Posted on 04/13/2008 11:24:45 AM PDT by wagglebee
Did you catch the video this week of a student kicking the stuffing out of an art teacher in Baltimore, Maryland while the rest of the class cheered the pounding on? Y’know, if that teacher was moi, and some F-bomb dropping Darwinian throwback came over my desk to accost me, I’d grab my handy dandy scissors and plant ‘em in the feral teen’s skullcap, Jason Voorhees style.
From there I would proceed to snag the American flag from the corner of the room (if there was one) in order to stave off the rest of the flesh eating zombies ‘til Jason Statham came in with dual SKSes, spitting 154 grain FMJs, to assist with my safe exit.
As a teacher, I’d have painted on the front of my desk: DON’T TREAD ON ME—and I’d have the moxie to back it up.
Bumming a line from a movie with the late great Charlton Heston, it looks like the public schools (especially in the inner cities) are being run by “damned dirty apes.” The violent and obnoxious students are becoming emboldened in their bellicose behavior within the ridiculously overcrowded Public Stool System, and I believe we haven’t seen the half of this catastrophic snake. Teachers, you’d better have a serious plan in place—other than pushing a panic button—should you be next.
I’m not a prophet or a betting man, but (as stated) I’m a guessing it’s going to get worse. I’m talkin’ way bad (pardon my English; I went to Publik Skule). Mark my words. And I don’t care how much Obama talks about hope, or how many inspirational songs American Idol contestants cover, the dysfunctional die has been officially cast for increased chaos in the inner city classroom. Thank you, liberals.
We’ve got a stack of untamed teens who can’t do arithmetic doing the math and figuring out that they can bank street credit for their constant disruptions and violent attacks upon students and teachers with the penalty for their crimes being (maybe) a milquetoast slap on their tattooed wrist. Maybe. And the perks for their misbehaving? Well, they radically trump the mild and tame thump the delinquent gets on their never-utilized head.
Can you say, “Hello, pandemonium?” I knew you could.
Who the heck would want to be a teacher within such an out-of-control environment? I know if I were an undergrad with dreams of teaching “the next generation” within the Public Fool System, I think I’d switch majors after YouTubing the video of that teacher getting tenderized this week while the class was hooting and hollering.
Yep, I’d be looking for something less threatening like being a mole inside of an al-Qaeda death squad, or perhaps working as ranting Rosie’s personal assistant, or perhaps a vocation in neutering un-anesthetized, unusually angry wolverines.
It’s been four years since we pulled our teenage daughters out of the public school system and started to home school them, and I could kick myself for having waited so long. I owe you, girls. The educational, emotional, spiritual and physical progress they have made has been amazing. I’ve been ecstatically stunned at how they’ve aggressively embraced the new lease on their educational life.
Since we began this program, my oldest has graduated and is now in a great university and on her way to Boardwalk and Park Place. My other daughter is currently cruising through her online honors level classes as a girl uninterrupted.
Yep, it’s amazing that with their virtual schooling they actually get to study the basics, pursue their educational and athletic interests, and do it from wherever in the world they can get online (unlike public schools).
No longer do they have to wait for the 186% overcrowded class to decide to cease fighting and stop cussing and humping long enough that the teacher can teach the students how to write their name so that, later on in life, they can sign for their stuff once they leave whatever prison they’re in.
I agree. If there were more discipline in our public schools we wouldn’t have all these behavioral problems with drugs, sex and gangs.
If it gets really bad then the student should be permanantly expelled.
But if the Bible and Christian morality were taught to our nation’s children from an early age like they were until the 1960s then much of these problems would never materialize to begin with.
It is both the responsibility of the parents and the schools to discipline out of control children. Back when I was in high school before I recieved Christ at the age of 19 I was probably one of the worst kids in my school. I deserved a good beating. So I’m speaking from experience here.
The problem with suing could be solved if the State legislatures passed laws legalizing corporol punishment. As for the “boyz in the hood” they should already be in prison to begin with.
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history1.htm
You have a lot to learn about government schools.
SoldierDad, things really ARE getting worse, and no, it is NOT just media hype. If you’d like, why don’t you visit one public school in every state in the country, and report back to us on what you found? You would be shocked, I guess. But I wouldn’t be — not one single bit. Yes, are children in PS’s learning to read and write and do math? Obviously. Are they learning how to LEARN? Are they learning how to THINK? Nope. How can they, when bullying and violence and fear and sexual messages and peer pressure are pressing on them from every side? How do they have any emotional or mental energy remaining to work their way through the maze of their own reality — and to learn about the amazing world around them that God designed in a miraculous way for them?
How many public high school students would ANY of you guess would say they were “happy” or felt “hopeful” about themselves and their future? 10%? 20% More? Less? Hard to say. Personally, my children have their joy back, along with the love of learning and discovery, now that I made the choice to homeschool all four (as a single adoptive Momma, no less). We will never be able to afford private Christian schooling, but I have all I need right here to carry them all the way their high school education.
And they’re each thriving, and growing into the amazing human beings God created them to be — without ANY fear each morning of riding the school bus, being sexually harassed anymore, being punched or kicked or ridiculed, or having to wait on 30 other students to master a skill before they can move on to the next lesson.
If anyone tells me they can’t afford to homeschool, I tell them that we are living proof we all do exactly what we’re willing to do — because it CAN be done well, and it CAN be done effectively — even as an “only” parent like me on a limited income. In many ways — we are more “affluent” than many other families I know who have much more “stuff” and resources.
There is nothing like doing exactly what you know you should be doing for your children. It trumps everything else, hands down.
“You know what would solve the problem? Reintroduce corporol punishment in schools.”
In the high schools? The kids in question are hoodlums. I doubt that a spanking is going to do much. Unless, of course, the spanking is administered with a 2 by 4.
“And of course not all public schools are like what we read about in the papers. If they were, this story would not be news, it would be the norm.”
This incident was a little more extreme than the norm, but by no means out of character for the government schools. My own personal experience within the government schools was that there was a code of silence that would do the mafia proud. In most instances, you aren’t going to hear about the deviant behavior.
You went to one school, and so you use that to extrapolate the norm? Bad science there.
susie
I've been working in public education for 13 years now. While I have not visited public schools in every state, I do keep up with what is happening across the country to the best extend that I, as an individual, can. I am aware there are plenty of problems, but at the same time I also know through experience that it's not all doom and gloom (the sky is falling syndrome) that some would have people believe. Yes, are children in PS’s learning to read and write and do math? Obviously. Are they learning how to LEARN? Are they learning how to THINK? Nope. How can they, when bullying and violence and fear and sexual messages and peer pressure are pressing on them from every side? How do they have any emotional or mental energy remaining to work their way through the maze of their own reality — and to learn about the amazing world around them that God designed in a miraculous way for them?
So, where are the parents in the lives of these children who are not learning values? Who is supervision their Television and movie choices? They are being exposed to these pressures not only at school (since they are only in school around 6.5 hours a day out of 24). Are you saying that teaching children about God is soley the responsibility of our public schools? Where are these children during the first five years of their lives before they enter public school? Why is public school not only the dumping grounds for parents so they can have a "babysitting service", but also the dumping ground for blame when we in public education are unable to correct the problems these students come to us with. From children who attend as many as 10 schools in 10 different districts from Kindergarten to 8th grade (or less), to children whose attendance is so sporadic they miss as much as a full year in the first five or six years of school, we are suppose to educate these "students", and when they fail it is our fault, not the parent. As for my own children - my wife and I were with them during every step of their education in the public school system. We made sure they attended a school where the focus was education and the environment was safe, even to the point of having to drive them across town to the school that best fit our desires. We supplemented their education at home, and supervised them as a parent should. It's not as simple as "public schools are failing", but it's also that parents are failing too. Parents have allowed their children to be simply turned over to "instititions" without their involvment in their lives, and that's not the fault of public education. If people want their neighborhood schools to become better at what they are suppose to do, then people need to be more involved in those schools - period. Or, you can homeschool while continuing to pay for what the public system turns out into your community. Your children might avoid those children by not attending their neighborhood school, but you will not be able to keep them safe out in the community. Great plan for long term change.
I totally agree with you that parents are 100% responsible to teach, nurture, and guide their children. I am sure there are ones who have their children in public school, who keep a vigilante watch over what goes on, to make sure theirs do not fall through the cracks and get swallowed up by the reality they face at school every day (which is naive to underestimate the impact).
But why take the risk? I realize most parents are caught up in their own lives and careers. Being involved in your children’s lives is a very worthwile venture.
My children will be MORE prepared for life because of what I’m doing than giving them over to the public schools to raise and teach and nurture.
I went to public school and got a great education because my parents made me study.
Sorry about the way I posted that. I thought I’d separated out your comment, but mistakenly. I understand, and for those parents who have the skill, time, ability, to home school more power to them.
thanks. Of course I realize it is not for everyone, to homeschool. For us, it is the “magic” of my children adjusting to our family, and to healing from the past. (I adopted four siblings out of foster care.)
Great article...
Same here, but these are different times...
You are to be commended. Foster-parenting is not an easy job (just as parenting is not easy). My wife and I would have loved to have been able to afford a private Christian school for our children, but the expense was just to great (X four children). Homeschooling was not possible given that I’ve had to commute long distances for work, and my wife has been working the overnight shift. So, we make sure we were duly dilligent in augmenting our children’s education, and correcting any misinformation they received. That, plus giving them a foundation in Christ. We are continuing on with providing augmented education with our grandchildren too. A parents duty does not end when children become adults.
My wife and I figure that half of the reason for sending your children to private school isn’t for what they will learn, it’s for what they won’t learn. That said, we did go around and tour some of the public schools a couple months ago just to see how they stacked up. Tuition is expensive and if a public school can provide nearly the same education with no added cost to us, we’re open to it. There’s really no such thing as equality among them. Some actually seem to be pretty decent and some are awful. Even the good ones however seemed to be about 1 to 2 grades behind the level of the classes at my daughters catholic school, so we plan to keep sending her there as long as our finances permit it.
Only if "corporal punishment" includes shooting or hanging some of the more obnoxious "Administrators", "Teachers" and "Students and their parents"..
It is CLEARLY beyond all available remedies to repair the Pubic Skool "system" - I fear it is lost forever.
The problems has gone FAR beyond corporal punishment -- there are fire breathing felons and psychopaths in our "Pubic Skools"......among the students and faculty.
Pubic intended.
Do you see the irony in posting this rant, in which the writer explicitly claims he would murder a child - with scissors to the head no less - (do you see the parallel?), to the ‘moral absolutes’ ping list? You are the worst kind of hypocrite, wagglebee.
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