tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post6981819821576150365..comments2023-11-16T08:21:33.975-08:00Comments on Let me tell you what I think: Why teaching is so freaking hard.jojo cucina cucinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09801083378294299891noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-59767945887710731422010-05-05T16:24:20.977-07:002010-05-05T16:24:20.977-07:00everytime i try and comment the stupid cookie thin...everytime i try and comment the stupid cookie thing gets messed up (it tells me i dont have javascript installed but i do, it does this all the time, and then i will refresh and repost and its there.)<br /><br />im not rewriting everything though. ugh.Modern Hippiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788631763981329402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-70312795110827490942010-05-03T04:14:10.713-07:002010-05-03T04:14:10.713-07:00lol pearl - I KNOW my 'lil angel' sprouts ...lol pearl - I KNOW my 'lil angel' sprouts horns sometimes!! But from being in contact with other parents, you are so right.~ T (grits) ~https://www.blogger.com/profile/17192199906764517795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-86054336745696303702010-05-02T20:23:35.681-07:002010-05-02T20:23:35.681-07:00Trust me Jo, I felt NO respect as a teacher even a...Trust me Jo, I felt NO respect as a teacher even all those years ago<br /><br /> That is by no means a recent development. No respect from the kids or the parents . No respect from pretty much anyone <br /><br /> I don't think I don't think I ever encountered a parent who could believe their lil angels capable of any wrong doing.IslandPearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07596765636568498186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-29841075658617903052010-05-02T18:59:58.845-07:002010-05-02T18:59:58.845-07:00oh, it's a shame to take them down, they are s...oh, it's a shame to take them down, they are so beautiful. i know we have a policy at work because of HIPAA about not taking/posting photos of our residents.equeyayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02497281107599857326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-9350455407942717702010-05-02T18:10:28.902-07:002010-05-02T18:10:28.902-07:00Thank you troutbirder, it's good to see you ag...Thank you troutbirder, it's good to see you again and i see that you are a recently retired social studies teacher. <br /><br />eque, I don't have permission and that's why i said i won't be keeping this up very long. I will take down the photos of my girls soon. But let's face it, my blog is not viral and nobody who would have a problem with it is going to see it. (You won't see them on my Facebook.)<br /><br />susiatl, it's not certain that Sabrina is babysitting but that's what i heard from the school folks. She calls in sick. But they are not certain she is sick. Even my other two girls told me she misses LOTS of school. But i cannot imagine a third grader who is as sick as she is. She never seems ill to me when i see her. <br /><br />pearl, i believe we need accountability. Believe me, working in the union office, i know too well about the mediocre teachers. However, I will never agree with anyone who believes it is about test scores though. And the other thing is there are some really bad administrators out there too who have no business being the judge of the teacher accountability. <br /><br />I cannot remember how long ago it was when you were teaching but i believe respect for the profession has gone downhill in the past twenty years. Why would anyone want to take this career on for all of what we are talking about? You could not pay me $100,000 a year to teach under the conditions they are teaching at some of these schools.jojo cucina cucinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09801083378294299891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-39310075494155986272010-05-02T15:25:05.115-07:002010-05-02T15:25:05.115-07:00Oh my what a breath of fresh air.... the way it re...Oh my what a breath of fresh air.... the way it really works. Thank you.troutbirderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14087811292280881959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-44871295834353269892010-05-02T11:21:36.206-07:002010-05-02T11:21:36.206-07:00maybe a combination of peer review and test scores...maybe a combination of peer review and test scores, and ensuring that the support systems are in place, considering attendance, resources, and things like that. it's very complicated, and I don't claim to have the answer but i don't think we should give up on trying to make it better.<br /><br />i find that my kids, who are smarter than they let on, did worst in classes where they didn't like the teacher. i emphasize their responsibility to pass even if they don't like the teacher, after all in life they will always have to deal with people they don't like. but it points to the impact of really good teachers and how they inspire their students to learn.<br /><br />grace says that there are teachers at her school who are only in it for coaching, their primary focus is not on teaching at all, and she says they are the worst teachers because they really don't care.<br /><br />jo, do you have to get permission to post those kids' photos online? i think it's great that you tutor and that you do it where it's needed the most.equeyayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02497281107599857326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-46271289081707963072010-05-02T06:29:12.467-07:002010-05-02T06:29:12.467-07:00Pearl - I get your point...we need teachers who ca...Pearl - I get your point...we need teachers who can teach and inspire...<br /><br />But the responsibility to learn still should be on the student. I had bad teachers through my life but I wanted good grades so I still pushed and learned as did a lot of my peers. <br /><br />These kids that JoJo are talking about don't have any support system..in fact Sabrina shouldn't be even living in her environment as keeping a child home to babysit at her age is child abuse..plain and simple. What happened to truancy officers? <br /><br />I'm sure there are plenty of incompetent teachers but what good teacher would want to teach in those circumstances? I hear horror stories from Bop and other teachers and I can't understand why they stay. <br /><br />I just remembered that another reason I did well is that my grandmother (who was a teacher who started many of the schools out west - one room schools with all 12 grades) was always teaching me. She was retired but she taught me to read, all the states and the capitals..we would play games and I didn't realize I was learning. So I guess I had an advantage. <br /><br />I don't think parents realize that they could be teaching their kids as well. <br /><br />Reading Oprah, one of the things that stands out is that her father made her do a book report a week on a different black figure in history. While this is one form of teaching..I'm willing to bet he did other things to inspire her and build her confidence. <br /><br />I'm willing to bet that none of these girls get any intellectual stimulation at home..unless you count the t.v. <br /><br />I don't see it getting better.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10005236005213669544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-46321306223172211952010-05-01T19:53:29.288-07:002010-05-01T19:53:29.288-07:00To clarify - I was a full time public school class...To clarify - I was a full time public school classroom teacher for those 4 years , and just got fed up with it. <br /><br /> I still teach college classes part time, because I enjoy the teaching part . <br /><br />And those kids are cute .IslandPearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07596765636568498186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-79328686027046889312010-05-01T19:45:24.488-07:002010-05-01T19:45:24.488-07:00I spent 4 years teaching math to Jr hi students - ...I spent 4 years teaching math to Jr hi students - 3 of those years in an inner city middle school. Average class size : more than 30 students, including mainstreamed learning disabled sprinkled in the mix .<br /><br />And you really don't want to hear my opinion on this.<br /><br />I agree that parents are part of the problem ... but only part.<br /><br />Why should the people to whom we entrust the education of our children - our very future - be held to no measurable standards ? Shouldn't there be at least some threshold level expectations?<br /><br />The current system protects underperforming teachers which fosters mediocrity . I worked with some who were dangerously inept ...but tenured . Short of committing a felony, they had a job for life.<br /><br />I don't have any solutions . If I did I might have stuck with it.IslandPearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07596765636568498186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-92229683267153667582010-05-01T13:17:51.905-07:002010-05-01T13:17:51.905-07:00I am sending this to Todd - he is always talking a...I am sending this to Todd - he is always talking about public education and this pretty much brings it down to what is real. Thanks JoJJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02567137782259387976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-52220066898481155712010-05-01T08:52:01.819-07:002010-05-01T08:52:01.819-07:00I read this at 4 a.m. and wrote a long post and th...I read this at 4 a.m. and wrote a long post and then didn't save it. <br /><br />So..here is the condensced version - I absolutely agree with you. Our schools are in major trouble and while in some cases it may be the teacher - I'm more willing to put my money on the parents. When I was a social worker 15 years ago...my parents that I worked with were either way too involved (always interfering) or could care less. <br /><br />My parents were the epitome of dysfunction but in the 60's parents supported the school. They only interfered when requested to do so and if I brought home a bad grade - I was not allowed to do much of anything till I pulled it up. Another thing - my parents never did my homework for me. Never did more for me on a project than buy the supplies and drive me to school. <br /><br />It seems like teachers have to deal with parents who don't parent and encourage their children or they have helicopter parents who think they know more than the teacher. <br /><br />This is a crisis that is only to get worse - funding cuts are going to make class room sizes larger....and we will be paying for this..trust me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10005236005213669544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-71885429894527171572010-05-01T08:12:16.117-07:002010-05-01T08:12:16.117-07:00oh and they provided a big group breakfast for all...oh and they provided a big group breakfast for all the kids as well as healthy snacks thru-out the days of testing. I am damn-near moved to tears for all they do!~ T (grits) ~https://www.blogger.com/profile/17192199906764517795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7122471343312326996.post-71467351745127840092010-05-01T08:01:54.210-07:002010-05-01T08:01:54.210-07:00OH - I love this post! I wish I had the skills to...OH - I love this post! I wish I had the skills to tutor but since I dont - I am extremely grateful to those who have it and use it. My own daughter has benefitted greatly from her teachers and tutors at public school. I am better at stuff like volunteering for the class parties, field trips and stuff like that.<br /><br />She just recently had the 2 day TAKS test (Texas assessment and knowlege). I was amazed at how much they do through-out the year to prepare these kids. They had 2 sample testing before the big test. They sent home tons of material and helpful hints. They had parent/teacher conferences regarding the child's strenghs/weaknesses. They offered saturday tutoring on top of what they already get in the school day mon-fri. They had a program at the school for the parents - while the kids had an outside program about astronomy and got to look thru a big telescope.<br /><br />I was really WOWed! My daughter is an average student and I am really proud of how hard she has worked to get to that stage. At private school, she was far below average, but getting passed on to the next grade, getting A's, and not being able to read the simplest words. When I asked for help, they told me to put her in Sylvan. Very tiny classes there too. Ridiculous!<br /><br />She wasnt stressed about taking this first big test (TAKS) - she stresses more over her weekly spelling test lol. <br /><br />However, her best friend who has never in her life made anything but A's - was so stressed that she tried to stay home with a stomach-ache both days. She had both her parents up to the nurse's office both days and made it thru the tests, but not w/o tears and going home afterward. I know her parents and they are pretty hard on her to make good grades. She told me once she will get in trouble if she doesnt make A's or 100's on her spelling tests. <br /><br />So when her mom complained to me, that something must have been said at the school to scare her so much before the TAKS tests, I had to bite my tongue - hard!<br /><br />The school was awesome in all of this! And I plan to let them know and find some way to thank them before she goes on to Intermediate at a different school next year.~ T (grits) ~https://www.blogger.com/profile/17192199906764517795noreply@blogger.com