From the Desk of: Joseph Coppola, Jr.
BCEA 1st Vice President, NEA Director

Teachers face tougher task than public understands
by Joseph Reynolds

When I announced that I was leaving a successful 25-year career as an attorney to teach high school history, some said I was crazy. Others said they dreamed of doing the same someday.

I remembered teachers who influenced my life, and I hoped I could help. As it turned out, I didn't last. But I learned in the process that the public has a grossly inaccurate picture of teaching, and if we want to get and keep good teachers, we need to make some practical changes.

First, the public's misperception. As former students, we all have firsthand knowledge of the education system. So we think we're experts on good teaching. But that's like thinking that because we know how to eat, we can cook.

We also tend to see teaching as a cushy job. Teachers can go home in the middle of the afternoon and receive generous time off, including summers and holidays.

In reality, the demands of teaching are daunting, especially for a new teacher:

Keeping up to date is a challenge. Even though I have a master's in history and read a lot, this took a great deal of time. Teachers' days may look short--and, in fact, for some they may be short--but for the good ones, simply keeping in step with the latest knowledge eats countless hours outside the classroom.

One size dosen't fit all. I had to create lessons for students who learn in different ways and start from different backgrounds. There are seven or eight different styles of learning. Not everyone can listen and learn or look and learn. I also had to provide accommodations for kids with special needs, both physical and emotional, in diverse classrooms where cultural and social backgrounds varied widely.

There's more to it than teaching from textbooks. I was expected to maintain order and teach ethics, critical thinking, writing and manners--as well as teach during unexpected crises such as 9/11. I was also expected to control gum chewing and talking.

Conditions are challenging. All of this was to be done in a classroom with 26-29 kids. Oh, yes; the classroom was not in a building but in a "learning cottage" (trailer).

Grading absorbs free time. If I assigned my students a paper to write, I had to grade 120 papers. (I had 140 students; about 20 could be expected to ignore the assignment.) At 20 minutes per paper, that's about 40 hours of work. Even a quiz that takes a minute to grade eats up two hours. Think about a test with essay questions.

Did I mention administrative tasks? There's attendance and paperwork, the individual education plans, the team, department and faculty meetings, and so forth. It is simply not possible for teachers to accomplish all of the tasks we ask of them. It drives me crazy to hear people say, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.


Teachers are retiting, and new ones are needed. If we want to get and keep good teachers, we need to acknowledge the workload and find creative ways to help novices:

Use the knowledge of successful veteran teachers. Schools need to find ways to provide new teachers with access to the vast resources created by experienced teachers. Find those model teachers and have them share their creative teaching methods and the teaching tools they developed. Some mentoring is done now, but expand it by giving mentors the compensated time to teach new teachers.

Expect less of new teachers. I know that sounds objectionable, but new teachers are paid less. With my master's (the law degree didn't count), I made $34,062. A 20-year veteran would make $69,734. New teachers need the additional time to build the material and skills necessary to be successful. Let them build up to a full workload over time. I didn't have big cases as a first year lawyer.

Give them the tools to succeed. Too often, the most junior new teachers get the worst equipment and facilities; many don't even have a home classroom in which to organize their lessons. Yet of all instructors, they need the most and are the least able to adapt successfully.


Although my teaching tenure was brief, I hope what I learned from the experience can help others who choose to follow the same path someday. If we can help these new teachers succeed, not only will they gain from the experience, but so will our children.


After half a year of 14-hour days as a teacher, Joseph Reynolds returned to the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP. He still hopes to find a less life-consuming way to be a teacher.