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My wife quit teaching at a mostly black school in November. The unreasonable expectations of the principal combined with 7 classes of 30+ kids who had no intention of learning anything whatsoever overwhelmed her.

She loves to teach, and is very good at it--but she rarely had the chance at that school. She spent most of the classroom time trying to maintain some semblance of discipline among the thug students. The few good students suffered because the disrupters ran the classroom.

She receieved no backup from the administration at all. The principal was so frightened of the parents that he ALWAYS took the kids' side in any argument or confrontation: If there was a problem it was the teacher's fault, end of discussion. The veteran teachers told her that's the way it has always been, and live in fear that some student will accuse them of something.

Attempting to get the parents' help with disciplining the little angels was a joke. She would usually get cursed out for bothering them.

She got fed up and quit the hellhole just before Thanksgiving break. The money wasn't bad (almost $40,000/year), but I don't blame her. Why anyone would teach in that asylum is beyond me.

She receieved no backup from the administration at all. The principal was so frightened of the parents that he ALWAYS took the kids' side in any argument or confrontation: If there was a problem it was the teacher's fault, end of discussion. The veteran teachers told her that's the way it has always been, and live in fear that some student will accuse them of something.

Obviously an impossible situation. How can any one be expected to, or eventually even care about passing on knowledge or inspiring academic excellence, in such an environment? The inmates are running the asylum.

I had the same response your wife did when I taught at a new Christian school. The first year they opened they took student who applied. I taught algebra (another foreign language) and found I spent 70% of my time on 30% of the students, the ones who just did not care. All the kids were white, so color was not a factor. I worked hard to convince them that they were on their way to a disappointed life, but they just did not care. The other 70% were wonderful to teach, even the ones who struggled since they cared, as did their parents.

It became obvious that the 30% were products of homes where the parents were not in control. Several of the girls got pregnant so they could "live on their own and the government would pay for it".

The school got very selective the next year and screened students and parents. They also started expelling students that did not want to work. It is thriving.

I agree with other posts that noted this is a racist article. It says that black teachers are inferior to white, which is not the case, since good black teachers do not want to teach in that environment either.

She receieved no backup from the administration at all. The principal was so frightened of the parents that he ALWAYS took the kids' side in any argument or confrontation: If there was a problem it was the teacher's fault, end of discussion. The veteran teachers told her that's the way it has always been, and live in fear that some student will accuse them of something.

Attempting to get the parents' help with disciplining the little angels was a joke. She would usually get cursed out

She was a racist for staying, and a racist for leaving. And this is the American Way of Life that we're fighting to protect from Saddam?