He began this school year armed with lesson plans and a six-page list of rules. It's been easier, he said, but he can't shake off last year's failings. "My students deserved more than I was able to deliver. That's a year lost they can't recoup. I still feel bad that I wasn't better."
His admission makes it clear to me that he's the kind of teacher I'd like my daughters to have.
One who's willing to risk looking foolish in class -- juggling fruit, doing magic tricks or throwing a raw egg against a wall -- to teach teenagers who barely speak English about paragraph structure and metaphors.
One who blames himself when a fight breaks out in the back of his class or half his fourth-period students can't keep up. And who celebrates an overheard comment by "one of my punk/rocker girls," who told a friend she had fun presenting a project in class.
Schlosser is young enough to cut a belligerent student slack -- "She's just a kid, desperate to be as cool as possible," he wrote on his blog -- and to apologize when his public scolding makes a shy, quiet girl cry in class.
Iunderstand why half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years. Done well, teaching can be an emotionally draining job.
But five enthusiastic years from a teacher like Schlosser might be better than 30 years from a teacher just marching toward retirement.
The keys to making that work are better mentoring for new teachers, loosening union assignment-by-seniority rules and getting enough good prospects in the pipeline so that we can show not-so-good teachers the door.
"Teaching is the kind of job nothing prepares you for, no matter how many courses you take or videos you watch or classes you observe," said Southeast Principal Flores. "I would say, 'Give me the young teacher with a good heart, someone who genuinely cares about the students.' "
And what you might get in return are students who genuinely care about their teacher -- at least enough to ask good questions so as not to embarrass him when a professional journalist comes to class.
Although most of the questions came from three or four students, none of the others were texting, braiding their hair or sleeping on their desks -- all of which I've seen before.
I was grateful, and so was Schlosser. And though his Teach for America commitment is done, he'll be back at Southeast next year. As chairman of the English Department.
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sandy.banks@latimes.com
