I respectfully disagree. Certainly families need to change their attitudes, but I am currently in about a 3 week war with the public schools that had to do with teachers and administrators that simply aren't going to do anything. The educational system is catered to the least common denominator and has no accountability.

 

Hearsay, I respect your opinion, and I certainly understand there are "bad apples" in every profession. However, I will continue to maintain that the education system doesn't need to be "fixed". Over the years, we as a society have tried to transform teachers into a role doomed to fail. We expect them to be parents, social workers, psychologists, referees, nannies, and when they get the time....to teach. What needs to be "fixed" first and foremost is the broken homes that spew forth children into our public education system who are completely and utterly ill prepared to learn.

 

So many parents (and I use that term loosely) no longer read to their children and actually believe a child doesn't begin learning until he or she enters school. Children are entering kindergarten these days that don't know their ABC's and can't even count to 10.

 

I admit I'm biased because my wife is a public school teacher and I grew up in a household in which my stepdad was a principal but my points remain valid. Here's just a few examples of what my wife has encountered this year as a kindergarten teacher:

 

1. She noticed one of her students was saving a portion of his lunch every day and was asking some of the other kids for their uneaten food. When nobody else was around (so as not to embarrass the student), she asked the student what was up. The student told my wife that he saved some of his lunch every day and ate it for dinner each night because his "mother" was never home until late at night and never prepared anything to eat.

2. One student who NEVER bathes told my wife he wasn't "allowed" into the bathroom because his mom and her boyfriend were always in there at night.

3. Constant complaints from a lesbian couple claiming their child is being discriminated against because the child is being raised by lesbians.

4. Constant lice alerts and scares.

5. Kids coming to school in the dead of winter without socks or coats.

6. Complaints from parents of "smart" kids claiming the material is too easy for their children and isn't challenging them and complaints from the parents of "slower" kids claiming the material is too advanced for children "that" age.

 

and on and on and on and on....................

 

I'm willing to bet that every teacher on this site has stories similar to those noted above.

Hearsay, I respect your opinion, and I certainly understand there are "bad apples" in every profession. However, I will continue to maintain that the education system doesn't need to be "fixed". Over the years, we as a society have tried to transform teachers into a role doomed to fail. We expect them to be parents, social workers, psychologists, referees, nannies, and when they get the time....to teach. What needs to be "fixed" first and foremost is the broken homes that spew forth children into our public education system who are completely and utterly ill prepared to learn.

 

So many parents (and I use that term loosely) no longer read to their children and actually believe a child doesn't begin learning until he or she enters school. Children are entering kindergarten these days that don't know their ABC's and can't even count to 10.

 

I admit I'm biased because my wife is a public school teacher and I grew up in a household in which my stepdad was a principal but my points remain valid. Here's just a few examples of what my wife has encountered this year as a kindergarten teacher:

 

1. She noticed one of her students was saving a portion of his lunch every day and was asking some of the other kids for their uneaten food. When nobody else was around (so as not to embarrass the student), she asked the student what was up. The student told my wife that he saved some of his lunch every day and ate it for dinner each night because his "mother" was never home until late at night and never prepared anything to eat.

2. One student who NEVER bathes told my wife he wasn't "allowed" into the bathroom because his mom and her boyfriend were always in there at night.

3. Constant complaints from a lesbian couple claiming their child is being discriminated against because the child is being raised by lesbians.

4. Constant lice alerts and scares.

5. Kids coming to school in the dead of winter without socks or coats.

6. Complaints from parents of "smart" kids claiming the material is too easy for their children and isn't challenging them and complaints from the parents of "slower" kids claiming the material is too advanced for children "that" age.

 

and on and on and on and on....................

 

I'm willing to bet that every teacher on this site has stories similar to those noted above.

 

I don't dispute any of this. In fact, complaint #6 is something I levy fairly frequently.

 

Lets take your position then:

 

1) Do you really honestly feel that we are going to make any progress fixing the broken homes?

 

2) What do we do in the meantime?

 

Do we continue to allow the spirit-numbing mediocrity be the order of the day because "that's just the way things are?" Or, will the teachers and their union stand up for the removal of problem children from the school system so that other children can progress and learn? Or, do I need to remove my child from the public school system and teach him the way it was done years ago, from my home?

 

Give me an answer or suggestion, I'm all ears.

You probably have not misinterpreted, I'm angry. Perhaps it is just my personal experience, but I run into a lot of teachers, and hear excuse after excuse after excuse. Maybe it is just my area.

 

Maybe it is reason after reason.

 

Here is one. Schools are entering somewhere around their 120th day of the school year. Based on my experience, I would bet that 99% of the districts around the state have students who have missed over 50 days.

 

Charges have been brought against the parents/child over truancy and certain elected judges have decided to not act and force the child to attend school.

 

What is a school district to do when the parents nor the courts force a child to come to school? And this happens with elementary, middle school and high school students.

 

I had a student we put on a plan and had great success and graduated. I had another student that we tailormade a similar plan for them. They never completed it.

 

One was given the opportunity and seized it. One was given the opportunity and did not. Both were given similar motivational speeches and techniques. One succeeded and one did not. It was their 17-year old decision making along with no motivation/structure from home that changed the outcome.

 

I didn't change. Nor did my motivation or work ethic to see them succeed. It was very similar.

I don't dispute any of this. In fact, complaint #6 is something I levy fairly frequently.

 

Lets take your position then:

 

1) Do you really honestly feel that we are going to make any progress fixing the broken homes?

 

2) What do we do in the meantime?

 

Do we continue to allow the spirit-numbing mediocrity be the order of the day because "that's just the way things are?" Or, will the teachers and their union stand up for the removal of problem children from the school system so that other children can progress and learn? Or, do I need to remove my child from the public school system and teach him the way it was done years ago, from my home?

 

Give me an answer or suggestion, I'm all ears.

 

I posed that same exact question this past week to an educational leader when I asked what is the education profession's position on the governor's wife's push to up the withdrawal age to 18.

 

Said, we stand against it and the politicians are going to hold teachers up as not caring for these kids and further erode and already seemingly slippery slope of support from the public.

 

I just shook my head.

 

Your last question is having more and more merit.

Maybe it is reason after reason.

 

Here is one. Schools are entering somewhere around their 120th day of the school year. Based on my experience, I would bet that 99% of the districts around the state have students who have missed over 50 days.

 

Charges have been brought against the parents/child over truancy and certain elected judges have decided to not act and force the child to attend school.

 

What is a school district to do when the parents nor the courts force a child to come to school? And this happens with elementary, middle school and high school students.

 

I had a student we put on a plan and had great success and graduated. I had another student that we tailormade a similar plan for them. They never completed it.

 

One was given the opportunity and seized it. One was given the opportunity and did not. Both were given similar motivational speeches and techniques. One succeeded and one did not. It was their 17-year old decision making along with no motivation/structure from home that changed the outcome.

 

I didn't change. Nor did my motivation or work ethic to see them succeed. It was very similar.

 

How much time did you spend with those children, that could have been spent with the children who wanted to learn? The one that did not complete the plan, was it a pattern with thast child that began long ago? If so, why was he/she not removed from the school system earlier? Would you, as a teacher, support permanent expulsion from the school system for kids whose parents have a demonstrated trend of not caring to learn?

I posed that same exact question this past week to an educational leader when I asked what is the education profession's position on the governor's wife's push to up the withdrawal age to 18.

 

Said, we stand against it and the politicians are going to hold teachers up as not caring for these kids and further erode and already seemingly slippery slope of support from the public.

 

I just shook my head.

 

Your last question is having more and more merit.

 

My last question is becoming the answer for literally millions of American families. The number of home-schooled children has nearly doubled since 1999, and number now over 3% of all school age children in the country. And, contrary to popular opinion about religious motivation, fully half of all home-schooled children's parents say they homeschool because they "can provide a better education that the public school systems."

How much time did you spend with those children, that could have been spent with the children who wanted to learn? The one that did not complete the plan, was it a pattern with thast child that began long ago? If so, why was he/she not removed from the school system earlier? Would you, as a teacher, support permanent expulsion from the school system for kids whose parents have a demonstrated trend of not caring to learn?

 

6 1/2 hours everyday all day long with same children.

 

Pattern of behavior.

 

Law does not permit hiim removed from the school district. Probably resulting from a lawsuit filed against a school district sometime, someplace.

 

If you mean permanent for the remainder of their life, no. If you mean for a year because of their behaviorial issues, yes.

 

School district's hands are tied when dealing with resource students, too. You can only suspend a MAX of 10 days a year and must educate, even if it is sending a teacher home to spend 7 hours a day with them, every single day. So, monetarily, they have to stay in the classroom. THat is law and nothing the school districts can change.

6 1/2 hours everyday all day long with same children.

 

Pattern of behavior.

 

Law does not permit hiim removed from the school district. Probably resulting from a lawsuit filed against a school district sometime, someplace.

 

If you mean permanent for the remainder of their life, no. If you mean for a year because of their behaviorial issues, yes.

 

School district's hands are tied when dealing with resource students, too. You can only suspend a MAX of 10 days a year and must educate, even if it is sending a teacher home to spend 7 hours a day with them, every single day. So, monetarily, they have to stay in the classroom. THat is law and nothing the school districts can change.

 

My case has been made.

 

The laws were drafted for politicians by the Department of Education. They are recommended by the NEA, and in the case of Kentucky, the KEA. Much of it is tied to federal dollars, for laws enacted by Congress at the behest of the NEA, the single most powerful lobbying group in the country.

 

I subscribe to the NEA's magazine, by the way, simply to see what fatuous tripe is being spouted.

 

Millions upon millions of teachers belong to and pay dues to the NEA and KEA. How much longer will teachers, knowing the damage they have done with the laws passed, still continue to pay dues, pledge support, and vote the way the NEA/KEA tells them to, because "well, they do a lot of good, too," or "they are a valuable resource for me," or "they provide me with the representation I need for job security."

 

It is time to abandon them.

Our education system doesn't need to be "fixed". We are blessed with excellent teachers throughout the country who go well beyond what should be expected of them to educate our young people. It's the dysfunctional families, a scourge of society these days it seems, that need to be "fixed".

 

I agree. It is a societal problem much more so than an "educational system" problem. Unfortunately, poverty has a lot to do with it. I daresay most of the failing schools have large numbers of "free and reduced lunch" students. I'm not saying poverty necessarily produces poor students, just that many of the poor are in dysfunctional families and don't have the wherewithal to overcome their predicament.

Our education system doesn't need to be "fixed". We are blessed with excellent teachers throughout the country who go well beyond what should be expected of them to educate our young people. It's the dysfunctional families, a scourge of society these days it seems, that need to be "fixed".

 

I agree and disagree at the same time. I understand that there are some families where there is no support or encouragement that their education is important that are the 'scourge of society'. But I also know for a fact that while my kids have had some excellent teachers who go well beyond and take great pride in what they teach and the impact they have on the future of young people, they have also had some that are literally just drawing a paycheck and not teaching anything at all. And some of those, have been teaching for years. Those teachers have no business in that job. Make room for more teachers who really want to do a good job and teach.

Some ideas how education might be "fixed"

Hold kids accountable for their choices rather than worry about how their precious creativity might be steiffled.

Reduce class sizes and hire additional teachers.

Use standardized tests to see where a student started the year v/s where he/she ended the year. Forget national norms, if a teacher took a 15 year old from not reading to reading Dick and Jane, that teacher has done his/her job.

Allow more students to choose vocational track classes in high school.

Involve the community in partnerships, mentorships, and other educational ways.

Drastically reduce the amount of paperwork teachers are required to do so they can focus on teaching.

Get rid of tenure.

Feed the kids. Maybe even open the cafeteria on weekends so the kids don't go from Friday lunch to Monday breakfast without a decent meal.

Have all teachers make in-home visits. (teachers go in groups to develop relationships with parents and to see what the home life is of each student)

 

I have more but I have to go now.

fatuous tripe .

 

My new challenge is to work these two words into a post.

Some ideas how education might be "fixed"

Hold kids accountable for their choices rather than worry about how their precious creativity might be steiffled.

Reduce class sizes and hire additional teachers.

Use standardized tests to see where a student started the year v/s where he/she ended the year. Forget national norms, if a teacher took a 15 year old from not reading to reading Dick and Jane, that teacher has done his/her job.

Allow more students to choose vocational track classes in high school.

Involve the community in partnerships, mentorships, and other educational ways.

Drastically reduce the amount of paperwork teachers are required to do so they can focus on teaching.

Get rid of tenure.

Feed the kids. Maybe even open the cafeteria on weekends so the kids don't go from Friday lunch to Monday breakfast without a decent meal.

Have all teachers make in-home visits. (teachers go in groups to develop relationships with parents and to see what the home life is of each student)

 

I have more but I have to go now.

 

Wow. That is a great list! The only one I don't fully agree with is doing away with tenure. I think adjustments should be made to it to make teachers more accountable. I pretty much agreed thoroughly with everything you said though. The standardized tests at the beginning of the year is a brilliant idea to truly measure how well students and teachers did in the school year!

Wow. That is a great list! The only one I don't fully agree with is doing away with tenure. I think adjustments should be made to it to make teachers more accountable. I pretty much agreed thoroughly with everything you said though. The standardized tests at the beginning of the year is a brilliant idea to truly measure how well students and teachers did in the school year!

 

Why not? I'm still of the opinion that tenure encourages mediocrity.

Why not? I'm still of the opinion that tenure encourages mediocrity.

 

It also gives more job security. Think about this. You have taught Science for 10 years. You are a very good teacher and work hard. All of a sudden the principal's best friend's daughter graduates college and wants a job as a Science teacher. Next thing you know, politics come into place and you are out of work. I agree with changing tenure or tweaking it, but I'm not sure about doing away with it.