Vent: Complete and total lack of respect towards teachers on here

[debilorrah]

As with every profession there are good ones and there are bad ones. My son had the best teacher I have ever met for 6th grade, and then in 9th grade his drama teacher told him he wasn't worth the air it took him to breathe. So...... Great teachers, good teachers, bad teachers. Pobody's nerfect.

 

[MaggieRae]

Teachers are very necessary in today's society. Without them, I can see our entire infrastructure crumbling due to it's dependence on education. They should be paid so much more and be more respected.

 

[PotterWatch]

I have just as much respect for teachers as I do every other person. I have had bad and good experiences with teachers. I understand how frustrating it must be for you to always read about the bad stories, but you have to admit they happen.

I think it's not as much that people on here constantly bash teachers, it's just that when your child has a good teacher, you are happy because you have gotten what you want and expect. When your child has a bad experience with a teacher, you are, imo, more inclined to post about it. Kind of like how we hear more often about bad experiences with the post office when the good experiences probably far outweigh the bad.

I am a homeschooler, but I don't homeschool my kids because I think all teachers are bad or incompetent or anything such as that. I think that teachers these days are unfortunately stymied by the system they are forced to participate in, through no fault of their own. I homeschool more for the opportunities my kids get through homeschooling that they wouldn't get at traditional school.

*I certainly don't have perfect grammer, but I still think I am qualified to teach my children, just as I have met teachers with less than perfect grammer who I still think are qualified to teach.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I agree 100% and I get tired of seeing it, too. Not only do they attack teachers, they attack any parent dumb enough to send their child to public school. I have 3 sons ages 12, 9, and 8 so we have experienced a LOT of teachers. I have not had one I would call bad and only one that is even not good. Every other teacher has been terrific. Some took a few weeks to "learn" so I knew how to handle their particular quirks....but I am sure they felt the same about me and my child. As so many have said, teachers are HUMAN. The vast majority are dedicated, wonderful people who truly CARE about these kids. I refuse to home school my children when there are people far more qualified than myself. I want my children to have the best, not just the best that I can teach.

 

[PotterWatch]

Just wanted to add that just as you don't like teachers being lumped all together as bad or uncaring, neither are all homeschoolers anti-public school. I don't care for being lumped all together as people who attack others for their schooling choices. There have also been countless threads started on homeschooling on this board where homeschoolers are attacked for their choices. Happens almost every time. You are not alone.

 

[Rosalind]

Well, you have my sympathy for taking on a thankless job and trying very sincerely to make the world a better place. For what it's worth, thank you.

Frankly, I think it's the nature of the job: You're going to be in contact with everyone at some point, and to many of those parents (such as the ones you describe) you're going to be the first person ever to tell them that they are a lousy parent and need to shape up. Regardless of how nicely it is phrased, this is not a pleasant experience for them, and their first (perhaps only) reaction will be defensiveness and outrage--justified or not.

In that sense, it's not unlike being the doctor trying to tell patients that they need to eat their veggies, stop smoking, exercise more: Most folks are going to yell, "Eh, those dumb doctors don't know anything!" and go back to devouring their sugar-frosted deep-fried pigskins, rather than running out to buy a gym membership. It's a human nature, type of thing.

Plus, there's selection bias working against you: Most people remember the really awful teachers they had, but they can't recall the mediocre ones and it's difficult to be good enough to be memorable for that. I remember very clearly the day my high school Algebra teacher told the class that girls shouldn't be taking advanced math and should be in Home Ec instead (yeah, I'm that old, and the guy is long since dead), but the only thing I recall about my fourth grade teacher is that she let us watch NASA launches on TV in class. I can only recall one really great teacher prior to college, and she taught foreign languages, but I'm sure that others must have existed nevertheless.

Sorry I cannot be more helpful. I work for Big Pharma, so I've sort of gotten used to being hated and reviled for my occupation.

 

[shawnkfl]

Quote:
it IS crumbling. have you seen the way most kids spell today? or know ANYTHING about math, history, etc....? kids today are more concerned with video games and when the next one is coming out. my peeve is the school system itself, at least where i live. i have two daughters. one starting kindergarten and one ging into 4th grade. both are assigned different schools!?! i don't get to choose. the dumba$$ board does. it's insane! if i live closer than two miles from the school, they can't ride a bus. pretty lame if you ask me. and people are just getting tired of the school "system". it's not working for anyone other than the board members. so, you'll see more and more parents home schooling. not that they should be, but they will.

 

[CoonX]

Quote:
Bubba the Drunk doesn't put the cars together, he just paints them.
Charlie the Crackhead is the one working on the assembly line.

Bad thing is, this was true at the GM-OKC plant.
Knew 4 forklift drivers that flunked the U.A. and had to go back to work on the line.
Each night for lunch, ¼ of the painters would go to the local C-store and grab a beer or 6.
In the last 2 months that the plant was open, there was an average of 5 vehicles a day catching on fire.

BTW, I've had great teachers, bad teachers, decent teachers and "teachers" that was mentally absent their entire career.

 

[cmcgoun]

Not all teachers are good, not all cops are good. There are always some who are not good. Maybe when someone says the teacher is bad maybe he/she really is. Who are you to accuse them of teacher bashing? Some people call teachers bad and they are wrong, most teachers are great, and are very under appreciated.

luvmychicknkids

Not only do they attack teachers, they attack any parent dumb enough to send their child to public school.

I currently go to public school, does that make my parents stupid?
You yourself sound pretty arrogant. Maybe you need knocked down a few pegs?

To the OP, you sound like a great teacher, and I would love to have you as my teacher. You sound dedicated, and really enjoy your job!​

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Quote:
Heyyyyy........some of us like our pigskins BBQ......

(sorry, I was feeling a little guilty there)