Posted on 04/18/2006 5:23:39 AM PDT by 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.
The best teachers were the toughest.
The best teachers were the toughest.
The best teachers were the toughest.
The best teachers were the toughest.
The best teachers were the toughest.
This bears repeating.
When you say, "were the toughest" you mean when you were in school. You weren't refering to your child. So you are sort of mixing your experience and your kids.
There are things like lesson plans, schedules, choice of assignments that aren't apparent to a parent were you talking about them?
I tell my son that not everything in life is fair, he understands this. It's the parents who are upset. The teacher and the Vice Principle have lied and withheld information for their own benefit. The parents have met with the administration individually and we have been told different versions about what happened and why the punishment was issued.
What are you arguing about? My last child is graduating in June. I was referring to the experience I've had with all three of my kids.
My oldest is 26 and I'm a veteran at this. The criteria for a good teacher is many things. I was giving an example. But you knew that.
"The parents have met with the administration individually"
When my son was in 7th grade he got into a problem with a teacher who had singled him out for punishment. I took his side. What a mistake!!
In 12th grade 2 months before graduation he wanted to drop-out and expected me to take his side again and let him get his way with an "unfair teacher". I didn't take his side but it was something I had set up his expectations for 5 years earlier.
This is a bitter lesson as a parent but I would be very careful when I get involved in school problems.
My oldest is 26 and I'm a veteran at this.
Sorry, I didn't know -- what did I miss? It sounded like a current problem. But you said "were" and I assumed you meant when you were in school.
We need to remember that right now it is difficult to be a tough teacher. That was my point.
Not my job to try.
It's still truly awful writing.
This maybe good if the Principal has the power to really fire bad ones.
Tenure hasn't been mentioned on this thread but it is big problem.
The "teachers union" has been mentioned but let's face it the NEA is a really big problem.
I flinched a little at your post "body" but had no problem tackling it. I guess it was because in high school I read Nathaniel Hawthorne and other authors who took paragraphs seriously. (I can actually remember having to mentally diagram the 50-word sentences just to pinpoint the subject and verb.) On the other hand, I studied journalism in undergraduate school and learned that paragraphs were to be judged less by content than by length in order to avoid reader eye fatigue. (At my age, it's beginning to be eye twitches.;o)).
At any rate, I completely agree with your frustration with the public school system. Obviously there are vast differences among the school systems but, by and large, most public school systems seem to serve the administration and staff more than the students. By that, I mean the administration and staff as a whole rather than individual members of those groups who want to change "the system".
Most of those drawn to education as a career are the type of personality that values procedure, tradition, and group mentality. The problem, partly, is that studies show that personality group is actually only a minority percentage of the population as a whole. One personality grouping study breaks the general population down into four types in the following percentages: 38-38-12-12. Teachers (and cops and military) tend to come from one of the 38 groups.
The problem is, each of the groups is so different from others not only by what they value but also by how they think, learn and get motivated that the disparate groups really don't operate on the same wavelength. The result is that schools, being almost 95% composed of one personality group, sees the world from a particular minority point of view as to how to teach and they have few colleagues to challenge that point of view. As a result, schools "synch" with the 38% of the students who learn and have values like the teachers, and schools have no clue as to how the other 62% of the student body learn.
I had hoped a long time ago that computers would help individualize the learning process and free up teachers to make the best use of their time and talents for those who needed it. I was perfectly capable of learning by computer, as was my 19-year-old daughter. However, my 18-year-old daughter, while every bit as intelligent (hey, give me a break, I'm a mom), needs to learn by human interaction. Instead, everyone is herded together like sheep and fed "power point" presentations, and discuss their "feelings". The worse of both worlds.
Freepers are concerned about education. Some express their concern by getting their kids out of the public school system. Others do so by being activist parents in the school system, and some are making real differences not only for their own kids and teachers but also for the kids and teachers who otherwise would have no cheerleaders.
You have a choice of sticking in there on the chance of making a difference but only you can determine whether you have a real chance or that snowball in you-know-where. Whatever you choose will be right for you. If you don't stay in the public school system, keep teaching. Try tutoring. Try offering your services to homeschool groups. Try consulting. There are a lot of ways to keep doing what you love.
Whatever you choose, keep thinking of ways we might constructively improve the public school system. I, for one, am not willing to give up on public schooling because its graduates will someday be my president (well, maybe), my policemen, my neighbors, and my fellow war allies. We can't wall ourselves away from the effects of public education even if we no longer have kids trapped there.
And keep posting. There are always spelling/grammar/punct-uation Nazis but most of them are good guys and we can always learn better skills. I appreciated your post and the discussion it engendered. Let's talk about ways to make a difference in our local school districts.
13Sisters is right. Those in the pipeline will control the future of this country and that is frightening. Apres nous, le deluge - and that deluge will sink much that we now value.
From what I have read and what I've seen with my own eyes. When tested in 1st grade American kids are about equal to the rest of the First World test scores. When tested in 7th grade they have fallen way behind -- especially in math and science.
The kids aren't getting stupid they just don't apply themselves. This is what my wife has seen -- lazy and poorly behaved kids -- no ambition.
This is what Sister is saying, I believe.
You missed my point.
How I miss the old days on Free Republic when the issue was discussed not a forum to trash other posters. Thanks so much for actually bring up a NEW idea about the actual subject being discussed. You are wonderfull!!!
You bring up a point -- I haven't heard this before. My wife has an MS in Education so I'll ask her.
When I was in school, graduated HS in 1965, the strict dicipline made a more conducive environment for learning. There seemed to be something for everyone. So we had all the types you describe but we all learned.
Also, other countries have these types too how come their kids learn better than our American kids?
I have a relative who is near 30. She has never held a job for over 3 months. She gets fired usually after the first disagreement she has. She is really unemployable because she is so anti-authority. Sadly, nothing is her education prepared her for bosses who don't understand her.
I am suggesting that not standing up for the students maybe a good thing.
Your observations of public schools are right on target. I work for a police dept. for a city in Ohio. I can only go into the public schools in this city for about 5 minutes when I am in uniform.
We had a 'riot' one year and one of the teachers was yelling from a second story classroom to the kids, telling them not to listen to the police.
He went to prison a few years later for smoking pot and having sex with some of the high school females.
The kids will openly taunt the police (when they are in crowds). And the whole place seems like a prison. There are about 15 security guards in each high school along with a 'School Resource Officer.'
One of our School Resource Officers made over 90 arrests at one of the High Schools in one year.
I believe the schools have shirked their responsibility of disciplining these kids, now they call the police for everything. This is a problem because more dept's are going to be sued for 'excessive force' and the police use of force is going to be scrutinized every time.
Cops are not babysitters and these kids feed off of the police presence and the 'thug' mentality that comes from being stopped or arrested by the police.
It seems to me that there are plenty of fingers to be pointed all around.
First and foremost at the parents who spawn these demons and could care less if they go to school, stay out of jail or if they are even living. Seems the only time they care is when it comes to getting more money from Uncle Sam for welfare benefits or if a potential lawsuit can be presented because someone arrested their thug kid and perhaps twisted his arm a little too much.
Then one for the Government who makes it impossible to throw the animals out of school who have no business or desire to be there. "No Darling left behind."
One for the Teacher's Union who line their pockets with Tax Levy money by creating more 'administrators.'
In our neck of the woods the School Superintendent, a female with the "it takes a village" mentality, decided that she would split our schools up into "small schools" each of them needing new principals and administrators to run the show. Of course that takes more money and more administrators.
Two years later our school system is still in "Academic Emergency" status, yet they are smiling because we are just a few points away from being placed into the next lowest rung of the ladder.
Another finger for the Feminazi's and liberals who are not teaching our kids, they are indoctrinating them into Secular Humanism, Situation Ethics, Homosexuality and every brand of Socialism under the sun.
And, one for the Little Boy who cries in the lane. hahaha.
At the start of this year I had to go to one of our Middle Schools on a fight call. One of the new security guards says to me "I can't believe the way these kids are talking to the teachers and principals here, their calling them 'Mother F'er,' telling the teachers 'Bitch, you don't tell me what to do.' etc.
A couple days later he got assaulted by a few of the brats.
I just laughed. It's been that way for a number of years.
In my opinion the only thing that is going to turn things around is the 2nd Civil War. This country seems to be split, 50% for the New Paganism and 50% for what is right, as evidenced by our last few Presidential elections.
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