My Autoethnography

Fighting for an Revolutionary Educator
I went through many bad teachers in my educational career. Many of these same teachers maybe should not be teaching, not because of personality clashes or character differences, but because of the disassociation with education or just plain bad teaching. This is how things should work in a “normal” school society. But this is not how everything always works. In some schools, such as mine everyday logic and reason are thrown out the window and a new outlook on education rules. While attending Bosse High School here in Evansville I had never felt so disgusted and ashamed to say I went there during this past event.
During my junior year in high school I had come to honor and respect my chemistry teacher. He came to our school as a chemist-gone-teacher fresh back out of college. He carried with him a new way of teaching and a fresh face. He was not different than us but one in the same. He was able to connect with his students and able to teach them in a way to make things “stick” in our minds rather than just memorizing for a test and forgetting it the very next morning when we wake up. His way of teaching was “revolutionary” to our school, but not the world. Bosse was stuck teaching in the Stone Age. If it was not traditional, it was not right! Many teachers and student liked him very much, not because he was cool or contemporary, but because he was a genuinely nice person and great teacher. Many though I hate to say felt very differently. Some felt he was insane and lacked the credentials to be a teacher. I as well as many others disagree and feel that these accusations were mad because of a lack being able to connect to him. They could not be personable with him and did not understand a new teaching style. In retrospect it was really just a personality clash, not with just students, but with department heads and administration.
After having him as a teacher for several months some of us started to hear things said by other teachers about ours. After several more days of this we decided to confront our teacher and ask him if he was really being fired. When he replied “Yes” we were all shocked. We made a promise to him that we would try all we could and make our point known that we wanted him to stay. He told us that he would not stop fighting because he saw how much we cared. Over the next few weeks words flew around the school on what was being planned. The issue was then made public. The local paper picked up the story. Who would have thought that a bunch of students could already have this much of an impact? After the story went public the then current chair of the science department and the Vice Principle were exposed as the two leading a charge to get him fired.
Several more weeks went by and the students held meetings with our ousted teacher as well as a few reporters. We were planning a sit-in or a protest. Over the next days we wore shirts flaunting our cause. We started to get in trouble say that we were causing “distractions” and that it was clearly against the rules. The next day we planned to not go to certain classes. This included those of the people trying to get him fired. When she realized there were several missing from class she walked next door to find us all sitting listen to our teacher do what he does best, teach. She was infuriated. Early that next week came the moment of truth. Would the school board carry through with the school’s plan? About 20 students including myself went to the school board meeting and flooded the request to speak box with our names. This all proved to be too late. By the time they allowed us to speak the deed had been done. He was officially fired.
The fight carried on between our teacher and the school system, but now there was a larger power involved, the teacher association. After several more week of fighting reality set in and we came to realize he would not return the next year. Over that next summer I learned many more things about the situation. Come to find out that both people leading the fight left our school and moved to the Indy area. But even though the battle had been lost we were proud and so was our teacher. I got a call from him that summer saying he had been offered a job at a local private school and that he would have the choice of his classes and be with other teachers who cared like he did.
I came to learn many things through this whole experience. First of all, never take on the school board, they may listen to you, but they do not care. Second, do not expect all involved to even know the story, this includes the school board. One of the most important things I learned though is to never give up on what you are fighting for. All of our hard work may not have paid off at our school, but it made a difference. The administrators now see that we have opinions as well as they do. Just think if a group of high school students can make statewide publications, what can the rest of the world do? I may not have a voice as a single person but I matter, my thoughts always matter and if to no one else, they matter to me. I am proud to say I stand up for what I believe in and one day I will have a more defined voice in our worlFighting for an Revolutionary Educator
I went through many bad teachers in my educational career. Many of these same teachers maybe should not be teaching, not because of personality clashes or character differences, but because of the disassociation with education or just plain bad teaching. This is how things should work in a “normal” school society. But this is not how everything always works. In some schools, such as mine everyday logic and reason are thrown out the window and a new outlook on education rules. While attending Bosse High School here in Evansville I had never felt so disgusted and ashamed to say I went there during this past event.
During my junior year in high school I had come to honor and respect my chemistry teacher. He came to our school as a chemist-gone-teacher fresh back out of college. He carried with him a new way of teaching and a fresh face. He was not different than us but one in the same. He was able to connect with his students and able to teach them in a way to make things “stick” in our minds rather than just memorizing for a test and forgetting it the very next morning when we wake up. His way of teaching was “revolutionary” to our school, but not the world. Bosse was stuck teaching in the Stone Age. If it was not traditional, it was not right! Many teachers and student liked him very much, not because he was cool or contemporary, but because he was a genuinely nice person and great teacher. Many though I hate to say felt very differently. Some felt he was insane and lacked the credentials to be a teacher. I as well as many others disagree and feel that these accusations were mad because of a lack being able to connect to him. They could not be personable with him and did not understand a new teaching style. In retrospect it was really just a personality clash, not with just students, but with department heads and administration.
After having him as a teacher for several months some of us started to hear things said by other teachers about ours. After several more days of this we decided to confront our teacher and ask him if he was really being fired. When he replied “Yes” we were all shocked. We made a promise to him that we would try all we could and make our point known that we wanted him to stay. He told us that he would not stop fighting because he saw how much we cared. Over the next few weeks words flew around the school on what was being planned. The issue was then made public. The local paper picked up the story. Who would have thought that a bunch of students could already have this much of an impact? After the story went public the then current chair of the science department and the Vice Principle were exposed as the two leading a charge to get him fired.
Several more weeks went by and the students held meetings with our ousted teacher as well as a few reporters. We were planning a sit-in or a protest. Over the next days we wore shirts flaunting our cause. We started to get in trouble say that we were causing “distractions” and that it was clearly against the rules. The next day we planned to not go to certain classes. This included those of the people trying to get him fired. When she realized there were several missing from class she walked next door to find us all sitting listen to our teacher do what he does best, teach. She was infuriated. Early that next week came the moment of truth. Would the school board carry through with the school’s plan? About 20 students including myself went to the school board meeting and flooded the request to speak box with our names. This all proved to be too late. By the time they allowed us to speak the deed had been done. He was officially fired.
The fight carried on between our teacher and the school system, but now there was a larger power involved, the teacher association. After several more week of fighting reality set in and we came to realize he would not return the next year. Over that next summer I learned many more things about the situation. Come to find out that both people leading the fight left our school and moved to the Indy area. But even though the battle had been lost we were proud and so was our teacher. I got a call from him that summer saying he had been offered a job at a local private school and that he would have the choice of his classes and be with other teachers who cared like he did.
I came to learn many things through this whole experience. First of all, never take on the school board, they may listen to you, but they do not care. Second, do not expect all involved to even know the story, this includes the school board. One of the most important things I learned though is to never give up on what you are fighting for. All of our hard work may not have paid off at our school, but it made a difference. The administrators now see that we have opinions as well as they do. Just think if a group of high school students can make statewide publications, what can the rest of the world do? I may not have a voice as a single person but I matter, my thoughts always matter and if to no one else, they matter to me. I am proud to say I stand up for what I believe in and one day I will have a more defined voice in our world.