What kind of class do you teach?
I teach mostly combined semester classes so it sounds like a lot, but it's not.
#1 Advanced Placement American Government and Honors Economics
#2 Standard American Government and standard Economics.
#3 Psychology and Sociology
That's what I've been doing for the last 5 years at this school. This year will be my 20th as a teacher. In the past I have taught: American History, World History, Global Studies, Law Studies, Geography, Criminal Justice and History of the Vietnam War. Pretty much everything available in the social studies curriculum except for specific classes pertaining to black history. Being white TPTB (The Powers That Be) say I'm not really qualified to teach that to inner city kids not having had the "Black Experience." Can't argue with that and it's a relief since I have absolutely no desire to teach those subjects.
What do I teach? For the last several years (of my 20+ in the field) I've been teaching AP American Government, Economics, (those two are parts 1 & 2 of the same course. Each is a semester. Then I also teach Psychology and Sociology. Same deal. Each is a semester. I always use my experiences in the army to make a connection with my students. I find it serves me very well in several areas. First they pay much better attention and second it keeps discipline extremely well.
Last year a teacher got jumped outside his classroom in school, for the offense of confiscating an iPod from a kid, he had his jaw broken in three places. After it happened ALL my kids wanted to ask the same question:
"Mr. _________ are you now 'scared' to come to work?" To which I reply thusly:
~small sigh~ "Look, folks: I'm too young to die and too old to take an A$$ whuppin' so.... I'm just gonna KILL YA." (Shocked looks doesn't quite fill the bill, but close). The comments in return are always couched in a low whisper and they go: "Yeah, we all sorta figured you'd say that."
I have been "tried" too. Not so much in my current inner city high school, but in my former inner city high school a kid took a swing and I put him on his back very hard. I study Aikido and it has helped me numerous times over the years. Love it because it requires zero physical strength to be deadly effective if your technique is correct. But when I was recruited for my current post to start teaching Psychology, I left mid year much to the wails of discontent from the kids. I went over to the new school to do a short recon one day just before the end of Christmas break. I got stopped by security on the grounds. Told them my name and they whooped. They all said I'd fit right into the new combat zone and I'd have no problems, either. Said all my current kids had called their buddies at the new school. Told the new guys this: "Ya got an awesome teacher coming in. Treat him GOOD. If you give him any crap, he'll kill you D-E-A-D." Okay, I thought it was a little bit overly dramatic, but it's been effective. The story always seems to find it's way to the next class coming in, lol.
Fortuitous that this thread has reappeared almost exactly a year later. Now I'm getting ready to go back into work to start THIS school year next Tuesday and I'm already preparing to print this article to give out for purposes of discussion.