I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Claire82

I know some teachers who were fired because they were not performing up to standards. Teachers are graded 4 times a year in the first 4 years. If they don't make the grade, they are let go. Then teachers are graded once a year after tenure. I agree it's harder to fire a teacher who has tenure, but if a principal is doing her or his job, it's not an impossible task. I know some tenured teachers who were let go. 99% of the teachers I know are fabulous. The schools work incredibly hard to give children a good education. Not to pass the blame - but parents need to step up to the plate... especially American parents.

Bren-2007

I agree Claire!  The biggest problem my DIL has in teaching is with the parents, not the students or curriculum.  She's had 4th graders bring knives to class, and many children are unwashed and hungry.

rosemary-b

Claire

I agree with you. Every teacher I know works incredibly hard and parental involvement is vital. My sister teaches both remedial and advanced English and the parents with a few exceptions are what make the difference.Edited for grammar. Maybe I should sit in on my sister's class.
Diagnosis: 2/25/2007, IDC, Stage I, 0/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+

rosemary-b

It seems like people who were gone for a while have come back. Whatever the reason for your absence we welcome you back and hope you will continue to share your knowledge with us.

Claire82

Back to the subject of parents one last time -

My eastern european students and asian students are incredible learners. The parents teach the kids respect and how to work hard. In my district the administrators tend to bow down to the parents. The last thing they did was to stop teachers from giving homework on weekends.  No longer can we give long term projects at all or tests on Mondays. The parents said that homework interrupted family time. I figured it limited the time the kids could play on their video games etc. while the parents relaxed. When my kids were growing up, family time was homework. I made sure my kids knew their stuff. It isn't that way anymore. Sadly, school is 6 hours and 45 minutes a day.

Bren-2007

Claire .. I understand what you're saying.  Homework with my son, and while I was growing up, was family time.  Everyone was involved.  So kids need more video time on the weekends and they can't study for Monday morning tests?  Geez.  Do they all have ADD now!

It's hard to say if parents are lazier these days or if they're just tired out from their own lives of work and trying to get by.  I know there were some days as a single parent that the last thing I wanted to do was try to figure out algebra or help with a big project.  I cared, but I was so tired some days.

So much emphasis now is put on extracurricular activities that homework takes a backseat sometimes.  Parents and kids eat on the run, instead of having family dinners. 

Bren

Bren

Enjoyful

Erica -

Sounds like you've had a bad experience or two with teachers.  Care to share?

E

IronJawedBCAngel

Wow!  No wonder our students are not keeping up with those in China and India!  My youngest child graduated from school 7 years ago, but I know my grandson goes to school for longer than 6 hours and 45 minutes. He does get homework on weekends, but he is also going to the Catholic school as the education is superior to the public school in the town he lives in. Parents are an integral part in the success of any child.

Claire82

Actually I have heard of the rubber room in NYC. I don't have any experience with it though.

I have a son who teaches in Manhattan. He is at school at 6 am and doesn't leave on most nights until 7 pm. He is a first year teacher. I am pleasantly surprised at the quality education that students in NYC are getting. But then my experience is only with his school and his principal. His principal was one point away from having the school rated as an A school. She is a slave driver because she wants that A rating. And he is working to those standards. What wonderful lesson plans he writes! And he is quite good at teaching. One night he texted me at 2 AM. Mom - he wrote- I'm finally getting this teacher thing. I wrote back - Oh yeah? Now get some sleep.

There are dedicated teachers out there- more than you know. He is amazed at the quality of teachers in his school.

revkat

Since we are all so big on research here at BCO, I would like to point out that for kids under high school level the amount of homework is not correlated with gains in learning, believe it or not. Additional classroom time, however, is.

As far as ethnic group biases, I have to say I alway feel a sense of personal pride and satisfaction when my white-bread kids out do their Asian immigrant classmates, given the stereotypes that are thrown around. We can all prepare our kids for school, no matter what our background and kids can become good students from a wide variety of types of homes. I told mine from the first day of kindergarten -- listen and follow directions; if you don't understand something raise your hand and ask the teacher; you don't have be be friends with everyone, but you do have to be kind to everyone. It has served them well. 

rosemary-b

No the point was States Rights was used as a tactic before and resulted in a war which its proponents lost. So why would anyone think it is a good tactic now? If I hurt your feelings, or anyone's I'm sorry. That's not something I try to do.

otter

What a coincidence!

We watched "Freedom Writers" last night (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463998/).  Even though I was the one who put it in the Netflix queue, I was worried that I would hate it once I saw the intro.  (I've never found gangsta rap, or movies about gangs or neighborhood violence, to be all that entertaining.)  As a retired teacher, I cringed (no, I ducked) while watching that first day of class.

But it turned out to be a good movie.  I really can't see most high school teachers making the commitment she made, but for those who do, it probably makes a difference in the kids' lives.

As for teachers grading their students' parents?  If the criteria are as straightforward as "ate breakfast this morning," "arrived at school on time," etc., okay.  But if the grading requires the kids to disclose things about their home life or their parents' actions, my mind wanders over to the History Channel.  There, we can watch what happens when an authoritarian government compels its citizens to turn in their neighbors, and children to report on their parents.  Not a good place to go, IMHO.

otter

Bren-2007

Hi Otter,

The specific legislation is for 1st through 3rd grades in Florida.  I imagine the parent grading could get pretty humorous with kids that young reporting on what happened at home!

Teacher to Johnny:  "Did you have breakfast this morning?"

Johnny:  "Dunkin' Donuts drive through."

There goes one demerit for mommy!

Ang7

I have to respond about the homework on weekends~

My teens are in honors classes and the amount of homework on weekends disturbs me.  We do plan things on the weekends as a family and I hate having to leave one of them out of a trip to go apple picking or see the grandparents etc. because they have too much homework.

Anonymous

I'm sure it's rather hard for both parents who work to fix a really hearty breakfast.  I don't know because I was a stay-at-home mom.  But my DD has to work.

In the Title 1 school where my SIL teaches..there are no parent teachers meetings, i.e. PTA.  The kids come without supplies.  Most come unprepared for class, i.e. handing in homework.  There is security on premises.  My SIL had to come between a mother who was going after another student until security could get there.  And, a teacher is not supposed to do this, but he had to and I'm proud of him.  He went to court but never testified, but said the mother lied on the stand. 

He works hard.  He wants to make a difference in these kid's lives.  But how if parents are not engaged and kids are bing bumped to one home then another?  Or live in drug infested homes?  Of course the kids he teaches are 8th graders...math.  I would hate to hear the tales they could tell if they were to grade their parents...most of them don't have two parents.

When I was growing up, and yes I know it was in the dark ages, we were REQUIRED to respect our teachers.  Our schools have lost most authority over our students.  They have places for kids to go who make trouble.  If we got in trouble we were kicked out for a period of time.  No alternative schools. 

Where my son teaches there are places they can go after school for help, but most do not take advantage of it.  So, many schools have the tools in place but their not being used.  More money will never cure our public school system.

We sent our children to private schools to because we did not like what I saw in public schools.  The teachers were superb.  However, I have seen many kids come out of our public schools doing just fine.  I just wasn't going to take a chance and I think it's worse now.

I believe I suggested sometime back to google Thomas Sowell and Dunbar High School.  It is such a good read.

Bren-2007

Ang .. is it just the honor classes that have so much work or is it all the classes?  Maybe they really push the honor kids to do more and excel.

Bren

Ang7

Bren~

That's a good question.  My girls are my older kids so I should ask around the neighborhood...

Bren-2007

Morning Friends .. I promise .. one last Palin topic before February!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/01/27/exp.sarah.palin.sputnik.cnn?hpt=C2

http://www.themudflats.net/2011/01/27/sarah-palins-wtf-moment/

Sorry to keep harping on this .. but this woman is absolutely so UNpresidential.  She and Bachmann just can't seem to get their historical facts right.  I think Palin is a little cranky because Bachmann stole her thunder after the SOTU.

Bren-2007

Sorry ... I just can't resist .. we need more Spudnuts!

Enjoyful

Who DOESN'T need more spudnuts??  Maybe we need a Spudnut Party.

rosemary-b

So it was Sputnik that bankrupted the Soviet Union? 34 years later. Interesting theory. I am sure Mrs. Palin's team will have to explain that comment. I can't wait until they do.

bluedahlia

Didn't these people go to school? And what do they teach in those schools? Do they watch the news at all if they can't get their info from those schools?

Bren-2007

E .. Sounds good to me .. I'm hungry!  I want a jelly filled spudnut!

Alpal

Wonder if Greta will be blamed for this like Katie Couric was? Poor Greta ....

IronJawedBCAngel

Do they make chocolate covered custard filled Spudnuts? 

As she can see Russia from her backyard, we know she is an expert on everything Soviet!  NYET!

bluedahlia

The look on Greta's face was priceless.

IronJawedBCAngel

I wondered if they could freeze that frame on Greta's face as I wanted to post it on my FB page!  Now that was truly a WTF expression!  I am so greatful to Sarah this morning as I truly needed the humor!

Enjoyful

Wait, I though it was Spundnuts that bankrupted the Soviet Union.  Weren't they the first to send jelly-filled doughnuts into orbit?

molly52

Does Sarah ever finish a sentance?  I can rarely understand what she is talking about, because she starts a sentance, then, I guess she can't figure where to go from there, so she just drops it and starts a new sentance.

bluedahlia

Too many spudnuts.  They clog up the brain.