Boston Globe: A higher bar for future teachers

Parent Cafe
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<p>goaliedad, </p>

<p>My signif taught sped ed for around 12 of her 30 years teaching. She also was involved with special olymipics for many years, as was I. I live in the same state as emerald and yes, currently there are about a school 12 districts suing our state legislature for failing to provide funding for sped education needs for basically all distircts. It's almost a class action type situation. Our state's primary charter is a responsibility to educate all of Washington's children. It has been more of an empty promise until recently where things are starting to move that way. Guess which party is now in power? </p>

<p>It is very expensive, but also very necessary to provide as much of an education as possible to all children, even to those who will mentally never be an "adult". </p>

<p>Unfortunately there is ten times the red tape in special education. Most educators don't want to do it as they have hours of extra paperwork thrust upon them by government enitities without any money to cover for the time spent filling the stuff out. The burn out rate is very high and the emotional tug of war is unbelievable for most special ed teachers. I understand where you're coming from.</p>

<p>Oh, and as a side to SS, my wife is a saint, her only poor choice in life was me. She is highly regarded as a teacher, mentor and voice for education in our community. But think of her as you will. It's a free country.</p>

162

<p>I think I’m going to leave this thread either now or very soon. I just came back from a one-day teaching assignment in a special circumstance situation. To return & read the combination of hostility toward & ignorance of teachers on this thread just churns my stomach, but now I understand why teachers are not paid better: many of you believe we’re a bunch of lazy, not to mention incompetent, idiots. The level of expectations, assumptions & judgments is just appalling here. Let me tell you how it really is out there, in my area anyway, in public schools.</p>

<p>Taught in a 5th grade classroom of urban kids of various ethnicities (mostly Caucasian, actually). Easily 80% of them were highly dysfunctional in a classroom setting. In case you think it was supposedly my lame teaching skills, I was told by 4 or 5 other teachers & administrators today that “my” class was unusually well-behaved today, that I must have some special ability, & that their bad behavior is notorious. They begged me to come back should they need me again, as they believed today was noticeably better than the usual.</p>

<p>The students’ behavior had nothing to do with me or the regular classroom teacher. The only difference between myself & her is that she admits to slight inexperience (although she’s older); I seem to have more confidence in the environment & thus was able to control the class more. But if you think that it was possible to spend more than 30 minutes on academics, you could not be more wrong. God could not have accomplished it. I’m not talking about difficulty with group management. I’m talking about the individuals in the classroom having serious emotional, behavioral & academic issues that preceded their arrival in this school. (Talked with regular classroom teacher after school.) More than half of these kids were dumped in this school by young parents who became parents at age 15, and are now 25, & have minimal parenting skills. The kids were unusually immature for this age & have been acting out at this school for 2 years in a row now. I thought one of the boys (the boys were actually far more mature than the girls, actually – which is unusual ) had Asperger’s or autism, as his behavior seemed to align with those syndromes. In fact his parents are exheroin addicts & supposedly the boy has PTSD. Oh, btw he’s Caucasian. He completed one assignment today -- & only in another classroom, by pre- arrangement with the administration.</p>

<p>One boy is actually from wealthy parents (these happen to be Asian) who ignore him, so he acts out major. One of the Caucasian students also has wealthy parents who have traveled with her all over the world. She spent virtually zero time on task today, but behaved inappropriately despite my & other people’s guidance, direction. She has no sense of being grounded at school. Her entire day is consumed by avoidance behavior. There are a few Caucasian & African American children on the free lunch program – lest you think this class is composed of rich, spoiled, neglected children. There is clearly a wide economic & racial variety. The regular teacher told me, as I recall, that only one or 2 of these children come from intact families. </p>

<p>In short, this is a class of dysfunctional children of dysfunctional parents who have dumped their sociological problems onto & into the public schools. We, the teachers, did not create these problems, nor can we be blamed if these kids do not learn. I will tell you that neither Jesus nor Moses could get them to learn UNTIL THEIR MYRIAD EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS ARE ADDRESSED – prior to, or simultaneous with, the academic tasks. I am not a school psychologist, a social worker, a psychiatrist, or a physician. And that’s too bad, because undoubtedly those categories of occupations damn well bill for their “prep time.” (That insult took the cake.) These students are distracted major. They are impaired by their inability (at the moment) to adjust to the demands of even a solid hour, let alone a full school day. </p>

<p>I feel sorry for the 4 normal kids in the class. They are being cheated major. </p>

<p>It’s astounding to me that people resent teacher prep time. Perhaps you believe they should punch time cards, too? A salary is a salary, people. By definition it does not mean “hourly.” It means you are expected to behave like a professional, you are trusted to be a professional. A doctor may take a legitimate break – during which he may or may not review an X-ray or call a colleague about a case. He is paid for that time nevertheless, via his salary. If he didn’t have to be at work (being paid), he would be possibly doing something else, for which he would not be paid. Same for teachers. They’re at work. (Hello). Now you’d like to subtract their prep time from their salaries?</p>

<p>Good bye.</p>

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<p>Aw ephif, I still love you. </p>

<p>Sorry you had such a bad day and I'm even sorrier about this post. Some here really do appreicate what teachers do. I did before I married one for sure. </p>

<p>I look back at the people who influenced who I became and outside of my parents, my teachers helped shape me, made me think, told me what I could aspire to. </p>

<p>I guess I was lucky as some here hate the profession so much. Maybe they didn't get the support I did. Stick with it as teachers do reach kids. They might be the only ones who point them in the right direction.</p>

164

<p>
[quote]
I thought one of the boys (the boys were actually far more mature than the girls, actually – which is unusual ) had Asperger’s or autism, as his behavior seemed to align with those syndromes. In fact his parents are exheroin addicts & supposedly the boy has PTSD. Oh, btw he’s Caucasian. He completed one assignment today -- & only in another classroom, by pre- arrangement with the administration.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Don't mean to pry, but PTSD has many similar symptoms to Asperger's such as very unusual reaction to seemingly normal stimuli, repeated soothing motions (rocking, rubbing), plus others. How do you tell the difference without looking at the file?</p>

<p>I am assuming the completion of the assignment in another room was more about getting a calm (away from the rest of the "interesting" children) environment. So the rest of his day (in that room) is considered a throw-away?</p>

<p>I hate to ask, but what were the 4 "normal" kids doing in there? Is that called mainstreaming? It is certainly a disservice to the 4, but it is also a disservice to the others as well, as it sounds like the others could use a smaller class size to begin with, just to get the necessary attention needed to function effectively. And clearly 4 "normal" children are not going to have a significant impact on the social norms of many more children with severe issues (both emotional and LD).</p>

<p>How did you get so "lucky" as to pull this assignment?</p>

<p>BTW, my mother spent 20 years subbing in special Ed in Los Angeles back in the days when mainstreaming was not the norm and segregating the children in special schools by disability was the practice. The autistic rooms had teachers and aids well versed in the best practices of the day and the emotionally impaired rooms had similarly specialized staff. And this in spite of the Proposition 13 which rolled through during her years there. I have a ex-brother-in-law who has been an aid in that same environment (working the emotionally disturbed) for the last 20 years.</p>

165

<p>Thank you, Opie, but I did not have a bad day. I had a bad end-of-day reviewing this thread & the pettiness therein. Someone asked me to come back & post. I'm actually doing so because I should have addressed goaliedad's post #122. He is completely correct regarding how inappropriate & unhelpful it was to have his child mainstreamed, particulary unless such a classroom were itself already highly functioning with no other significant needs to address except for that student, AND where the classroom teacher was special ed trained & certified, and with experience handling both levels of needs within one setting.</p>

<p>But goaliedad, it is not the fault of the classroom teachers that your child's needs have not previously been addressed. Classrooms with regular credentialed teachers heading them are not environments for situations such as you describe. Those environments are inadequate for such a student, just as the classroom I encountered today was inadequate for 80% of those students. That cohort belonged in special ed classes because the level of their emotional disturbance was so significant that it made it impossible for them to function outside of a specially shaped program.</p>

<p>Several years ago (was it 15? 25? I've forgotten), there were decisions made in some states (certainly mine) that it was not politically correct to have "special" classes. We must mainstream everyone, teachers were told. Otherwise, those students might "feel bad" or "feel different." Damn it, they ALREADY feel bad, & they feel bad because they are NOT being taken aside, NOT being specially addressed. It's up to the rest of society to understand not to label & deride, & to be made to include these students within non-classroom situations such as drama, art, music, p.e., & extracurriculars -- where they often flourish & earn the respect of their peers.</p>

<p>As to teachers taking the time to look at the cum folders, review reports from professionals, review IEP's, get to know learning styles -- again, teachers I know always do this. If nothing else, it is in the teacher's self-interest. If he or she sees a need for a special referral, that would be indicated by reviewing such material. That would help the teacher. (Not to mention the child or the parents)</p>

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<p>goaliedad, we cross posted, so hopefully some of your remarks were "responded" to by my own. And I agree with your major points, as you can see. As to the boy with PTSD, yes he presented with the kinds of responses you describe that are similar to autistic/Asperger's. In this particular case it would not have been appropriate for me to "examine his file," because I was there for a special & limited purpose. But if I had been there longer term, & been assigned to him and/or that class, yes, of course I would insist on becoming fully briefed, as I always have.</p>

<p>In my own charter school, btw, teachers are required not just to "read folders," but to sit & meet with the specialists at every juncture & become fully informed.</p>

167

<p>
[quote]
Damn it, they ALREADY feel bad, & they feel bad because they are NOT being taken aside, NOT being specially addressed.

[/quote]
Your frustration with the system is palpable.</p>

<p>How much mainstreaming goes on for reasons of political correctness, cost savings, or just plain "what do we do with these kids?" ignorance? Very, very sad.</p>

168

<p>SS,
It began with political correctness, at a time when unfortunately (for the timing) school budgets still actually had hard money in them. It has now evolved into a money issue. Were the political tide to turn, the State would claim there is no public money to address this appropriately (i.e., separately).</p>

<p>I have an acquaintance & colleague who has a son with Tourette's. Her solution was to homeschool for the first 6 yrs, I think. Now he's in a Special Ed-dedicated school -- a private -- which is of course, expensive. But at least he's getting the attention he deserves & the socialization he needs. He's also probably getting a level of acceptance merely by virtue of being there with other Special Ed kids. What the public seems not to understand is that mainstreamed Spec. Ed kids with serious needs get labeled MORE in the regular classroom than in the nonregular. That's because their behavior is not recognized by peers (& sometimes by some teachers & administrators) as clinical, but as immoral. They get labeled as bad, as losers, as stupid, etc.</p>

<p>Yes, goaliedad, the rest of the PTSD student's day was a waste. Such a waste. For him, for everyone. Not to mention for the 4 normal kids.</p>

169

<p>I'd like to expand on my own post for a minute. I once worked in a traditional site school which included one Special Ed classroom of Mentally Retarded (they were called then -- not developmentally disabled). They were called EMR & TMR (educable or trainable, depending on level). It was a "perfect" setup, in some ways. Their needs were addressed by that Special Ed certified teacher; the rest of the school became educated about Special students by virtue of co-existing with them. I hate to sound corny, but their presence gave the school a kind of "spiritual' aura because of that addition of humility -- is the only way I can describe it. Importantly, the regular students in regular classrooms did not suffer in the least. The EMR/TMR kids were not ridiculed or abused by the others.</p>

170

<p>I want to make it clear that, although I will respond to PM's as they come, several people have apologized for my supposedly "bad day." I said once that I didn't have a bad day, & people don't believe me. When a physician discovers that his or her patient has developed coronary artery disease & that several others have presented with diabetes or even a cancer, it is not necessarily a bad day. It is a challenging day -- one which he or she was trained for & went into with eyes open. In that case it can even be an intellectually stimulating day or a fulfilling day if the physician feels competent to take aggressive charge of the situation.</p>

<p>I'm a professional. I don't suffer personally when I encounter students with problems -- even when I can't miraculously solve their problems on the spot. I do suffer -- and parents & society suffers -- when the system itself is disintegrating or nonfunctional. The physician suffers when the ER shuts down or malfunctions, not when his patients become ill & need a doctor.</p>

<p>It's clear, though, that many of you do NOT see teachers in this professional mode, not at all. You seem them as worker bees, as low-level clerks, perhaps, as glorified & semiqualified administrators, even. You think they're so fragile that they fall apart when they encounter a challenge or a setback. I don't know what kind of "teachers" you know, but I guess I either don't think much of them if they are really as you describe them, or I question your perception of them and their role/performance.</p>

171

<p>I have been following the posts and have wanted to respond, but really didn't want to be insulted by so many of you on this board. You see, I am a teacher. I am up at 5:30 each morning and usually do not get to bed until past 11:00, like many of you. I usually bring work home at night and on weekends because there are usually interuptions during my planning time (meetings with parents, phone calls, e-mails, discussions with other teachers regarding curriculum), but I realize that is part of my job. I choose not to work during the summer, but don't feel the least bit guilty about it. I love to read, relax, and go out to lunch with my friends and feel I need that time to recharge my "battery" because I know that when the end of August arrives, I need to be rested and ready to go again. I know that I work with some people who really should leave the profession and I do understand the frustration that parents feel when their children are taught by someone like that. No profession is completely pure and noble. There are incompetent people in every job. I know that I try my hardest to be 100% every day I go to work. Do you? I love what I do. I may not be the best teacher but I know that I work to improve myself every single day and tonight I got just about the best reward a teacher can receive. I just received an e-mail from a young lady I taught several years ago. She is being inducted into the National Honor Society and she has asked me to attend the ceremony to be recognized as a teacher who made a difference in her life. Our high school asks each inductee to recognize and honor a teacher who has made a difference. She selected me. I am elated. Most of you do not have a clue why most people decide to be teachers. We are not perfect, but most of the men and women I work with try to be the best they can be each day. We know how important we are to the young people we work with every single day. I don't judge every doctor, lawyer or waitress the same. Why does society feel the need to group all teachers together and decide that we are all lazy, not very bright individuals who decided to become teachers because it was an easy job. Get a clue. Teaching is probably the hardest, least respected profession in the U.S. I am physically drained at the end of each and every day. I am working with 85 young people this year and believe me, they know immediately when I am not on my game. I can't hide in an office or cubicle and hope to get thru the day, and no, I don't show videos to pass the time. Correct teaching is hard work. Believe it, but the rewards...are just about the best ever available, and I'm certainly not talking about money.</p>

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<p>"I once worked in a traditional site school which included one Special Ed classroom of Mentally Retarded (they were called then -- not developmentally disabled). They were called EMR & TMR (educable or trainable, depending on level). It was a "perfect" setup, in some ways. Their needs were addressed by that Special Ed certified teacher; the rest of the school became educated about Special students by virtue of co-existing with them. I hate to sound corny, but their presence gave the school a kind of "spiritual' aura because of that addition of humility -- is the only way I can describe it. Importantly, the regular students in regular classrooms did not suffer in the least. The EMR/TMR kids were not ridiculed or abused by the others."</p>

<p>This is what my wife worked in during her years teaching special ed. And you're right somewhere along the way Mainstreaming pushed those kids into settings that were not really practical for teachers or students. Up here it was driven by parents who found it offensive if their child was considered anything less than "gifted". Teachers trying to meet with parents to suggest their child working with a school specialist to help were often met with "are you telling me my kid's retarded? Well you can go to hell." Yea it's a fun job. </p>

<p>One of my NMF children spent a year and a half with a district specialist during elementary years, we can't thank them enough as it was just enough help to get her going and she hasn't stopped since. </p>

<p>And I understand you didn't have a bad day profession-wise. You just stated the reality of the situation. You sounded like my spouse in many ways there. It hurts good teachers when their profession gets bashed. While it may not apply personally, it still hurts. No one wants to be devalued for their career. Especially a career that launches so many others. Some of us get it. </p>

<p>I think you need a box of puppies.. nobody can be unhappy when they have a box of puppies.</p>

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<p>You know during the strike we had a few years back.. I was called a "teacher lover" by a certain segment in our town. </p>

<p>"Why thank you!" was my reply. I can't think of a better group of people to care for.</p>

174

<p>Epiphany,</p>

<p>I'm sorry if I made you feel it was the fault of the teachers that my son is not properly situated. </p>

<p>The teachers function as part of a bigger organism that defines their roles by the resources and management provided to do their jobs. I do believe that most teachers I have come across (including the one who didn't even read my son's file) really want to do what is best for the kids who really need the help, but have been so overwhelmed themselves by the system that they lack the energy (and time) to do the things necessary even if they had the right resources. And that does lead to failures that people like us experience first hand. His current mainstream teachers are not trained to handle autistic children, although they try their best to work with him.</p>

<p>And I would be more than willing to let my son finish his high school years in an appropriate special ed class (not just a class full of different problems, but one with a clear set of learning objectives suitable for a set of similar students), if the powers that be would ever relent to establishing it. Mainstreaming is a bean-counter's dream come true. We can blend them in with the rest of the kids avoiding the overhead costs of special ed, pull them out enough to say we treat them, and wash their hands of the results.</p>

<p>I also feel bad that I identified this food fight and then promptly picked up a platefull myself. I guess I deserve to wear a bit, myself.</p>

<p>All in all I feel the failures of education are systemic with everyone feeling powerless to change it. Inertia is a very difficult thing to overcome.</p>

175

<p>Opie, I loved your last 2 posts. Wrong animal, though;) I'm a cat person. I do need a box of kittens, but not because of today, because of other stuff in my life:)</p>

<p>Goaliedad, as to inertia, I have boundless energy when it comes to educational reform. I'd die to be on an advisory board. I serve on other boards now & always find energy to serve & contribute to "loves" & causes I believe in. And while I think it is expedient/convenient to mainstream, I think the original impetus was not money but political atmosphere, which is a shame. Now that money is "gone."</p>

<p>It's clear both from the content of these posts -- including the most informed ones -- that the biggest challenge (in my view) is to educate, inform the public at large regarding (1) what any public system can & cannot do, (2) what education of children can & cannot do, (3) what teacher responsibility is (or should be) and is not (parenting, social work, psychiatry, legal arbitration, criminal prosecution, law enforcement). No, I'm not being facetious or sarcastic. You'd be amazed what roles many parents do not realize they are asking the teachers to play -- by virtue of the fact they are defaulting in their own roles, not bringing their children to some of these named professionals -- then blaming teachers for not being such ombudsmen & omnipotent resources.</p>

<p>Without the baseline, it is difficult to proceed intelligently with a plan.</p>

<p>At some point it may be that size itself will cause the "meltdown" -- forcing "reduction" via segmentation: special ed schools and/or classes side by side with standard, side by side with gifted. Hybrid schools which include part homeschool or independent study, part site with formal instruction. (Some of these already exist.) I'm hopeful, even if I don't sound it.:)</p>

176

<p>Dogwood, Epiphany, Opiewife, and all the other teachers peering in or contributing to this thread: you have sensitized me. I will be more careful in the future to be <em>very clear</em> when I discuss the shortcomings of the current system that I am not criticizing teaching as a profession or all members of the profession.</p>

<p>If I promise to do that, do you promise not to assume that every person who thinks there are problems with American K-12 education is a teacher-hater? It is very hard to debate the issues of ed school reform, equalization of educational opportunity for children of all income groups, or the right of parents to have significant input in their children's education if you take personal offense at every negative anecdote.</p>

<p>I value good teachers more than good doctors. One of the biggest reasons I get twisted in knots about bad teachers is because they debase the profession. One of the biggest reasons I get twisted in knots about the current K-12 system is because it protects bad teachers who debase the profession. </p>

<p>Once again I return to the original post, a suggestion by a former ed college administrator who sees deficiencies in colleges of education. (I hope he is taking a very careful look at the one he used to head.) He seems to be referring to the lack of academic rigor in many programs, the relative ease with which students gain admission, that sort of thing. I've seen enough of that to concur, but that may not be the biggest problem with the ed schools. The reigning philosophy in many ed schools, and this has been true for a couple of decades, is that the main role of education is to further social reform. That is why mainstreaming is the norm even when inappropriate, that is why my daughter's middle school spent the entire first two weeks of 7th grade in behavior modification assemblies, and on and on. You who are in the classroom know what I mean. At a party about 15 years ago, a professor of education at a large university that produces many, many teachers accosted me and my H when she overheard us say that we were interested in the activities of a parent group that was unhappy with reduced academic rigor in the local high school curriculum. She yelled at us the following words: "We don't give a damn what middle-class parents want! We are here to see that the poor get what they need." (Well, I grew up as one of "the poor" and what I needed was exactly the same thing the middle class kids needed.) It was a real eye-opener. Probably the only verbatim exchange that ever stuck in my head for more than a week or so.</p>

<p>So, friends, please believe me when I tell you that I value good teachers. I am taking one of my kids' former teachers to lunch this weekend simply because I miss her and she loves to hear about her former students. But also believe me when I tell you that many schools have teachers that are inept, uncaring, unskilled, or petty. One is too many. A year or two in a child's life is a very long time, and sometimes the damage of a terrible teacher cannot be overcome without a lot of special effort. If you are so fortunate to teach in a school without a single ineffective teacher, I wish you would clone that school and distribute it. If you do have some bad teachers, I hope you give some considerable thought to supporting reforms that can lead to their removal. Kids' futures are at stake.</p>

<p>Bless you all.</p>

177

<p>midmo, I won't speak for others, but I think you have unfairly characterized all of my posts if you interpret them as overly defensive/sensitive/personalized. What I object to is this (1) the confusion of the role of the classroom teacher with the roles of decision-makers out of the teacher's control, resulting in misplaced criticism of teachers for the bad decisions and/or ineptness of other players; (2) the ignorance of the scope -- quality & quantity -- of teacher commitment, the level of time involved, including during perceived vacation periods, etc. That also results in misplaced criticism. (The myth of teaching as an "easy" job, a job for lazy people, a job for people who are incompetent to handle better-paying jobs, etc.) </p>

<p>I don't care for criticism of any person or group when it is ill-founded & ill-informed, that's all. True incompetence deserves to be criticized wherever it is discovered. And there are some truly incompetent teachers. I don't know that there are more of them -- proportionally -- than there are of truly incompetent lawyers, physicians, professors, psychologists, etc. But teacher preparation (where the thread began) only goes so far. Great if preparation is standardized, improved, predictable, translatable, etc. If the system within which such prepared teachers works is dysfunctional, the public will not see appreciably better results from such reforms. The ideas in the article & other articles may be good starts; without the structure to support more comprehensive reform, those starts will have limited impact.</p>

178

<p>"The reigning philosophy in many ed schools, and this has been true for a couple of decades, is that the main role of education is to further social reform. That is why mainstreaming is the norm even when inappropriate,"</p>

<p>In our region that is only part of the "why." The bigger part of the "why" is the State legislature -- more & more made up of special interest representatives with agendas about what should be taught in schools, how it should be taught, & how to credential those who teach it. Again, this is not the fault of the teachers: that is my point. You have no idea how very much against these agendas your typical classroom teacher may be.</p>

<p>As to the earlier comment about how even one bad or incompetent teacher is not to be tolerated....While I naturally agree theoretically with that goal, it is not realistic to expect, or insist, that no bad teachers will ever be graduated from programs or hired or retained. Example: I've known many a teacher of my children, & many a teacher in my own salad days, who for years was wonderful but had one or several bad years due to personal crises, medical crises, etc. In some cases I've known of teachers who appeared to be wonderful graduates, but turned out to be inappropriate in the classroom.</p>

<p>Parents sometimes have heightened expectations of teacher performance that they would never assume for other kinds of roles. Children will survive an occasional imperfect teacher, & I've counseled my own to do so -- even when appalled at the quality of some of those teachers.</p>

179

<p>I sent you a PM related to post 177.</p>

<p>It is true that most children will survive a bad teacher here and there, but those without support at home may not. My heightened expectations of teacher performance derive from the fact that nothing--outside the good health of my family--is more important to me than education. </p>

<p>I expect a full effort from everyone, not just teachers. If someone botches my car repair, I probably won't go back. If the bank messes up my statements more than once, I change banks. And that's just my car and my money, not my kids. Fortunately, the power of competition and consumer choice keeps most banks, and some auto repair shops, on their toes.</p>

<p>A couple of years ago I came to the conclusion that complacency is part of the problem. </p>

<p>Good night. It is late in this time zone, and I am rambling.</p>

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<p>"It is true that most children will survive a bad teacher here and there, but those without support at home may not."</p>

<p>Therefore......? The teacher should assume the parental role for those students in her classroom without such support at home? And since never in my teaching career have I encountered only one such student in a classroom (if there are any at all, there are anywhere between 5 and 20), do you understand what effort, time, compromise to the other students such replacement support from the teacher would require?</p>

<p>Or therefore, standards of perfection (compensation for bad parenting) should be required of teachers that are not required or expected in other professions? Or therefore, teachers shouldn't spend time preparing classes during their prep time (because we know how bleepin' lazy they are & how they're getting a free ride during prep time), but instead parent those children during prep time, Christmas vacation, and summers? [--Not a comment directed at you, midmo, but a reaction to previous postings.]</p>

<p>Listen to what you are saying, please, or its implications. You are acknowledging that many parents, far too many, expect non-teaching duties from teachers -- for their own children or for other people's children.</p>

<p>Although in fairness to parents at large, what actually happened in the late '60s to early '70's is that school systems took it upon themselves to begin to attempt to solve the social ills of families & cities. Then I believe parents began to expect what became a pattern of redefinition of the teacher's role. That is not to say that people like midmo, SS, goaliedad, others here are complaining about teachers not being parents. No. Rather, they may be observing that many teachers are not fully the teachers they should be, but they may not realize how much of the time of those teachers has been previously & currently consumed with attending to non-teaching roles, which prevents them from being the teachers they should be, not to mention burning them out by diverting their vocations from that of the chosen teaching profession to that of the nonchosen sociology, social welfare, law enforcement, psychology, & divorce court professions -- & strictly unpaid parenting profession. I find the latter requirement truly offensive.</p>