Posted on 05/27/2009 6:41:58 AM PDT by decimon
What are you doing here. I’m at a halfway house. For what? Assaulting an officer. Oh, Right ...
I had a female come to me one afternoon and say she was going to miss my class because she had a court date. I figured it was a minor drug offense or theft and I inquired about the offense and she got huffy and said (I quote): This BOY he wouldn't leave me alone and he kept pushin so I stabbed him in the chest 5 times with an ice pick.
He had survived, by a miracle and so she had to go to court, for which she got yet another round of probation....
But you know the single time I was most at a point of sheer despair was about 15 years ago when I did my time teaching middle school pergatory and I had an assistant principal storm up and get into my face about how dare I teach these kids HOW to THINK? I wanted to be sure and asked him why teaching critical thinking was a bad thing. He hissed at me: (Again I quote the devil) You don't teach these kids HOW to think! You teach them WHAT to think. What I want them to think! I kid you not, this idiot was an administrator in the system for 40 years before he finally retired.
You are missing my point, which may not have been clear. When I said that the O’s educational choices speak volumes, I was intending to point out that they are hypocrites, just as you say.
But, I don’t think that the Bushes sent their girls to public school to make any sort of political point. I also doubt that the Midland schools the Bush girls attended were overrun with illegals because the Bushes were undoubtedly zoned into the better Midland schools. Moreover, most of the illegals probably would have been in Odessa.
That was a weird situation at the middle school. The main thing is you lived to fight another day. For me, lowly sub, getting pulling off a school’s sub rotation meant I was fired, but in a passive sort of way.
I thought about going into teaching and was subbing for that reason as well, but came to the conclusion that a perm job would kill me for having to teach within too many borders, especially ones I disagreed with.
“But, I don’t think that the Bushes sent their girls to public school to make any sort of political point. I also doubt that the Midland schools the Bush girls attended were overrun with illegals because the Bushes were undoubtedly zoned into the better Midland schools. Moreover, most of the illegals probably would have been in Odessa.”
Point well taken. I’m not familiar with Midland but I think it is safe to assume it’s a more affluent area. Still with money not being a problem with Bush, a PRIVATE school is NOT where they went. I don’t think that you can easily argue that the majority of private schools are superior to public schools.
I had an uncle who taught in a urban school with many minorities. He had a pretty tough life, grew up without a dad around, but still managed to get a PhD.
On the first day of school he told the kids about his origins, how far he had risen, and told them he wouldn’t put up with any cr*p, because “I know you can do this- I did it, and if you work in this class, you will be able to do it.”
That year, his remedial classes outdid the honors kids.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that if these teachers taught discipline and actually cared about the kids (the non-violent ones who attempt to behave), maybe things would be a little better.
At the end of my student teaching, I was offered a job at that school (2nd to last ranking in the state, we went into lockdown the first week I was there). I turned it down because it was only a matter of time before some thug momma was going to call me a racist for punishing her kid.
That was Dec. of 2005. I've never been offered another teaching job. I still don't regret turning that job down.
Possibly the disparity in your relative experiences have to do with how and why the students came to America. Somebody sent here to get a college degree might be the most talented and promising person in his clan/extended-family, while the elementary kids might be the children of refugees.
Unfortunately the more socialized the U.S. becomes serves to attract the WRONG kinds of people. Also the NUMBERS allowed in from other countries are MORE THIRD WORLD TYPE COUNTRIES - such as Africa.
They try to come here BEFORE college. The schools in these third world type countries don't lend themselves to a worthy education. It is highly unlikely that kids graduating from 12th grade in Africa are the equivalent of a 12th grade graduate in the U.S. - even with our flaws.
Sure they might be the most “talented” in the “village” or “clan” but you don't seem to understand. Their way of life is not something either of us would consider nor would we want their standards. You must read up and understand WHY these people FLEE their country and WHY they have the attitude of entitlement they have. They SEE and WANT what citizens have worked for NOW.
I am beginning to question your exposure to fist generation Africans.
The TIMMS international study of students showed Singapore as the highest scoring in Math.
While methodology was a factor, so was cultural attitude towards learning.
A teacher cannot undue in 6 hours a day what a child learns the other 18 hours.
And it is especially tough to undue what they learn in their formative years.
Criminy. Dang spellcheck.
undue s/b undo.
I think inner city women deliberately encourage their sons and other males in their lives to be violent thugs.
When you think about it, who else do they have to settle scores for them, and to protect them from other violent thugs?
Learning, not teaching. Yes.
IMO, there is too much emphasis placed on teaching. An impression that knowledge is somehow transferred from teacher to student. Putting the onus back on students to learn would do much to correct what is wrong with what we call education.
No thank you. Of course that is joke. Blacks are very much stuck on that "race thing" so maybe you should tell them to get over it?
As long as we have the black caucus, the NAACP and any number of race groups, I will not "get over it". As long as we have affirmative action, black liberation theology, "Hip Hop" Republicans and Colin Obama Powell I will not "get over it". As long as we have schools that aren't safe and thugs who get benediction from the likes of you exactly because they are black, I will not "get over it". As long as The New Black Panther is allowed a pass, as long as blacks are tribal and are encouraged to celebrate their roots, as long as blacks whine about "black holes" and such, I will not "get over it"...
I've met a few Africans, in college (decades ago) and in the professional work force. On average, they seemed fairly gentle, soft-spoken types.
You have to realize, even Africa has a multi-generational black middle class, which is more likely to do what's needed to try to send their best out of the country for a Western education so he can get a good job and help out the rest of the clan.
my experience has been that Somolian chidren have been a big problem but Kenyan and Ugandans have been fine.
Whatever works for you. As for myself, I will include you in my prayers.
Well specifically Kenyan and Ugandan children that I personally know are nightmares.
Have you any idea about the history in these countries?
I truly can't take you too seriously.
You're hell bent on defending the reverse of what is truth.
“I’ve met a few Africans, in college (decades ago) and in the professional work force. On average, they seemed fairly gentle, soft-spoken types.”
Years ago ... I’m talking about today. A “few” hardly gives way to an “average” of anything.
“You have to realize, even Africa has a multi-generational black middle class, which is more likely to do what’s needed to try to send their best out of the country for a Western education so he can get a good job and help out the rest of the clan.”
You don’t have to have “money” to get out of there. You can use religious persecution.
The more we exchange replies the more I dee you are referring to years ago and I am referring to the present. Things have changed.
“I don’t think that you can easily argue that the majority of private schools are superior to public schools.”
I would argue that the vast majority (as in almost all)of private schools are superior to government schools.
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