It is so unfortunate. Valeria (her real name with her permission) is a student teacher who I met at a prior school about a month ago. She moved to the Bay Area from Southern California, joined an organization which pays and supports student teachers, and joined a public charter school full time. Obviously in hopes of a long and rewarding career. She is smart, young, and ambitious. The kids adore her. The staff and admin like and respect her.
Valeria is leaving the profession. We have had a few conversations, and will undoubtedly have more. Valeria told me in our early conversations that she had difficulty getting the kids to settle down (middle school), getting them quiet at the beginning of a class, and dealing emotionally with 2 specific students who were really giving her problems. She said “I don’t have a commanding voice to get the attention of the class”. She also told me “I’m an introvert, and would be happier at a desk behind the scenes rather than a teacher in front of everyone”. She is leaving teaching, and will study for a career in web design.
What happened? I don’t know. I’m new too. But I suspect as a society, we failed her. The student teacher organization collected tuition from her, placed her, and then provided little support and training. The school, which is an excellent school, possibly did not recognize her difficulties or were ineffective in helping her. Not having a “commanding voice” is close to irrelevant in teaching. Being an introvert is not a barrier to teaching success at all. Having trouble at the beginning of class is not a reason to leave teaching when one is young and new. It’s simply a learning step.
Maybe teaching was just not the right fit for Valeria. She is smart and knows what she is doing. But I do know we lost a promising prospective teacher. And I suspect it could have been different. I wish I had met her earlier in the process, and I wish she had worked with me. We need promising young people entering the field.
Valeria is fine. She will do well anywhere. I just wonder what could have been.