My wife taught Special Ed for decades. The nicest thing a student said about her was that "she really sees you" My wife saw a child who required structured assistance, limitless patience and no pity. I think you see your students as people who need structured assistance and safe places. White saviours see guilt, pity and bottomless self centeredness. They never see other people.
I find your comment really interesting. My dear husband recently returned from his 60th high school reunion and dug up his 10th grade yearbook to show me what his science teacher had written—in red ink no less! That wonderful man had so completely captured what my brilliant ADHD husband had to master that I declared, “He really saw you!” In the years since, my husband has gone on to become the master his teacher urged him to be.
[My husband at first protested against the teacher’s comments but I reminded him they were based on his observations of a 14-15 year old, who’d mastered many practices and disciplines in the decades since. God bless teachers with that gift of vision.
Man that's a cool story! High school year books are always fascinating walks through memory lane.
I'll say this too. Different teachers nail the vision for different kids. We're never perfect for all of them, different teachers "really see" different kids all the time. Its why its so important for kids to have a diverse set of excellent teachers to work with.
I’m also a white male teacher in a Title 1 school but have never had this thrown at me. If anything, my minority parents were among my most supportive, perhaps because so few men teach early childhood special education. Most moms, dads, and kids were pleasantly surprised to see a “boy teacher”. I also made a point of relating to my young men students on a “man-to-man” basis, often using that very phrase in fact. By emphasizing something we had in common, I was better able to connect and engage.
Ronny, love hearing there's a fellow male teacher at the elementary level. You guys are RARE, and very much needed. (Male high school P.E. teachers are kinda a dime a dozen) Appreciate your service, and I appreciate that you don't mind occasionally relating to your male students on a man to man basis.
Well done kid. I say that with respect, admiration and recognition. I retired last year after 35 years - 21 of them in some very tough schools in south central LA. Like you, I declined the ‘white savior’ label. When I got started my wife was pregnant and I needed a job. I was lucky to land in a school that had some excellent teachers, people who inspired me and were great role models. (I happened to have gone to an integrated high school and had been part of a mixed-race step-family then, so didn’t carry the level of apprehension or concomitant condescension that comes with the savior role/label, which was very helpful but not decisive.) My first years were also tough, but over time I got a better handle on how to be effective, and that ultimately brought about greater confidence and performance. Nonetheless, personal circumstances brought about a move to a rural Nebraska school after 10 years. That was obviously a very different place but some similar issues popped-up, and in a small town environment they could morph into personal ones - something that ultimately ended 6 years of living and teaching there. The take away was that administrative malfeasance was not confined to ‘bad’ schools full of black and brown kids, but could also plague very different people and places. I ultimately ended up back in LA la-land at a HS in Watts whose long history has produced a Nobel-winning chemist, Olympic gold medalists and jazz greats. That track record was an inspiration in itself, clear evidence that the salvation required should be directed at those whose pity was actually a mask for lily-livered fear and loathing. Yet that attitude persists and helps fuel the rep of schlock like “Freedom Writers.” As a former resident of the burg in which that tale is located, I can assure you and all that Wilson High, next door to a golf course and less than a mile from the beach, is actually in a middle class neighborhood and in very close proximity to the higher strata. Since the setting is such a vital part of the narrative it is fair to declare the PR an egregious, laughable fib. But I do have a better pick for inspiring Inner City Teacher Tale: “Stand and Deliver” is more socially accurate and still worth a look. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Tim, I've always been a fan of Stand and Deliver - that guy stayed in the game for over 30 years and built a massive AP calculus program. The dude didn't just "save the kids" and then dash away with a story. Couldn't agree more that he's a better representation for great teaching.
Also, thanks for your service, over 30 years of teaching is something I highly respect, and I like the fact that you've taught in a wide range of schools. Brings me joy to get a compliment from you.
Thanks - means a lot coming from you. Btw, the book about Jaime Escalante is excellent and full of inside-baseball info of particular interest to teachers. He was a fascinating character and a very tough, savvy guy. His work was also supported and complemented by colleagues who helped expand the program. At the time he got started East LA had a scary rep; now it’s a much less forbidding locale, and the overall academic upgrade he kicked-off is an element of that. FWIW I plan to write more about my experiences on my own ‘Stack as part of my new mission: to prove that teaching is a better way to make a living than being a corporate shill, motivational speaker or entrepreneurial wunderkind. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!!!
Tim, let it rip man. I've had plenty of corporate guys ask me if teaching in my school is like working in hell. I always turn it around and say staring at a computer screen feels like working in hell to me.
Though if I ever get a motivational speaker gig ABOUT the teaching experience, I'll be sure to sign up....while continuing to teach of course.
Alastair! Thanks for keeping up with the posts, and thanks for the compliments - particularly on handling the troll. Had to take a deeeeeeep breath before I set my fingers to the keyboard on that one.
I always assumed you started because you were young and had limited options, and stayed because you're not soft (mentally and physically) like the "white saviors" you described, and enjoyed the challenge. Turns out I was spot on.
Discipline and perseverance are 2 traits developed through exercise, which you obviously have in spades. The "white saviors" you've known would be better off going to the gym and improving themselves before trying to help others.
The money will come to you should you decide to pursue that path. You're clearly developing advanced leadership skills at a young age, the demand for which greatly exceeds the current supply.
Appreciate the compliments Ray. Definitely trying to find a way to continue to pursue the craft of teaching while finding a way to chase some dollars. We'll see how this Substack experiment turns out.
Ugh...."Freedom Writers". We watched that movie in a class when I was getting my degree in Education. The only thing I learned from that was how to show a movie to students when you're tired of talking. I actually think one of the best movies about teaching is "Mr. Holland's Opus". It's a bit corny (they all are), but it does a great job of showing the long haul -- the grind that teachers face year-after-year, decade-after-decade.
Anyway, great read. I shared that lead to my feed because it was EXACTLY what I said to myself right before I read it. Anyone who thinks teachers only do it because they want to feel good about themselves at the end of the day is insane. After 5 years in the classroom, I can count on two hands the number of times I actually came home feeling like I'd done great work that day. It's a holistic thing; sometimes, you only see your accomplishments when you look at the big picture -- usually during the summer, or when you get an email from a student who graduated a couple years back and is doing alright now. Like I said, the long haul.
Not at all shameless. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading! My mom was totally that teacher. She taught over 3 decades and I still meet people my age and older who tell me how much she taught them in Latin and History.
I upgraded to a paid member after reading this. It’ll be cool to say, “oh, that guy? Yeah, I was subscribed to his Substack long before the blockbuster movie came out.” 👏🏻👏🏻
White saviours (or any coloured saviour types) won't make it as teachers for the simple reason that they take it too personally. As long as you make teaching about yourself, you're guaranteed to fail. Nothing will humble you faster than a bunch of rude and ungrateful kids. The trick is to treat teaching like a job, which it is. The job just happens to include caring deeply about kids who don't give a shit about you.
Another trick (less about white saviourism, and more about teacher longevity) is to not take your work home.
I never thought of you as a "white savior" simply because your stories resonated with my ten years of experience teaching in a high-poverty, predominantly white and Hispanic, middle school in an exurb. Some of my students...yes, white...had never traveled the forty miles to the nearest big city. I was a resource room special ed teacher and case manager and hoo did I have experiences. Did I ever.
But I tried. Pity didn't come into it--I saw kids who needed structure, and parents wrestling with the problems their kids presented, especially the ones struggling with anxiety and other emotional disturbance issues. Kids who had internalized their need for extra assistance as "being dumb." Lordy, the number of times I pulled a kid out and told them "you are NOT dumb, you just learn differently and there's nothing wrong with it!"
You're doing it for the kids and not to make yourself feel good. That is what matters--period.
Joyce, thank you for your service. Special education is like the navy seals of education. You guys work with the toughest characters day in and day out. Much respect for the work.
When I read your content, it does not seem like you've got a white savior complex. I would point to the fact that your overall goal in most of these stories is to have a well-behaved class so that everyone including you can continue to have fun. When kids act up, your attempts to help them come (primarily) from an effort of self-preservation and attempts to protect the class. I would view a white savior as someone who wants to stretch beyond the relevant behavior in the P.E class, and "help" these struggling kids get better "as people". This overextension of the "role of a P.E teacher" is what would make me more cautious that you see yourself as some ordained savior (white or not). Perhaps the most 'white savior' post I've read is the one about the female student starving herself to get a fit body, but again your authority should include nutrition because she is a willing participant in your weight training / nutrition program. Seeing a story where the main theme is basically "How TF do I get this kid to stop yelling at their classmates (effectively!) ... here is what I did!" does not indicate some sort of savior complex to me. Your stories make for worthwhile paid content because the nice well-behaved kids of rich suburban schools probably just don't generate as many good clickbait headlines ("How helped Timmy up from a B+ to an A in AP Physics!!) You've recognized you got some good ("juicy") stories to tell, and you're sharing that with the community. (disclaimer: I did not read this white savior whole post so you may have touched on these things).
Thanks for this. It gave me some insight. My mom taught in Detroit for thirty years and she was a good teacher. I know because I would run into her former students from time to time and they told me so. She really really loved her job. She loved the students, she loved her fellow teachers. She hated the administration and that was tough on her. It was hard for her to spend all that energy at school and then come home and be a full time mom to me. I wish I'd appreciated that more because for a long time it made me kind of angry. She definitely knew she wasn't a white savior--but she let me know just about every day of my life how privileged and spoiled I was compared to her students. Knowledge I internalized and never forgot.
I certainly had one when I was twenty one…I ended running away from the profession and becoming a CrossFit trainer for 6 years before I gave it another shot. Different mindset helped me stick to it for sure.
In My personal experience with you guil I found your ability to push us forward to be what stuck the most. You didn’t save any of us from anything, rather you allowed us to realize we are just people who can always do a tad bit better. To that I say , enjoy the 9$ . And also finals are killing me 😞
Angel, if your take away from your time with me was, "we are just people who can always do a tad bit better." Then I'm doing my damn job. Seriously, this was high praise, and I'm glad that's the impression I left with you over the last four years.
Also, what are you doing paying me!?! Put that shit towards college, and pay me when you make the millions. You broke broke right now lol.
I read your Substack because you're a good writer and have insights which are valuable to me. I've been teaching at a community college in Philadelphia for three and a half years because I need the money and I'm not particularly employable. It's hard and if I could afford to quit I would.
I definitely CARE about my students, but a lot of them can be toxic jerks. They don't necessarily respond to my overeducated white person wisdom. I am juggling three jobs, parenting and a startup; I don't have the time or patience to slog through a load of saccharine videos on 'teaching aggressive inner-city students in a trauma-informed way.' Your blog fills that gap in a way that doesn't make me want to peel my skin off. Thanks.
Glad you find some insights from my writing. And good luck with the challenges you're facing right now. When you slay some of those dragons its going to be an incredible story.
My wife taught Special Ed for decades. The nicest thing a student said about her was that "she really sees you" My wife saw a child who required structured assistance, limitless patience and no pity. I think you see your students as people who need structured assistance and safe places. White saviours see guilt, pity and bottomless self centeredness. They never see other people.
Ahmen to that. I think you just said in 60 words what it took me to say in 3,000.
Tell your wife I appreciate her service, and thank you for the compliment.
I find your comment really interesting. My dear husband recently returned from his 60th high school reunion and dug up his 10th grade yearbook to show me what his science teacher had written—in red ink no less! That wonderful man had so completely captured what my brilliant ADHD husband had to master that I declared, “He really saw you!” In the years since, my husband has gone on to become the master his teacher urged him to be.
[My husband at first protested against the teacher’s comments but I reminded him they were based on his observations of a 14-15 year old, who’d mastered many practices and disciplines in the decades since. God bless teachers with that gift of vision.
Man that's a cool story! High school year books are always fascinating walks through memory lane.
I'll say this too. Different teachers nail the vision for different kids. We're never perfect for all of them, different teachers "really see" different kids all the time. Its why its so important for kids to have a diverse set of excellent teachers to work with.
I’m also a white male teacher in a Title 1 school but have never had this thrown at me. If anything, my minority parents were among my most supportive, perhaps because so few men teach early childhood special education. Most moms, dads, and kids were pleasantly surprised to see a “boy teacher”. I also made a point of relating to my young men students on a “man-to-man” basis, often using that very phrase in fact. By emphasizing something we had in common, I was better able to connect and engage.
Ronny, love hearing there's a fellow male teacher at the elementary level. You guys are RARE, and very much needed. (Male high school P.E. teachers are kinda a dime a dozen) Appreciate your service, and I appreciate that you don't mind occasionally relating to your male students on a man to man basis.
Keep writing! I love your stuff!
Well done kid. I say that with respect, admiration and recognition. I retired last year after 35 years - 21 of them in some very tough schools in south central LA. Like you, I declined the ‘white savior’ label. When I got started my wife was pregnant and I needed a job. I was lucky to land in a school that had some excellent teachers, people who inspired me and were great role models. (I happened to have gone to an integrated high school and had been part of a mixed-race step-family then, so didn’t carry the level of apprehension or concomitant condescension that comes with the savior role/label, which was very helpful but not decisive.) My first years were also tough, but over time I got a better handle on how to be effective, and that ultimately brought about greater confidence and performance. Nonetheless, personal circumstances brought about a move to a rural Nebraska school after 10 years. That was obviously a very different place but some similar issues popped-up, and in a small town environment they could morph into personal ones - something that ultimately ended 6 years of living and teaching there. The take away was that administrative malfeasance was not confined to ‘bad’ schools full of black and brown kids, but could also plague very different people and places. I ultimately ended up back in LA la-land at a HS in Watts whose long history has produced a Nobel-winning chemist, Olympic gold medalists and jazz greats. That track record was an inspiration in itself, clear evidence that the salvation required should be directed at those whose pity was actually a mask for lily-livered fear and loathing. Yet that attitude persists and helps fuel the rep of schlock like “Freedom Writers.” As a former resident of the burg in which that tale is located, I can assure you and all that Wilson High, next door to a golf course and less than a mile from the beach, is actually in a middle class neighborhood and in very close proximity to the higher strata. Since the setting is such a vital part of the narrative it is fair to declare the PR an egregious, laughable fib. But I do have a better pick for inspiring Inner City Teacher Tale: “Stand and Deliver” is more socially accurate and still worth a look. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Tim, I've always been a fan of Stand and Deliver - that guy stayed in the game for over 30 years and built a massive AP calculus program. The dude didn't just "save the kids" and then dash away with a story. Couldn't agree more that he's a better representation for great teaching.
Also, thanks for your service, over 30 years of teaching is something I highly respect, and I like the fact that you've taught in a wide range of schools. Brings me joy to get a compliment from you.
Thanks - means a lot coming from you. Btw, the book about Jaime Escalante is excellent and full of inside-baseball info of particular interest to teachers. He was a fascinating character and a very tough, savvy guy. His work was also supported and complemented by colleagues who helped expand the program. At the time he got started East LA had a scary rep; now it’s a much less forbidding locale, and the overall academic upgrade he kicked-off is an element of that. FWIW I plan to write more about my experiences on my own ‘Stack as part of my new mission: to prove that teaching is a better way to make a living than being a corporate shill, motivational speaker or entrepreneurial wunderkind. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!!!
Tim, let it rip man. I've had plenty of corporate guys ask me if teaching in my school is like working in hell. I always turn it around and say staring at a computer screen feels like working in hell to me.
Though if I ever get a motivational speaker gig ABOUT the teaching experience, I'll be sure to sign up....while continuing to teach of course.
There are a few things that stand out to me…….
You stayed in your first year because you already cared about the staff (school)
The greeting at the start of your second year - you were already making a difference and some of the students liked that and wanted you to know.
Lastly you love your profession, there are plenty of teachers who don’t. Welcome to the club, from an ex-member.
And lastly 🤣 the way you disarmed the troll is a masterclass.
Thank you.
Alastair! Thanks for keeping up with the posts, and thanks for the compliments - particularly on handling the troll. Had to take a deeeeeeep breath before I set my fingers to the keyboard on that one.
It was worth it, you nailed him!!
I always assumed you started because you were young and had limited options, and stayed because you're not soft (mentally and physically) like the "white saviors" you described, and enjoyed the challenge. Turns out I was spot on.
Discipline and perseverance are 2 traits developed through exercise, which you obviously have in spades. The "white saviors" you've known would be better off going to the gym and improving themselves before trying to help others.
The money will come to you should you decide to pursue that path. You're clearly developing advanced leadership skills at a young age, the demand for which greatly exceeds the current supply.
Appreciate the compliments Ray. Definitely trying to find a way to continue to pursue the craft of teaching while finding a way to chase some dollars. We'll see how this Substack experiment turns out.
Ugh...."Freedom Writers". We watched that movie in a class when I was getting my degree in Education. The only thing I learned from that was how to show a movie to students when you're tired of talking. I actually think one of the best movies about teaching is "Mr. Holland's Opus". It's a bit corny (they all are), but it does a great job of showing the long haul -- the grind that teachers face year-after-year, decade-after-decade.
Anyway, great read. I shared that lead to my feed because it was EXACTLY what I said to myself right before I read it. Anyone who thinks teachers only do it because they want to feel good about themselves at the end of the day is insane. After 5 years in the classroom, I can count on two hands the number of times I actually came home feeling like I'd done great work that day. It's a holistic thing; sometimes, you only see your accomplishments when you look at the big picture -- usually during the summer, or when you get an email from a student who graduated a couple years back and is doing alright now. Like I said, the long haul.
I actually had an honest-to-god Mr. Holland esque teacher growing up. In a shameless plug here, I think you might love this article I wrote around a year and a half ago. https://fittoteach.substack.com/p/to-mr-smith?utm_source=publication-search
Not at all shameless. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading! My mom was totally that teacher. She taught over 3 decades and I still meet people my age and older who tell me how much she taught them in Latin and History.
Mom sounds awesome. Huge appreciation for teachers who stay in the game.
I upgraded to a paid member after reading this. It’ll be cool to say, “oh, that guy? Yeah, I was subscribed to his Substack long before the blockbuster movie came out.” 👏🏻👏🏻
You. I like you.
White saviours (or any coloured saviour types) won't make it as teachers for the simple reason that they take it too personally. As long as you make teaching about yourself, you're guaranteed to fail. Nothing will humble you faster than a bunch of rude and ungrateful kids. The trick is to treat teaching like a job, which it is. The job just happens to include caring deeply about kids who don't give a shit about you.
Another trick (less about white saviourism, and more about teacher longevity) is to not take your work home.
To go along with that, I just never take it too seriously. Gotta have a laugh here and there.
I never thought of you as a "white savior" simply because your stories resonated with my ten years of experience teaching in a high-poverty, predominantly white and Hispanic, middle school in an exurb. Some of my students...yes, white...had never traveled the forty miles to the nearest big city. I was a resource room special ed teacher and case manager and hoo did I have experiences. Did I ever.
But I tried. Pity didn't come into it--I saw kids who needed structure, and parents wrestling with the problems their kids presented, especially the ones struggling with anxiety and other emotional disturbance issues. Kids who had internalized their need for extra assistance as "being dumb." Lordy, the number of times I pulled a kid out and told them "you are NOT dumb, you just learn differently and there's nothing wrong with it!"
You're doing it for the kids and not to make yourself feel good. That is what matters--period.
Joyce, thank you for your service. Special education is like the navy seals of education. You guys work with the toughest characters day in and day out. Much respect for the work.
KUTGW!
Will do.
When I read your content, it does not seem like you've got a white savior complex. I would point to the fact that your overall goal in most of these stories is to have a well-behaved class so that everyone including you can continue to have fun. When kids act up, your attempts to help them come (primarily) from an effort of self-preservation and attempts to protect the class. I would view a white savior as someone who wants to stretch beyond the relevant behavior in the P.E class, and "help" these struggling kids get better "as people". This overextension of the "role of a P.E teacher" is what would make me more cautious that you see yourself as some ordained savior (white or not). Perhaps the most 'white savior' post I've read is the one about the female student starving herself to get a fit body, but again your authority should include nutrition because she is a willing participant in your weight training / nutrition program. Seeing a story where the main theme is basically "How TF do I get this kid to stop yelling at their classmates (effectively!) ... here is what I did!" does not indicate some sort of savior complex to me. Your stories make for worthwhile paid content because the nice well-behaved kids of rich suburban schools probably just don't generate as many good clickbait headlines ("How helped Timmy up from a B+ to an A in AP Physics!!) You've recognized you got some good ("juicy") stories to tell, and you're sharing that with the community. (disclaimer: I did not read this white savior whole post so you may have touched on these things).
Nico, glad to hear my content is coming across that way to you. Helps me keep a level head.
Thanks for this. It gave me some insight. My mom taught in Detroit for thirty years and she was a good teacher. I know because I would run into her former students from time to time and they told me so. She really really loved her job. She loved the students, she loved her fellow teachers. She hated the administration and that was tough on her. It was hard for her to spend all that energy at school and then come home and be a full time mom to me. I wish I'd appreciated that more because for a long time it made me kind of angry. She definitely knew she wasn't a white savior--but she let me know just about every day of my life how privileged and spoiled I was compared to her students. Knowledge I internalized and never forgot.
I'm glad the article could reveal some insight on the awesome work your mother has done. 30 years is an incredible run of service.
Those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach gym. And those who don’t understand crime stats, teach gym in the inner city.
lol. Just kidding - keep up the good work.
It's a job only for the lowest of the low ;)
I'm a former teacher who didn't make it past year 2. Maybe I *did* have a white savior complex! Damn. Much respect to you for your craft.
I certainly had one when I was twenty one…I ended running away from the profession and becoming a CrossFit trainer for 6 years before I gave it another shot. Different mindset helped me stick to it for sure.
In My personal experience with you guil I found your ability to push us forward to be what stuck the most. You didn’t save any of us from anything, rather you allowed us to realize we are just people who can always do a tad bit better. To that I say , enjoy the 9$ . And also finals are killing me 😞
Angel, if your take away from your time with me was, "we are just people who can always do a tad bit better." Then I'm doing my damn job. Seriously, this was high praise, and I'm glad that's the impression I left with you over the last four years.
Also, what are you doing paying me!?! Put that shit towards college, and pay me when you make the millions. You broke broke right now lol.
Ps. I might cancel it later , tuition is taking my every coin
I read your Substack because you're a good writer and have insights which are valuable to me. I've been teaching at a community college in Philadelphia for three and a half years because I need the money and I'm not particularly employable. It's hard and if I could afford to quit I would.
I definitely CARE about my students, but a lot of them can be toxic jerks. They don't necessarily respond to my overeducated white person wisdom. I am juggling three jobs, parenting and a startup; I don't have the time or patience to slog through a load of saccharine videos on 'teaching aggressive inner-city students in a trauma-informed way.' Your blog fills that gap in a way that doesn't make me want to peel my skin off. Thanks.
Glad you find some insights from my writing. And good luck with the challenges you're facing right now. When you slay some of those dragons its going to be an incredible story.