Posted on 09/02/2002 4:54:59 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
Along with the kids' new shoes, new books and an apple for the teacher, back-to-school preparations today often include a new lawyer – just in case the teacher doesn't give Johnny the grade his parents think he deserves, or Johnny's principal suspends him from school for gross violation of the rules. Regrettably, "L" for litigation has been added to the ABCs. It has become a fact of life in today's classrooms – from the first to the 12th grade.
The Fox News network recently reported that a teacher was threatened with a lawsuit for failing a student who plagiarized work and did not attend make-up sessions as required. The teacher held firm, but the school gave in and allowed her to retake a test in order to graduate.
A teacher in Kansas resigned in protest when her school reduced her students' punishment for plagiarism and required her to change student grades. Good for her! And cheers, too, for an Ohio court that came to its senses and dismissed a mother's lawsuit seeking a $6 million settlement with the school for giving her 15-year-old failing grades.
But the Kansas biology teacher's "victory" was a hollow one. She's out of a job, and future students of that school will be deprived of a fearless, honest, committed teacher. And for every Ohio court that does the right thing, there are courts in other states which allow frivolous lawsuits from irresponsible parents attempting to bankrupt teachers and administrators.
Every year, people write me about the horrors perpetrated on the schools, not so much by out-of-control kids, but more from their out-of-control parents who – far from partnering with the school in assuring their children a good education – support the worst kind of behavior in and out of the classroom and make the lives of educators a living hell.
A few years back, a public high school principal in Pennsylvania was nearly bankrupted by a lawsuit filed by the parents of an adolescent, who used the Internet to hire someone to murder his math teacher. He was, correctly, thrown out of school, but the principal was hauled into court. He was also prevented by the courts from alerting other schools about this little psychopath. So that was left to me to do. I had no such restrictions and used my radio show to let the boarding school he was attending know of the kid's past. He was invited to leave there, as well, before he ruined the life of another teacher, his former math teacher having been so traumatized she resigned from teaching.
Fear of parental legal action if their children are failed or disciplined, fear of the students themselves – who are increasingly angry and violent, and fear of any physical contact with students whatsoever lest it be misinterpreted as sexual harassment or abuse has teachers understandably on edge these days. These very real concerns are added to the burdens of over-crowded classrooms, inadequate resources, government-mandated curricula of dubious value, and students whose grasp of English is poor to non-existent.
It's amazing to me that anyone wants to be a public school teacher.
But, what's up with these parents?! Maybe they are offended when someone else tries to teach their children self-discipline and accountability, thereby painfully reminding them of where they have failed as parents. Or maybe, they are so obsessed with success that they panic and are willing to lie, cheat and intimidate if they feel their kids' futures will be negatively impacted by disciplinary measures or failing grades.
Whatever the reasons, the toxicity has spread from grade schools and high schools into our colleges and universities where grade inflation is a scandal. For example, it took years before the faculty senate at Harvard recently voted to restrict the number of "A"s given in any one class or by any one professor. Where does this coddling of our young stop? On whose desk does the buck come to rest in a culture where nothing has to be earned with discipline and hard work, where every kind of behavior is excused or rationalized, and where children are raised in an environment characterized by only praise and pleasure?
The end point, I fear, is generations of Americans unprepared for the hardships of war, for the hours of hard work, discipline and stamina required of a heart surgeon or a nuclear scientist, for the intelligence, character and compassion to be a teacher, a cop, a firefighter or a paramedic, or for the self-sacrifice, tough love and profound commitment it takes to be a parent.
So, today's parents, who literally spoil their children by softening their cores, are not just destroying their own, but spoiling the future world for other children – raised to self-reliance and virtue – who will have to shoulder all the burdens.
My mom was forced to resign from her teaching job at an elementary school (5th grade) for not passing all of the students (the majority of them were lazy idiots whose parents told them not to listen to white teachers and the students made sure my mom knew this).
Failed parenting equals failed education equals failure to learn the basic tools of life equals failed responsibility of an entire new generation equals failed society.
Any country in which children are not properly raised has doomed itself to self-destruct.
We need to do something to stop all these ~stupid, corrupt parents~ from interfering with the way our good public schools are trying to raise their kids!
Can you believe that some parents would let their children go all the way through their adolescence without even knowing about the intimacy of fisting?
When I think about the hell these underpaid, overworked, heroic public school teachers and officials go through to get the message out and help shape the minds of the next generation, my heart wells up with admiration!
All teachers make this choice and the best ones, the teachers who believe in discipline and rigorous instruction, either leave or go stark raving mad. "Good" teaching comes with a price, these days: rarely lawsuits, but most commonly threats, intimidation, harrassment, rudeness, insults, rumors, ruined reputations, emotional abuse, pressure from administrators to cave in, etc. Is it any wonder that 'good' teachers are leaving in droves? Is it any surprise that math and science teachers are on the endangered species list? Is it any surprise the damage the 'low-standards-just-to-stay-sane crowd has inflicted?
I have a 'real' job, now although I tutor chemistry on the side. I get to charge 7-8 times per hour what I made in the classroom and get a fraction of the grief- it's quite a delightful hobby. I recommend it to all frustrated teachers. A couple I know tutor full time and are making a killing- they just bought a vacation home.
The best thing for the school system is total collapse. Replace it with a total capitalistic free-for-all. Parents should be able to choose from all manner of curricula and regimen. But more importantly, capitalistic educators need to be able to choose who they'll take on as students- like I do as a private tutor. That will increase standards as the kids/families who give a darn will compete for the best teachers.
(/RANT) Sorry for taking up so much bandwidth.
I'm glad to hear that you've taken your God given talents and put them to good use. Good luck. I hope you see a lot of students, receive great satifaction from your tutoring, and make a lot of money. It sounds like you deserve it.
~sigh~
My post was sarcastic... ~that~ was pointing out one example of public school intrusiveness, the mass. sex ed debacle of (i think) last year.
I know a few who are downright subversive- sneaky to the point that the CIA could recruit them. On the surface they go along with whatever the admin's whims are for that week, but in the trenches they are employing good old-fashioned best practice and try really hard not to get caught.
I know a first grade teacher who deals with the migrant population in southern AZ. The school is whole language but she owns (purchased with her own monies) several copies of 'Hooked On Phonics' that she loans out to families. Subversive! Insubordinate, actually. But she keeps her head down and gets excellent results. Ironically she was promoted to 'reading specialist' and travels from classroom to classroom helping the low readers. If the educrats only knew!
That could work both ways, like my daughter's english teacher last year(the school ran her off after one year). I went to confer with her during open house, and was more than a little taken aback by all of the subliminal ~vagina~ art(georgia o'keefe and many more) grouped on one wall. She had an uncovered tattoo on her ankle(contrary to school dress code) and a figurine of a fawn with the words "please dont kill me" on it front and center of her desk( we are rural here, I don't hunt, but most folks around here do). She showed me her grade book, and the ~lowest~ grade average was a 97(givaway grades). Anyway, I never said anything to the administration, but apparently I didn't have to. Her aunt had pulled some strings to get her the job in our choice, violence-free school, but the lady just had to be a ~liberal warrior~...
Having said all that, I liked the woman -- and even let my daughter babysit her kid -- but I can't say I disagree with her dismissal.
I am curious, you said some things in an earlier post about free-market education. It occurs to me that most of the ~problem~ kids really don't want to be there in the first place -- what do you think about a public education system that is freely available to citizens, but not compulsory. Obviously, only students who get something out of it would be allowed to stay, I don't advocate a public baby-sitting industry. Do you think it would help? BTW: I am glad things are going better for you than they were.
Miz -- what is your take on all of this?
The compulsory issue is key. Whenever something becomes mandatory it loses value. Things we choose for ourselves, especially things that not everyone has, have value. Medical training: valuable. High school algebra: worthless.
Kids know this. Never, ever underestimate the ability of teens to see through pretense (they are also experts at manipulating adults). Most of the 'problem' kids and their 'problem' parents rightly see the contrived nature of homework, projects, cute reports, and even grades. They want to cut to the chase: is this useful or not? Large numbers of kids see no need for things like algebra and chemistry and they won't until they actually need to use them. So why force these kids to sit in a classroom where they don't want to be? Why not get them out into the world- work opportunites, internships, apprenticeships, mentorships- so they can see how all these pieces fall into place. When they decide they need algebra, when they choose chemistry for themselves they will excell because it finally has value.
This is, of course, heresy because each of us sat in rows of seats in learning institutions and we all turned out ok. We all have great accomplishments and consider ourselves educated. But I dare say that you turned out ok in spite of the system, not because of it. Each and every single one of your accomplishments came from your desire to do it and not from mandatory. Think about where you could be now if you had the opportunity during the school day to persue your intellectual interests instead of sitting in a "useless" class.
So I say scrap the whole system. Put the money and the responsibility squarely in the parents' hands. Put every educational option dreamed up in human history on the table and let the market rule. Again, I haven't fleshed out all the details (I'll let you know when I do)- I just know the whole 'system' is broken beyond repair, that kids are capable of far more than is currently expected of them, and that something has to give.
...and not from mandatory schooling.
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