When my daughter and stepsons were in school we always had a policy that my wife and I ALWAYS took the side of the teachers if there was a problem at school. If we learned, and this only happened once, that the teacher was in the wrong, we talked to them privately out of earshot of our child.
That is how we helped to teach our children to respect, and listen, to their teachers.
There are so many parents today who do not understand the importance of role modeling, and teaching their children to respect authority figures and adults that are trying to help them. And not only that but today's teachers are also dealing with having to teach to the NCLB test, parents who want their children excused from health class and certain science classes in fear they will conflict with their religious beliefs, and attacks on their profession by people who blame them for everything from increased drug use to the poor test scores for children who rarely even make it to school.
But that certainly does not mean there are not some wonderful teachers out there. Because there most certainly are.
Which seems like a great segue for introducing another inspirational video from our favorite singing science teacher Beth Vernon.
Oooh, I like that! You know if IM is ever in need of a theme song, I think this might be the one.
I'm a published author. I have a MA in English. Ten years ago I decided to get my high school teaching credential for my "end of life career," to give back what had been given to me.
ReplyDeleteI lasted two years.
There are many reasons. But 3 of the top ones which forced me out of the classroom were:
1. Absences. Students were absent constantly. (family ski trips, mental health days etc) To give a test meant days of make-up tests. Most teachers I knew had given up giving tests for that reason. Deadlines of any kind were very hard to enforce. There were always excuses.
2. Parents. The parent who yelled at me for taking her daughter's cellphone in class, because she had to text her child that her grandfather had died! I could go on for days.
3. Administration. Always siding with parents. Never assisting teachers with discipline.
In two years, I can say honestly, I never met a teacher who didn't do his/her best. Some were better than others, but all worked harder than in any other field I've been in. As a friend said to me, teaching is the frontline trench of our culture. To be there is warfare. To be there is to see where we're headed. Thank god, some people are brave enough to be there for us all.
I am an English major as well as I have notice many inconsistencies in your English. I would hate to have to point them out to you, but as an MA in English you should already know your errors.
DeleteLove the video! I appreciate the fact that Beth doesn't dismiss the mystical and adds Carl Sagan's quote at the end. Only wish that some of the frames with a load of text would stay on the screen a bit longer. If you can't pause, you can't read 'em all. Beth has written a fabulous song, and has a great voice.
ReplyDeleteAnd teaching is a precious gift. Those who have the patience, drive and dedication are truly talented individuals. I know my limits and know I could never stand in front of a roomful of kids and hold their attention. What an experience it would be to make a lifelong impression on at least a few students!
Hi Gryphen! This cartoon, plus some comments that are posted here, sadly portray the reality that exists in American schools today. I suspect this atmosphere is prevalent at the schools where the Palin offspring were enrolled; look how well $arah's "homeskoolin'" efforts turned out!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the problem lies with the generation of kids being brought up to think that they are 'precious', 'deserving', 'entitled', and all those other 'self-esteem' bs's that have created this. Don't get me wrong - I am all for instilling self-esteem in children, but not to the point that as a parent you are afraid to tell 'Little Johnny or Jane' that they are wrong so as not to 'hurt their little feelings'. That may sound harsh, but the generation our school teachers are having to deal with, is horrendous. The kids do not have any respect, and do not know how to 'take their lumps' when they are in the wrong.
ReplyDeleteNow, I will defend my kids if I KNOW they are being mistreated in any way, or that they are being treated unfairly, whether due to personality conflicts, teacher having a bad day, etc. BUT - if they are in the wrong, they must atone and smarten the hell up or face the consequences. Case in point - I remember when my daughter was in Grade 9 and got caught cheating on a test. Of course she denied it at first. Eventually, the truth came out, and I made her phone the teacher at home, admit to it, AND apologize. It was a lesson she still hasn't forgotten (then again, she still remembers at 3 years of age being sent back into a store to give back the Barbie Dress she took...).
It is time to give the power back to the parents. And for parents to realize that they are PARENTS - not friends. I have told my kids from as young as I can remember - I am not your friend - I am your Mother. You have friends. As do I. You don't have to like me or what I say, make you do, etc, but you Will respect me. And they do. They do not respect many of their friends parents who think that it is 'cool' to hang out with them and party, or let their kids do whatever the hell they want. As well, I no longer have to finish the lecture with "I am only doing this because I love you" ... they say it for me :)
I've always been told I would make a great teacher. Bear in mind, we've been moved all over the country with my husbands job. Everywhere we've moved, I've volunteered in the schools. I have a gift with kids, what can I say. I love working with kids... But their parents? Not so much.
ReplyDeleteI have an expression I always use: "The Dumpling Syndrome". As in, "MY LITTLE DUMPLING" (insert name here) would never, EVER do (fill-in egregious behavior here).
"How DARE you accuse "MY LITTLE DUMPLING..." - you get the idea.
I saw enough as a volunteer; I've been in the room when a parent has come BARRELING into a classroom in a rage at the teacher. Teachers are under fire in our classrooms.
My youngest daughter also has this "gift" for working with children. But she's seen, AS A STUDENT, how teachers are disrespected. In 7 months, she'll leave for college to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
We also raised our kids to RESPECT TEACHERS, and like you, we only ran into an unreasonable teacher once - but, our son learned a lesson there too: you can't make people like you and sometimes you run-up against people in the wrong job. That teacher taught an important lesson, though she'd be less-than-flattered what it was (she was a legend in her own mind...)!
I would love to teach, but can't abide some (many?) of today's parents who blame everyone BUT THEMSELVES for how their kids behave. And most of what is seen in the schools is behaviors learned in their homes.
KAO
I have encountered parents who are ignorant clueless about infant and child growth and development. I have known parents seething in rage a preschool did not produce mastery of skills for their child and the parents did nothing at home. No crayons, scissors, hopping nor reading. The mentality of a scary percentage of parents is that it is someone else's job. I hear parents who undermine teachers and curriculum telling their kis it is unfair, too much, too hard for them. The parents are incapable of conceiving being a role model and facilitator for even learning to obtain resources for a report.
ReplyDeleteHonestly a major negative fact about the Palins was the laissez faire attitude of Piper's truancy and no one tending to her lessons. Epic role model failure IMO including mocking education constantly.
What also applies to enough parents now: they do not teach their children any manners, civility or empathy.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot instill self-esteem in another. A child learns self-esteem by being given tasks that he or she can accomplish independently and feel good about.
ReplyDeleteMy own children are now 24 and 29. I rarely helped them with homework, although I always made sure they had the necessary implements to complete them. I told them I wouldn't be able to be in the room with them when they had a test, so they had to learn to do the work themselves.
They both chose to attending a boarding school in the northeast that had a strict zero tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol. Their father and I made it quite clear to each of them that if they were caught breaking the rules, we would be on the side of the school administration and that they would be expelled.
When they had a teacher that they found problematic, we told them that part of life was learning to deal with people who outranked them, and that it was their job to figure out how to make the relationship work.
They are now lovely people with a good work ethic who understand that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
The classmates that did not fare as well had parents who always made excuses for their childrens' behavior.
Yes, I am aware that I am giving myself a pat of the back, but I feel that I earned it.
When they reached high school, I hung a sign in their rooms that said "Character is what will guide you when no one is watching." Something we can should all remember......
I taught elementary school for 30 years and did witness some parents like this. However, a larger group were parents who did little parenting-didn't show up for conferences, didn't ensure their child got enough supervision, sleep, or even proper clothes. These kids were basically on their own and truly broke my heart.
ReplyDeleteI've been a teacher for over 20 years. In that time I've seen so many parents who are afraid to be disciplinarians, who want to be their childs' "friend", who just want their kids to be "happy" (which means if they don't want to do their homework it's ok as long as they're "happy"). I've also tutored many kids privately. One mother, who had a PhD in social work, hired me to help her son with homework because she didn't want to be the bad guy, she just wanted to be the "mommy". In my opinion, it comes down to laziness, these people are too lazy to do the dirty work of being a parent.
ReplyDeleteI used to feel as you did, but teachers and admin make stupid decisions to handle crowds. They don't investigate problems or invite parents in on the process. Someone has to advocate for the students and it turns out to be the parents. Teachers and admin take the path of least resistance.
ReplyDeleteTom Chapin's take on "It's Not on the Test":
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dAujuqCo7s
And, as a bonus, "Go Away, Sarah Palin!":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4N5wkp2Ug
Unfortunately, teaching education requires a Masters degree in most states. This means a costly education to qualify and years before student loans can be paid off.
ReplyDeletePeople make more money working in the private sector compared to teaching. There is no other field that requires a master's degree that pays so little in comparison.
Plus with the atmosphere as depicted in the OP, nobody stays long if they do start teaching. It takes a lot of patience. As a result, we're left with the 'not so good' teachers.
I mostly agree with you. I teach college and, while I've only had to deal with a couple of parents (who were pushy enough that their kids signed FERPA waivers), I've seen the results of some of those high-self-esteem, "everything bad is the teacher's fault" parents (as well as parents who have homeschooled their wonderful, exceptional children, and whose children subsequently cannot adjust to the expectations of a regular classroom). So yes, parents do need to be PARENTS.
ReplyDeleteBUT I also think parents need to be balanced and well-informed when dealing with their kids' teachers. I went to a tiny "Christian" school, and IIRC, I had a total of nine teachers between grades 9-12. Three of those teachers--all of whom I had no choice but to take year after year--had no business being anywhere near a classroom or working with teenagers. In retrospect, I believe two of them suffered from severe, undiagnosed mental illnesses. And I'm appalled that more parents didn't speak out against some of the things these teachers did, such as publicly humiliating and emotionally abusing students.
My parents did advocate for us when appropriate, more so with my younger siblings than with me. (I often went to school with my eyes swollen almost closed from crying so hard the night before. The teachers I mentioned above kept telling my parents I was selfish and melodramatic and needed to snap out of it. My parents were naive enough to believe them.) I often didn't even tell my parents about the things going on at school because I didn't realize how wrong those things were.
I had always been taught, both at home and at school, to respect authority, and in high school we were told not to question our teachers at all--which ironically is what made me REALLY start asking questions. I was a good kid, rarely in trouble, always toed the line and respected my teachers and obeyed rules. Ultimately, all that did was get me more fucked up than my classmates who mocked the teachers and didn't pay attention in class. So, 20 years after graduating, I still have serious problems with authority figures and rules. And I'm still angry at my parents for not advocating more strongly for me and, above all, for leaving me in that situation.
Gryphen, you are wrong on this one. NO authority figure should be respected just because of a title or position they hold. THAT is what enabled the RCC pedophile scandal. THAT is what enables corrupt cops.
ReplyDeleteA teacher who is a good teacher naturally earns the respect of their students. Way too many abusers (not sexual or physical, but mental) get their jollies bullying kids. Did you see the one in Huffpo today where teachers (Chicagoland area) made a kid with a broken leg crawl back to the classroom - WTF?
@6:55 a.m.. You said:
ReplyDelete"The mentality of a scary percentage of parents is that it is someone else's job. I hear parents who undermine teachers and curriculum telling their kis it is unfair, too much, too hard for them."
The mentality of a scary percentage o teachers and administrators is that the job of educating the child is solely theirs, I hear teachers and administrators who undermine parents who teach their kids other ways to perform a task or worksheet, to read before the school teaches them, etc. Teachers and admins who constantly tell parents to butt out o their kid's education and leave it to the "experts." It works both ways-respect needs to be mutual.
Well if you're a Chapin fan, Kemosabe, try the brother with the brains, not the pablum pusher Tom. Flowers Are Red is Harry's hysterical take down of the often anal retentiveness of a lot of educators.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y5t-dAa6UA
Unfortunately, teaching education requires a Masters degree in most states. This means a costly education to qualify and years before student loans can be paid off.
ReplyDelete==================
The above is absolute bullchit.
It requires certification, not a grad degree. As a matter of fact, get a masters in your subject area, and you'll likely be unemployable, too expensive. The ed program for those with bachelors I was in briefly had it all planned for grads to get certification, a job, and hold back one class so they wouldn't have a masters before a job.
In the 1980s I taught 2 sections of college computer science. The grades I gave on the work submitted by the 100 students were 2 A's, 14 B's, 6 C's. So 78 students had to drop the major or repeat the course.
ReplyDeleteAfter that first semester, the whining, the excuses, the laziness, the threats, the tears and all the rest of the student garbage just faded away.
I think I taught them a lesson far more valuable than the course material.
Tad judgmental there, laprofesora? Many folks are NOT cut out to be teachers. And none are not cut out to be teachers of all subjects beyond primary grades. It's good that mom knew herself and her capabilities well.
ReplyDeleteI love the video! And I'm with you on your post. As a parent of two, I've gone to every parent teacher night, and in a high school that's the size of some small towns, it's the same two dozen or so parents who care enough to stay involved.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the "tood" first hand, the parents who only show up when little john or jane are in peril of failing, it's always the fault of the teacher and "We pay your salary, and we'll do what we have to to pull strings etc etc" bullhockey.
I've volunteered, held bake sales, chapperoned on buses for field trips, and watched the teachers in action. Kids come to school half awake, homework not done, unable to convey one concept taught the day before which was addressed in their home assignments.
I KNOW the law of averages says there has to be some bad teachers out there, but in 14 years, I've only encountered one, who rightfully got fired for not doing his work (no lesson plans, give "busy work" or "study time" when he should have been instructing the students. Believe me, he didn't make it past the first month of the school year - and the parents were right to complain.
What bothers me most, is the pay scale for teachers compared to the administrators. There's a need for education reform AND for parents to get and stay involved.
When the janitor makes more than the teacher, we're sending the wrong message.
A huge Thank You to all the Teachers out there.
"What bothers me most, is the pay scale for teachers compared to the administrators. There's a need for education reform AND for parents to get and stay involved. "
ReplyDeleteAt all levels of education.
As I said elsewhere, I'm a teacher. Currently teaching. Not in America.
ReplyDeleteThis cartoon reflects our situation, too. But I think it should have a someone from the administrative staff in the second vignet, bending over to make the parents happy.
Whenever our administration holds firm in the face of parents that try to abuse the teachers, we can keep on teaching their children. When our administration fail us, there's nothing we can do.
Children of today are unruly and entitled. How could they not be so, when TV personalities are rewarded for having no argument, no knowledge, but that of being a loudmouth ? TV is what they see of the society. They can't know it's not working like that. They can't understand that if that loudmouth stays on air, it's not because he's likable, nor because he's right, nor because he's interesting, nor a role model ; it's because his antics attracts enough people, so that his TV bosses are happy with the money they make selling ads during his show.
Don't forget that children of yesterday were unruly and entitled too, when they came from money. And that wealthy parents would yell to the face of the poorly paid teacher of their progeny. Poor people, maybe didn't ; but rich people have done it, in public education, for as long as it has existed.
"A teacher who is a good teacher naturally earns the respect of their students."
ReplyDeleteNo.
Respect and discipline is not something that magically lands on the head of the deserving. It's hard work, most of our work. One has to be pretty cunning, and one needs to know pretty well one's way around a crowd, to get 35+ hormones-flushed teenagers to respect a lone adult in a closed room.
And why do we need respect ? Because teaching is inefficient without. You can't teach if nobody pays attention to what you're saying. And I'm payed way too little to endure being alone in a room where nobody listens to me.
I currently teach two classes at the same level. One sees me three times a week. They respect me. One sees me once every two week. They don't. Yet.
To be more accurate, 5 students in the second class still don't respect me. They think that since the sub-course I teach them doesn't include grades and can't be failed, they are too good for me. Because they have good grades in the main course, see ? The ringleaders are the good students. They think small teacher me they only see once every two week is not important enough to give any respect to.
Boy are they wrong. I can give them hell, I've started and I'll keep on, trust me, and they'll all finish the year behaving as I wish. Or expelled.
Of course if they came in class knowing thet they have to respect me and to listen to me, because their parents would be very angry at them if they learned they didn't, I could spend more of our limited time together actually teaching them.
Their loss.
@Sara
ReplyDeleteI think you do deserve a pat on the back.
Parents and teachers have to work hand in hand to educate children. It seems that you've done a good job. I hope that I'll be able to be as good of a parent to my own children.
@anonymous 3:40
What helps pedophiles, and makes cops corrupt, is not the respect they get or don't get as authority figures ; it's the lack of accountability to the general population.