Teachers Who Don't Teach

I’m sure every single person in their life has said that they’ve had the worst teacher ever, but I don’t think anything compares to the teachers that work at Tuba City High School. There are maybe two teachers in particular that come to mind when I think of the worst teacher. Of course they’re not bad people in general but it’s amazing that a college actually congratulated these individuals and gave them a degree in teaching. Okay so that’s a little harsh but if you could just sit in the classroom with me for one day you will soon realize what I mean.

 

In my sophomore year of high school I was taking Honors Geometry with a teacher named Ms. Weiland. Not to sound racist or anything but you’d think that if you had a “white” teacher that went to some big name college compared to a Navajo teacher that only attended community college, that they would be the better teacher. WRONG! The truth of the matter is she flat out doesn’t know how to teach. Never in my life have I seen a teacher give students a book and assume they are capable of teaching themselves. Sure she gave us assignments but not once did she pick up the dry erase marker and explain what that assignment was. By the end of the year I had maybe gotten only half way through the book and that was only because I choose to do the work. You can tell that she loves what she does and always gives the kids a laugh with her Edna Mode appearance, but that doesn’t make up for her lack of skill.

 

The following year I had another “white” teacher who, I personally think, deep down inside actually believes she’s Navajo.  So right off the bat you can tell there’s something “different” about her. Her name is Ms. Jones and she was the infamous instructor of my Honors English 11 class. What surprises me most about her (and in my opinion sort of ironic) is that her husband works at the school as well. And sure enough he’s this very hard driven man who actually challenges his students to the best of their ability. So I would only assume that she would have the same teaching ethic. Once again I was proven wrong. Throughout my entire junior year I wasn’t given one writing assignment. Not a single one! And to top it off, we sat in class enjoying movies like Kung Fu Panda instead of preparing for the up and coming AP English test.

 

-Elizabeth Holve