Looking back: Some classroom lessons are clear

Last update: May 17, 2008 - 9:36 PM

Jen Pirrera, 31, came to teaching later than some. A civil engineer, then a youth volunteer, she moved to the Twin Cities from Iowa to become a math teacher. Young and hip -- she rides a cool rumbling motorcycle -- she began her teaching career at St. Paul's Humboldt Junior High. She burned out after three years. And, she said, she suspended more black kids than white.

"This is so stereotypical, but with most white kids, if you tell them to be quiet, they will. But with black kids, they won't."

She guesses that, once a month, she asked that a kid be suspended.

"You got to the point where you just called that kid's name because you just expect it," she said, regretting her actions in hindsight.

Over time, she became more patient, talked to kids one on one and sent fewer home. But that took time away from teaching the rest of the class. "It burned me out even more."

After getting out of teaching, Pirrera went to work for Bolder Options, which mentors at-risk kids for success in school and in life. She has mentored black students. Now, she's working as a substitute teacher. There is much, she said, that teachers must change.

"We have to catch their heart, make it relevant, be cool and likable, get them moving and teach to multiple intelligences. Be firm with expectations of all students, show you care about them, focus on their gifts and help them to see when they are successful."

JAMES WALSH