Problems with Education

[Little32]

What do you all think the solution is to problem facing the children who attend inner city public schools? Do you think that Bush, and Republicans in general, have a good idea in offering vouchers so that these children might go outside their neighborhoods for education. Or do you think that some kind of overhaul must be done within the inner city public school system?

[Discogoddess]

This is not directed to you, Little32, but judging by the horrific sentence structure, grammar and spelling I have seen on these forums, we need an overhaul AND Jesus to correct our education system!

DG

[This message has been edited by Discogoddess (edited August 03, 2000).]

[AKA2D '91]

oooooooooooooo, Soror, No you didn't!

I try to watch my posts, not to say it was directed to me,either (grammar, etc), but I have seen some pucked up stuff written. Usually, from someone trying "call you out" or put you in your place. Many times I have wanted to correct them, but I have declined.



But seriously,
As a teacher, I don't think that Education is a priority, rather lawmakers don't really value Education.

For instance, we have been trying to get a raise. Our Governor is this rich "Bubba". He does not care one Iota about education or anything that goes with it.

He has HIS (money, power, etc), so dang everyone else! So it is not a priority.Therefore if we get a raise or not doesn't matter to him at all.
I feel this may be the case around the country. Those who have money, the powers that be, 9 times out of 10 have their children in private schools, so the issues which plague public schools is not that important. NEVER WILL!

[AKA2D '91]

That's right...

I forgot about the parents. Yes, they do have responsibilities to keep the family "going", but some parents leave ALL of the burden of RAISING THEIR CHILD to schools.

Also, many parents are NOT there to reinforce what is learned in schools. All TEACHING CANNOT be done from 7-2 p.m. Something has to be done AT home...

[AKAtude]

Kitten03, thanks for mentioning parents. Soror AKA2D, that is so true. I'm so thankful that my parents were very involved in my education. It's true that there are a lot more demands today on a parent's time, but they must somehow make time for their children. I'm so tired of people blaming teachers and others for the responsibilities that should be their own.

[Serenity]

I have been teaching for five years now. This school year will be my sixth. As the years go on, it seems as if this problem with parents is getting worse.

I HATE PTA MEETINGS! The parents seem to come ready to fight. Nowadays, if you point out a student's weaknesses, some parents take it as a personal affront. It's very frustrating. Everyone wants to blame the teacher.

I teach ninth grade English. The failure rate in my classes is HIGH. I have tried everything to stimulate my students, but "EVERYONE" hates English. I don't let this deter me, but it is hard to watch the students that don't even try. They put in zero effort. What can I do?

I have been pressured by administration to be more "flexible" in my grading techniques. In other words, they want me spoon feed my students. I refuse to do that. It's sad because my students grades range from 99% to 40%. First of all, it's hard to teach when there are different "learning styles" in the classroom. But I make adjustments for any student that is having difficulty with a lesson.

My students are capable of doing the work but for whatever reason, they would rather fail. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they are in ninth grade. The maturity isn't there yet. College is years away and they just want to "play" now that they are in high school.

A lot of teachers will not be returning this year because of the low pay, lack of parental support, and the growing problem of violence in our schools.

I refuse to give up on my kids. Several of my past students came to visit me during their Spring break vacation. They really made me feel good. After being in college, they can finally appreciate what I had told/taught them as HS freshmen.

There are many parents that are supportive and believe that I am doing my very best for their kids. These are the parents that check homework, attend PTA meetings, and drop by to check on their child's progress several times during the school year.

It's really hard to take it when a parent curses you out when their child didn't pass the class. Then, when you suggest things that they can do to help their child, they say: "Isn't that your job?"

Sorry this post is so long. I return to work in two weeks and this has been weighing haevily on my mind.

[kitten03]

Another serious problem with Education. Parents. Many children are the product of very young and exausted parents. Sometimes between putting bread on the table and a roof on the house, there's no time to help kids with work. Nor do some parents want to hear that their child is not an angel or doing well in class. This is a severe problem. As an aspiring teacher, it's not the children that worry me, it's the parents. I'm grateful that my parents always found time to help me and they would listen to the teacher before me if she called home. Some parents don't believe their children lie or are unwilling to put more emphasis on their class work. All though teachers deserve a raise, having cooperative parents would make their jobs a lot better.