Concerns about children's education

[Razadia]

The teachers are one of the problems and one of many reasons that I dropped out of high school. Most of the teachers don't care about their students. They use ADD and ADHD as an excuse as to why they can't teach certain kids. I was one of them. The problem with me was that the teachers didn't want to slow down long enough to make sure I got it. Gods forbid I should ask a question. I was snapped at and told I was stupid by countless teachers for asking questions. Another problem for me was that I got bored with the lessons. I have the attention span of a gnat most of the time. I took every art class I could and only ever failed one. That was purely the teacher's fault. I love art. I took painting 1 because I thought I was going to have the same teacher as the year before I was very upset to find out that our art teacher had gone to another school. I gave our new teacher time to prove whether or not she was going to teach us like she was supposed to. Nope. She was supposed to teach us painting techniques, but instead she gave an assignment and let do our own thing. I was there to learn, not relearn the names of artists' names and try to figure out on my own how they did their thing. Later in the year we had an open house for the whole school. She called me lazy and I called her stupid. In front of my parents and my brother and his family. Never tell a 17 year old that had her own ideas about what she was supposed to (and was told she would) be learning, that she's lazy. My family were on my side about the whole thing. My sculpture teacher was a mean woman, but at least she taught us we were there to learn. She never called me lazy, she just wished I would daydream a little less.

There are a lot of good teachers out there. It's just really hard to find them. I ended up with the bad ones most of the time.

Sorry, went into rant mode.

 

[Old_Rooster]

Reading the thread, I thought that I would respond to the various conspiracy theories.

First, the conspiracy that liberals use the schools to brain wash children. Ten minutes in any teacher lunchroom would show you that teachers are Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, Libertarian, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, agnostic, and atheist. The discussions are fierce, friendly and enjoyable. That is because we are grown ups and can accept different opinions without conflict.

Conspiracy? We can't agree on school colors and dress code much less have a vast conspiracy.

Some times kids will explain bad grades by telling their parents that the teachers "don't like them" or "have it in for them". Teachers don't have the time or motivation to conspire against a given student. It is possible, just remotely possible, that this is an excuse. An untruth. A false bit of information. Amazingly, sometimes facing the possibility of imminent punishment, a teenager will not tell the truth. Mine have. Yours might, too. Check it out with the teacher. You may just be surprised.

 

[call ducks]

Ok so coming from a school system that mocks out west (and they fallow what the US does...)


and right now school's (and collages and alike) are foucasing (yes i know that is spelt worng ) on grades not what students know. I had a talk to day about schools focasing on grades to day in resrouce (or as students say "Sped"

class ).

teachers do not use ADD and ADHD for a reason why they can not tech students. being a techer is hard, being a sub for a teacher is harder. teachers have many different ways of teaching some may have you going like this

or others like this

and maybe even some like this

i (i guess more then other students) think about where a teacher is coming from. When i have a sub i go to resource. I think that i try to look at the way teachers do because i have to. i have to "nip things in the but" before they happen.



I use an Ipod in class i use a laptop in class... I have a vision of the school of the future where no student can ever say "ohh i left that binder at home" it evoles two main things

Ipods/Ipads/macbooks (maybe even cell phones :O )
parents being able to see

*when there kid was in class
*What there current grade is
*Any missing assignments

Not only for students but for teachers,

Start a Blog!! (yes you teacher i know that is reading this)

Technology is the way i can see schools going... heck i all ready have an idea for a test marker/compiler for uses with computers .

Have you heard of Powerschool and Powerteacher... there are a few minor things that need to be worked out but it is a good system

 

[WriterofWords]

We use Power School, I love it! There is a lot of technology out there that we can hook up to now that the kids can identify with. Yes there are teachers out there that shouldn't be teaching, but it is not most of them, it is very few of them, but it's easy to see it the other way around when you don't like teachers to begin with and go in with an attitude that they don't like you, they can't teach you so you can't learn and it's not your fault. It's a two way street that tends to get narrow in places and you have a head on crash.

 

[Razadia]

Maybe it's just Montgomery, Alabama's public schools? Never went to school anywhere else. Save for when I went to Job Corps in Kentucky. I know that not all teachers are bad. I just got most of the bad ones and had very few good ones.

I think the worst teacher we've ever had to deal with was one that both my brother and I had. She locked my brother in the supply closet. When my mom asked about it she said that she did and she would do it again if he fell asleep in class again. 3rd grade teacher acting like a child. I had her years later in 4th grade. Never had that problem from her, but she did throw my homework away if it wasn't up to HER standards. I never got a grade for those. She was fired that year after they went through her trash and found the ones she had tossed that day.

I'm grateful for the great teachers I had. They kept me sane till I could stand going to school anymore. I was getting too bored and my parents couldn't afford to take me anymore once I started refusing to do my work. I'd do my work and go to sleep. I had great grades in some of my classes, others not so much. I got sick of everything and told my mom i wanted to go to Job Corps so I could do something useful. I'm a certified painter now.

 

[Spookwriter]

My daughter is in the fifth grade this year. In a class of 22 children, many have
been together since kindergarden. But it is always the same parents every year
involved in the PTO, homeroom parents and such.

Wonder why?

Is it an accident that this same group of children are constantly on the honor roll?
In 4-H together? Best friends?

Not really. This group of children are all parent-involved.

There is a good chance this group will be the best of friends through their school
years.

I'm not going to say that a parent has to be involved before a child can do well in school.
But it certainly helps.

*** Her school principal's parents live three farms down form us. Hana enjoys going there.
Retired teachers, great people. Anyway, my daughter "told" on her principal for something.
She told his mommy...I thought that was funny.