.

The thing about foundation money is it's only traceable back to the foundation. Any well funded group or cabal can inject massive cash into the foundation (it's kind of like money laundering).