New Teacher’s Plight Is a Familiar Story

Re “Swamped by depression, feelings of guilt, panic,” Dec. 21: The article skimmed the issues and problems new teachers face starting out in the LAUSD. As a former intern, I began the program with the same optimism and idealism as Ricardo Acuna, and soon found out that I was expected to be quiet, submit the work and fulfill the contract hours.

This experience, coupled with the bureaucracy of the district and, in some cases, unresponsive students, makes it is easy to understand why many new teachers leave the profession. With that said, it is because of the experienced teachers who volunteer their time to help us novices that some of us make it through those first years.

Christine Martinez

Glendale

*

I read with interest The Times’ three-part series regarding Acuna’s career change from fledgling writer to first-year intern schoolteacher at a Los Angeles high school. Many of us who received our education in the L.A. public schools long ago are still grateful to those who engaged us in the learning experience.

Students speaking out of turn, unruly behavior, refusal to read or participate in class, and unlimited absences are notable gestures of a system that has lost its focus. Leadership begins with the administration. With clear education goals and high academic standards, a clear picture emerges as to how we are to educate kids. Couple this with clear rules of discipline and intense focus, and you begin a process that can and will be successful. Combine this with teachers like Acuna, as finely educated and magically talented an individual as I’ve read about in some time, and everybody wins.

Joe Hooven

Burbank

*

I wish to send my sincere thanks to Times staff writer Erika Hayasaki for her praiseworthy efforts to bring to light a common yet hidden tragedy, and to Acuna for his best efforts to touch the lives of underserved Latino students. The story brought me back to my own three years as a “passionate” elementary school teacher.

As with other demanding professions, inadequate training is a real injustice, putting the novice professional at risk of great stress, illness, depression and burnout. Citizens need to understand that good teaching in this urban context requires much more than passion or heart.

Passion works both ways, on the one hand manifesting as zeal and great devotion, and on the other as suffering and grief -- emotions potentially leading to burnout and eventually some form of painful departure.

Ricardo D. Stanton-Salazar PhD

Education Professor, USC

*

So what’s all the excitement? Acuna’s day is no different than mine, but I have been “swamped”/teaching for 32 years. In college I too thought I could write but discovered that my ability to teach was better. My college master’s teacher told me that my skills were better suited for “those kids,” whoever he thought “those kids” were. Those kids are my kids: heartaches, teachable moments, frustrations and a very occasional thank-you letter, visit or call.

Adele G. Levy

Long Beach