First Week of School

I just finished a crazy, roller coaster ride of the first week. I teach four sections of 9th Grade U.S. History, and one section of Basic Law. The content is really exciting, as I got the social studies placement I've always wanted, and Basic Law is a really cool class. Basic Law covers, well, the basics of law; we cover constitutional law, civil law, torts, criminal law, trial procedures, international law etc... We also participate in the Michigan Mock Trial and Youth in Government program, which holds conferences in Lansing every year. The coolest thing about this class is the Teen Court program, where the District Court brings in an actual juvenile trial into my classroom (also a courtroom) and the trial happens right in front of my students. These juvenile defendants are non-violent offenders who admit guilt before the trial, and my students basically serve as a teen jury that will question the defendant and issue a recommendation to the judge for sentencing. It's a truly amazing opportunity to the students to see the judicial system in action, and for them to get introduced to the law before college even begins. My classroom is set up just like a courtroom, so I can simulate a courtroom every single lesson, week in, week out. Even more, we're working with the U.S. Attorney, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Congressmen Conyers and Clarke, and the Detroit Police, to get students to all the public events they can, and be exposed to the many pathways of opportunities available to them.

This being said, it isn't an easy job at all. I have very little background in law, and I have to learn everything I'm teaching. I've had to go through quite a few law books to know the basics, especially when it comes to criminal law. I also have had no experience in trial procedures, so I've had to have students teach me how to organize a Mock Trial team. On top of that, I've had to write my own curriculum (although I do have a textbook), and make a lot of stuff up. It's a lot of work, I guess, but it really does sound like a lot of fun. I've also had some awesome guidance though - I have a great mentor teacher who has helped me with all the logistics, and has offered to go through all the stuff I write. She's been doing a lot of the planning, and has just been awesome. There also happens to be another TFA teacher who is teaching the same class in another school (we're the only two law teachers in all of Detroit Public Schools!), so it's nice to get more help, too. 

Now to the fun part - the students. I have around 40-45 students in each class, putting my total to around 220 students, making it a challenge to manage and effectively invest in all of them. They're all compliant - they do the work I ask them to do, but will sometimes give me attitude about it. I've been told: "man you talk too much, just shut up," or "man this class is boring." One of my 12th graders in my law class even led a "Let's Go Home" chant. They'll try to talk over me, challenge me when I give directions, or complain about the work I'm giving them, but at the very least, they're still doing the work. A lot of them don't want to be there, so it's hard to blame them for their attitude. However, this just means I'll have to make the class more interesting in order to engage them a bit more. It's not easy, but that's the job I'm here to do. These kids have not received the best education, and I'm there to give them that. Coming in to 9th Grade, they know four 'states' (Detroit, Michigan, Canada and Mexico), Huron is one of the oceans of the world, and Tokyo is a country in Europe. Asia and Africa, also, are both countries. Needless to say, a lot of work needs to be done. After the first week, I now have a clearer picture of the work that does need to be done. I now know which students need more academic attention, and which students need a tighter grip. I've had to have some serious conversations with students who are disrupting the class, and after that, it's seemed to make things a bit better. My students still have a huge attitude, but at least they're working hard when I need them to. Again, the most important lesson here is consistency. When I implement the rules consistently and frequently, my students are reminded that I'm in control, and that's what I need. Yesterday, when one of my louder students was talking yesterday, another told him to shut up, because I'd yell at them. Now, that's exactly what I wanted! I knew I had to start off by being the mean, strict teacher, or else the students wouldn't respect me. Hopefully, this is the start of something great. Of course, a student did tell me "yo, Mr. Hui, you're cute..." That, hopefully, won't continue...

Lastly, I've been really blessed to have an amazing group of people around me. My administration has been amazing. My principal really cares about the students, and her high expectations just make sure that I'm doing my job right. The other teachers are all amazing - they truly care, and have done everything they can to get my used to my job. They have taken the initiative to introduce themselves, send me resources, and give me ideas on how to teach better. My fellow TFA corps members have been amazing friends and a wonderful support. One of them teaches at my school (and also goes to my church), and has been an ever-present support and source of advice. Everyone else in Detroit has been so supportive and have shown me how to teach well, and more importantly, how to truly love your students. They exemplify what sacrifice means, and I've looked up to them to learn how to give my all for my kids. The friendships I've built here just go to show how important a support system is, and how important it is to always have people around you that care about you and your work. Church, as always, has been amazing, and the group there has always prayed for our work and always stop me to talk ask me how I'm doing.

It's been an interesting week. Definitely a roller coaster ride, but I'm sure it's only going to get better. I'm absolutely exhausted when I get home - it's undoubtedly frustrating, and very hard. Having the kids not listen, challenge me and talk back at me for six hours a day is tiring, but when I get home, I remember that it's all going to be worth it at the end of the day. It's going to be a long, tiring road, but when I see my students truly be invested in their education and have that desire to learn, I'll know that the yelling (and getting yelled at) was all for a good reason. It's felt like so much longer than a week, and there are another 33 to go, but that means that I have 33 more weeks to make a difference. I'm getting there; slowly, but surely.

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Here are some pictures of my classroom:

Room 320: my History classroom

My Courtroom-Classroom