Teacher education students and beginning teachers rarely think about the different ways
that schools are organized. For most, their own experience as a secondary school student is
the primary model they are familiar with and what they assume is the norm. But there are a
number of things you need to consider as you try to figure out the type of teacher you want
to be and where you would prefer to work. I emphasize prefer, because as a new teacher you
may not have much of a choice.
For most of my career, I was a nontraditional teacher working within a traditional school
setting. I needed to find a way to fit in and hold a job and to establish space where I was com-
fortable with my ability to relate with and influence students. As I grew older (and hopefully
wiser), I realized there were some things I could change and other things or people I would
have to accept (at least temporarily), work with, through, or around. As a new teacher you
will be able to make some choices about how you want to organize your classroom, but gen-
erally you must comply with the way a school is organized or leave. In my experience, as
you establish competence and your ability to work successfully with students, you will be al-
lowed greater freedom in decision making, but the bottom line is that schools are not orga-
nized for the benefit of teachers or to help a young and idealistic social activist achieve his
or her personal vision for education. You may be the world’s best teacher; however, if you
cannot hold a job, you will not change anyone.
I know that at this point in your “career” it is difficult to imagine, but there are schools
where you may not be willing to work. Twice I said “No, thank you” to positions. While I was
still searching for a permanent appointment, I was offered a job at a middle school where
the principal prided himself on centralized control over everything that took place in “his”
building. This extended to dictating to teachers what they taught and what their students
read and wrote every lesson. With the arrogance of youth, I explained I did not think it was a
good system and left the interview. On another occasion, I was offered a transfer to a newly
established elite academic high school that wanted me to set up a Westinghouse (now Intel)
social science research program for its top students. I disagreed with their desire to make in-
dividual research by a select few the school’s educational priority and declined the offer.
Although this chapter starts with the way schools are organized, its primary focus is on
classrooms. I prefer the term organization to either management or control because in the
end, I think the only one you can control is yourself. Other people, especially adolescents,
CHAPTER5 Organization: How Are Classrooms and Schools Organized?
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