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U4euh
| | Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2007 - 09:54 pm: | 
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I have to plea the middle ground on this one. Being in education myself, I have to wonder what demographic they are dealing with. Is it profiling? No but you can't help where your students come from, and neither can they! Most of my children come from mostly poor, drug ridden, low income families. I asked a student last year what his dad did for a living. After a long pause and a guilty grin he said that he delt with exports and imports. They even had a trap door under the fireplace rug that led out of the house. We do what we can do.
Now what does all that have to do with the above thread? I would have been very concerned, but the teacher and principle did go overboard. Some mentoring stood to be had on that one. Had the student done it before, does he talk about things like this all the time, does he show 'tendencies'?
and by the way, that student I talked about was in the 3rd grade! |
Essthreetee
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 12:12 am: |
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OK, I have to chime in here...I am a High School Teacher, I do not believe that I am stupid, ignorant, or clueless. I feel that I hold my students up to a HIGH level, even when the PARENTS of these students complain that I am too hard. I am even the department chair for my school, and I have MANY students and parents asking me about teachers. They are always trying to find the loop hole for their kids. They want them to participate in sports REGARDLESS of how their grades are...they want them to be involved at school, but do not provide them an example. They want the TEACHERS to teach them manners so that they don't have to. I don't know how many times I have made calls home to parents with concern about their son/daughter and how they are doing in my class...only to be asked what I was going to do to raise their grade, why I was giving them such poor grades, and what proof/reasoning did I have? Only to be UNSUPPORTED by the administration, and then questioned...
If you think that stupid people are teaching, maybe they are...but then again, if you think that you would be able to teach a classroom full of 37 to 40 students PER PERIOD, not be able to punish them for misbehavior, not be able to motivate them with grades (because Mom or Dad will get them out of it anyhow) have at it. It will only take a college degree, then an additional degree specifically for teaching, then you will have to continually go back to school for "Professional Development" and then when you think you are on top of the degree chase, we get slapped with the REQUIREMENT of getting a CLAD credential, so that we may teach students that do not speak English...
OK...I am done...I know that it won't go anywhere, and I am just spinning my wheels.
Believe me, I love what I do. I love working with the kids, getting them to believe that they can do more than they think. I like having the interaction with them, trying to teach them about life as well as my subject. It is just too bad that people that have NEVER been in a classroom (as a teacher) are the ones that tell us WHAT and HOW to teach, who to focus on, and then tell the rest of the world when any mistakes are made...
OK, next topic... |
Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 01:45 am: |
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S3T,
I agree completely. Most teachers do what they do because they are called to do it. The problem is that they lack support at their local school, at the local school board, at the state school board, at the teacher's union, and at the "no child left behind" federal level.
Each of these groups has a pound of flesh dictating what you teach, how you teach it, and not giving you the authority to do much of anything.
Then you have compensation. There is no real competition available. The really great teachers get paid the same as the ones that aren't really very good.
It would be so much better if excellence were rewarded financially. Imagine the educational opportunities were teachers encouraged to think outside the box.
Parents are the other problem. Most don't give a crap about what happens at school. Because of my son, we have 8-10 annual meetings with 6-8 people in attendance each meeting. Many haven't made 8-10 meetings with their child in their lives. We gave the teachers free reign to discipline my son in any way they see fit. His punishment continues at home. We voluntarily held him back this year because we didn't feel that he had mastered the core skills he needed to move to the next grade. His teachers believed he needed it, but we could tell they were apprehensive about discussing it. They seemed relieved we recommended it.
The parents who don't care get exactly the education system they deserve. |
Rotzaruck
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 02:42 am: |
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Essthreetee
I have a feeling you may not be the type of educator I'm concerned about. As a matter of fact, most probably aren't, but there are enough of them out there. I think, if you saw a drawing like that, you wouldn't call 911 and the National Guard. It may not be that they are actually stupid, but they sure do some stupid stuff.
I don't know any details of the gun drawing thing, and shouldn't say much based on assumptions. I do know some folks are living in a panic crisis mode, and don't mind sacrificing a child to do the politically correct thing sometimes. Kids are kicked out of school for so many things that I had to go see old "fessor" and his paddle. He gave me a choice of three days or three licks, sometimes. I took the licks, it was all over soon as it quit hurting. I wouldn't have minded the vacation, but would have gotten more than three licks at home, if I chose the three days. I learned a lesson every time, and never saw "fessor" twice for the same offense. We need "fessor" back.
Yeah, teaching these days would be frustrating. I know I couldn't do it. I do appreciate the good ones, that do the best they can, for the kids, with the situations they are put in. |
Court
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 06:59 am: |
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Aspire higher |
Ryker77
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 09:48 am: |
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I don't agree. We the EDUCATED AND INFORMED people need to vote and be involved in local politics.
Little Johnny Retard who has no clue as to what is going on has the ability to cancel out your vote or my vote just by showing up.
I really don't want anyone educated by the latest crop of NEA buffoons involved in the voting process thank you very much.
True. We need take the time to get informed before we vote.
But the current system be either design or default keeps most people away from voting. The people have just been beaten down and have given up/in to it.
---
My father went to a one-room school on a dirt road in the ozarks of MO. He has done just fine. In fact if we look back to our parents and grandparents. The school house education system was very low by todays "standards". But they are the ones that created this country. Key issue was society and government control through regulations -- it just didn't happen back then.
For example then in the 1930's a young hard working teenager could become a good home builder with OJT. But now he needs to spend 13 years in government schools. Then 1-2 years in a trade school. Then pass state exams.... |
Essthreetee
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 11:20 am: |
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Ft Bastard & Rotzaruck, thanks for the words. I apologize for going off the deep end, I usually just avoid these things, I just couldn't this time.
YES, there are bad teachers, I work with some. Most of the bad ones that I work with are old, tired, and just waiting to retire. They no longer like kids, and everyone (kids included) know it. I don't EVER want to be lumped together with them, And it pisses me off when it happens.
Personally, I work my tail off...always putting in extra time, and spending more time with OTHER PEOPLE's kids than my own. I coach 2 sports, participate in after school tutoring, and contribute to the school whenever I can. Sometimes my family gets the short end of the stick, but I make sure that the time spent with them is quality. I keep close tabs on my own children, have high expectations for them and their teachers. If I get a teacher that is not at that level, I am in constant communication with them.
Sending your kids to school does not alleviate parents of their parental duties...even though this is how many feel.
I gotta go, I am starting up again....
Ride safe, smile a lot. |
Jlnance
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 06:17 pm: |
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A couple of thoughts.
As to the incident with the kid drawing the gun. We bring sillyness like this on ourselves when we flip out about the events of the world. After Columbine occured people said "those kids showed signs of being abnormal, someone should have seen this coming." So now everyone has to take things like this with life or death seriousness, just so that if this kid turns out to the one in 100 million that goes nuts and hurts someone, everyone will have their ass covered. The irony of this is that we are going to sit the kid down in his American Government class and explain to him that he lives in a free country and the government can't tell him what he can and can not say.
As to schools, I've got two kids in public school. Schools have their problems. Still they are about 100 times better than when I went through. |
Buellshyter
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 08:09 pm: |
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Ft_bstrd, spot on. The parents who don't care get exactly the education system they deserve. Unfortunately, the rest of society pays a price. |
Ryker77
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 03:02 pm: |
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We just to stop being so bleading heart liberal. If you screw up in school then don't expect the government to give you handouts. Ie lowincome housing, foodstamps, welfare etc etc.
Years back if your ass didn't work hard then you went cold in the winter and had an empty belly. A few weeks like that and it will cure a person-- at the very least it will save tax money.
I know I grew up with not having much food in the fridge and often had many cold winter nights. To this day it effects the way I work, live and spend money. |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 04:06 pm: |
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Interesting article. I remember through all of 3rd grade, I used to exchange drawings with a kid where we would try to come up with the most lethal-looking tank. Guns, cannons, rockets, missle launchers... I even remember fixing a nuclear bomb to one of mine.
The teacher never flinched. I graduated high school in 2001 - this wasn't that long ago.
I also remember in high school math class drawing a paintball gun on a piece of classwork. The teacher walked by and took note of it and assumed it was a real gun. She showed a little concern and told me it was inappropriate. I explained it wasn't even a drawing of a real gun, and she just had me throw the peice of paper away and that was that. This happened in 2000, less than a year after Columbine, and our high schoo had been singled out on one of those prime-time news shows as a next most likely place for a school shooting to happen based on the student body and layout of the building or some crap.
24 years old and I have yet to kill a single person.
Suspension for a lousy drawing of a gun? C'mon - that could just as easily be mistaken for a freakin' bunny rabbit.
I went to public school and I turned out pretty good. I was fortunate to grow up in a middle-class area, so most folks worked for what they had, but there were more than enough kids who got stuff jusrt because they wanted it. I remember a girl in the class ahead of me who got a brand new Mercedes for her senior year...$60,000 car. Nothing like earning it, eh?
Personally, I don't blame the teachers. Can you really blame them considering the crap kids they have to put up with? I blame the parents for handing over the trash they call kids... it spoils the job.
I may not be old, but I taught driver's ed to 16-year olds for a couple years. There are a lot of good kids out there, but there are also lot of crummy ones who haven't worked a day in their life for anything and still feel they're owed the world.
(Message edited by xl1200r on August 28, 2007) |
Ryker77
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 08:36 am: |
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You can always tell the kids or adults who had to work and earn money when they were young.
But where I grew up.. Labor laws and the insurgents make it hard for a 16 year old to get an ok job. About 3/4 of the jobs require spanish! |
Greenlantern
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 11:35 am: |
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Could be worse, look at this daycare center photo.........
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Xl1200r
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 11:52 am: |
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MY GOD! They let them drink Heineken?
At least grant them the courtesy of a GOOD European beer, like St. Paulie Girl or something. |
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