Been in a public school lately?

Apr.19,2006 | 13Sisters76

[13Sisters76]

I'm wondering how many have been in a public school lately, to see the awful mess they have become. Or to see, first hand, what kind of children we have coming up who will be running things one day. I teach at a public high school in a large south-central metro area. I started here this year. Before this, I had been teaching in the military system, which I now realize is very different from the regular public schools. The difference being that where parents actually have something to lose, they WILL control their children. I want you to know something of what it is like. Our "children" are beasts. They are rude, disrespectful, full of themselves, pretentious, out of control, sex obsessed and stupid. They know they don't have to behave because there isn't a thing on God's earth we can do to them. The teachers cannot control the classrooms and we can't MAKE them learn anything. These little savages breeze through the system learning as little as possible. It isn't a stretch to realize that if a few of them can write their name, play ball or recite the words to the latest rap song, that is enough to graduate them. I WISH everyone could see an example of their reading, comprehension and writing "skills". I can promise you, you would be outraged. What's even worse, they DON'T care. They don't want to hear about the future. They don't want to hear about excellence. They are stupid and proud. We spend a fortune on Special Education- would you like to know how most of that money is being spent? The resources of special education are being spent on kids who are too disruptive for a regular classroom. These kids aren't "differently-abled" for the most part. I had one little darling tell me that he was there because he didn't want to do the work. That's all. I would love to bring you all in for an afternoon with an "honors class". I MUST wonder what, exactly, are the standards for "honors". There are a precious few kids in these classes who actually ARE brighter than the rest and, for them, I feel a great deal of sympathy. The atmosphere in these classes, as well, is not the least bit conducive to learning. One cannot teach when one cannot control the classrom. One cannot control the classroom when one if faced with parents who view discipline for their children as a lawsuit better than winning the lottery. One cannot teach or control the classroom when one is faced with parents as stupid and worthless as their kids. I will be leaving the public school system at the end of this year. The very people who have allowed this state of affairs to continue will remain in place until the people of this country learn to stand up to the left wing education establishment who have helped to create this abysmal "black hole" and until parents are forced to take responsibility for their horrible kids. Until then, I urge the parents of young kids to get them OUT of it- private school, home school. There are other,FAR better, choices. I'm heading for some OTHER type of job. I wanted to teach; I wanted to make a difference. Now, I am just bitter and angry. And more conservative than ever.

[stentorian conservative]

. . . NO thanks to me. . .

As a person who has researched, chosen and implemented a good phonics program I must--as a parent and educator--completely disagree with you on this statement. My Children were once in PS, and I was ignorant enough to blame the Teachers for the mess I found myself in. I have since learned that there are many issues that have contributed to the demise of a good idea gone terribly, terribly wrong.

[Aquamarine]

Here is the html command for a paragraph.

Put this <> around this p

If I did this here it wouldn't show up.

[BeAllYouCanBe]

They all thought they were going to be rich and famous.

This is no joke folks. Many kids today think that life is a "cake walk" and you won't need to work -- just strike it rich.

When I look around and I see so many people in their 20's who live at home with mom and dad it is clear. The kids really don't have to work anymore. The safety net is everlasting so play around your whole life. No body will ever make you do anything.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

There's multiple things to consider and we shouldn't be making excuses and such.

Exactly. There is a difference between saying, "There are two students in my class that are disruptive" and "Our "children" are beasts."

One is a statement of fact that allows for ideas to flow about what should be done to fix the situation. The other is simply an excuse about why I am not doing my job.

[crymeariver]

My daughter attends Apex High school in Wake County, NC. There are over 2500 students at this school and the facility is far from glamorous. When I visit the school I am amazed at the learning environment and the behavior of the students. Almost all are top notch, polite and high achievers. Most volunteer in the community and I have never met a student there that I didn't like. It certainly gives me hope for the future and I think they are a better bunch of kids than my generation (early 70's). Based on my recent experience with teens (10 years), I am optimistic. Let's hear from other people intimately involved with teens.

[bonfire]

Here's something I've been in the habit of doing ever since my kids started school:

When you see excellence in a teacher ALWAYS write to the school board, principal and the teacher commending them. Too many times parents only get involved when they are complaining. Take the time to let your school system know when they have excellent teachers.

[TheForceOfOne]

I'm dealing with the school system right now. They gave my son a zero and detention for failure to follow directions. He did follow the directions, problem is, the teacher changed his mind about his own directions after my son turned in his work. Twenty other students received the same punishment. The class my son is in has thirty one students.

I went to see the Vice Principle to show her the directions he gave, and she produced her own copy complete with markup. I asked her why her copy was marked up and she said because she had a meeting with the teacher and her notes were to clarify the document. I said, well if it wasn't clear to you how could it be clear to my son? She said the two situations weren't related. She also said the document in question was to be revised pending all parental comments, further proving the document was lacking in clarity. I feel like I'm in bizarro world.

I also found out that two classes participated in the project, one receiving a zero and detention while the other received no punishment whatsoever.

[TightyRighty]

It kinda makes you feel stupid doesn't it when you nail a newbie to a cross for not using paragraphs and then turn around a repeat a post because you haven't completely read the thread.......

[Stat-boy]

Irrational rules and requirements, with arbitrary punishments, will eventually break down the spirit of the students. The techniques are very recognizable because they have been used in concentration camps and prisons of various dictatorships throughout history.

Do you have any other options for your child? Are there any affordable religious private schools? Can you home school?

[BeAllYouCanBe]

I went to see the Vice Principle to show her the directions he gave, and she produced her own copy complete with markup.

Generally a good school has a great Principal. In my wife's teaching career we have seen a good Principal replaced by a hack. Almost immediately the quality of education suffers. Good Principals hire only good people and take good diciplinary steps and have good policies.

Some times it also maybe best to stay out of the way of the administration -- in your case this could be a learning experience for you child. You have to let your kid know that in the real world they will work for jerks and be surrounded by incompetents.

It is pretty easy to tell the quality of the school by looking a the statistics -- like SAT scores, absenteeism, drop-out rate and others. Most times the numbers are scrubbed or not shown.

[TightyRighty]

I shouldn't have to work hard to understand someone's argument.

I shouldn't have to work hard - it should all just be handed to me! Sounds like the mindset of today's kids.

[Señor Zorro]

I've heard all of this before from my dad. He was a substitute teacher in the Maryland public school system. You are right on the money.

[jude24]

I shouldn't have to work hard - it should all just be handed to me! Sounds like the mindset of today's kids.

My first year legal writing professor emphasized that its the job of the writer to make sure his writing doesn't get in the way of his argument.

I should be able to go directly to the merits of the argument, without having to work hard just to understand what is written. Nothing excuses bad writing.

[BeAllYouCanBe]

Take the time to let your school system know when they have excellent teachers.

This is of course all filtered by your child's definition about what is excellent. So if your child likes a teacher then you write a letter about how great the teacher. If your child has a conflict with the teacher then they are bad and nasty.

I would be very careful here with under what basis is used for your praise. As I posted above a good Principal knows the good teachers but there are also teachers the kids love who do no teaching at all.

The popular teachers offer a lot of esteem building excercises but little learning.

[Señor Zorro]

Vouchers would solve the problem.

Only to create a new one. Once you start handing out vouchers, all education (for all intents and purposes) comes under government funding and, thus, under government control. Those who want vouchers have nothing but the best of intents, but if they ever come to pass, we will rue the day they did. If you doubt me, think of one acronym: ACLU.

[Sefton]

To all you small, self impressed, arrogant jerks that can't see past punctuation or simple spelling errors when someone's taken the time and effort to highlight a problem that's as threatening to our nation's future as Iran, North Korea, or Radical Islam: You are no better than the students the poster, 13Sisters76, writes about. In fact, I'd say 13Sisters76's description of the students, "rude, disrespectful, full of themselves, pretentious, out of control, sex obsessed and stupid." does a good job of describing each of you.

As to your topic 13Sisters76, I hope in the remaining weeks of the school year you'll find a way to get through to just some of your students, for they are the future of our country. Try not to despair about the overwhelming failure of things outside of your control, but look for any tiny success where you've had some beneficial impact on some student. Before giving up on your career, see if your training may benefit other students in some other setting. One bright spot, those students refusing to be educated won't someday be picking apart somebody's HTML formating skills.

[HungarianGypsy]

I would assume not every public school is exactly the same. A lot has to do with the area. I say this because I am trying not to always be negative. My sister-in-law tells me how wonderful her children's school is and how the teachers work with the parents for the benefit of their children.

Meanwhile, no one in my church will let their children go to the nearest public school. There are a number of public charter schools that people I know will send their children to. They will go out of their way to get their children to schools out of our area. Just so they don't have to go to this particular school.

Some of the children who do go to this school are my next door neighbors. The children are just as you described. They are destructive,disrespectful to neighbor's property, unruly, and sit around talking about G-Unit all the time.

While walking home from the park one morning I overheard a very upset mother walking past the school talking on her cell phone. "I told her that," she said. "But, when the kids need help, they ask the teachers and they won't help them." I am sure there was more to this story, but I almost (but didn't, I know) stopped to suggest she might want to try another school.

[TightyRighty]

If you can't comprehend a small article because a couple of spaces weren't inserted where paragraphs should be - then she's not the one with the problem.

[bonfire]

I don't care about popular teachers. The best teachers were the toughest. When my son's AP English teacher called and said "He's giving me 100% but I want 150%!" I knew she was "excellent". (that and other things, of course)

I didn't think I needed to explain the word "excellence".

[driftless]

I went to private (Catholic) schools through high school, but I can remember my public school friends talking about the tough non-nonsense teachers they had. That was in the sixties. The only public schools I've attended were colleges. I remember taking classes in the early nineties. I recall one particular geography class where the professor had to daily talk over the noise from some yakking students.

He put up with this disruption the entire semester until almost the last week of term when in the middle of a lecture, he stopped and politely asked the offending students to keep quiet because he could barely hear himself talk. Here, as Paul Harvey would say (?), is the end of the story. The students involved in the disruptive yakking were both education students. That's right, both students wanted to become teachers.