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<blockquote> <blockquote> <blockquote> <p>The way educators see it WE HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB OF THEM ALL WITHOUT US,, <<<</p> </blockquote> </blockquote> </blockquote>
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<p>The job of a teacher is very important. BUT.... the most important job of all is PARENT. Without parents....(need I say more?)</p>
<p>(Frankly, I'm having a difficult time believing that was posted by a teacher...)</p>
<p>if you're a teacher, I'm annie oakley,..oh, well, never mine.</p>
<p>hereshoping,
I respect your intentions, & for explaining yourself, of course. It is just my opinion that your intentions went awry, & probably others do not back me on this, & that's fine. I think what I found not so benign (earlier) was the overly directive post about how I'll "have" to just laugh about it or accept or not react to it, etc. (No, I don't "have" to do that, since I'm not a child, & certainly not your child.)</p>
<p>So let me do a parallel favor & clarify. Perhaps I should have stated the thought within my last previous post first, since I do think it's most important. No, you were not the only one bashing teachers, & in fact this thread is filled with GENERAL teacher-bashing -- criticisms not related to the opening & really not bearing on the opening, i.m.o; I just think you did so with less reservation than some others. </p>
<p>Second, definitely many (if not most!) CC threads contain tangential subjects or arguments; you are correct. However, in many cases these tangents further the discussion in a constructive & probing way. It is not my opinion that very many helpful probes have paralleled or illuminated this discussion.....esp. the gratuitous subjective opinions about specific incidents with teachers -- possibly some not even on the h.s.level--, name-calling & stereotyping of teachers, ridiculing of teachers in general, etc. The criticisms on a number of posts by a number of posters seem to be for the purpose of communicating contempt & assumed superiority -- not for the purpose of relating <em>similar</em> actual incidents (i.e.,"crossing the 'personal counseling' line") and thus contributing to practical or intellectual debate. Someone PM'ed me the other day about how he/she viewed this thread as "melodrama." I did not solicit any such comment from this person, so I accept this as an independent corroborating view.</p>
<p>I will share further, since I referenced earlier that I easily trade hats as parent or teacher depending on the need, that in that elem. school I mentioned, parents (always Moms) would often approach me about how "weird" or "bad" or "strange" or incompetent (or whatever negative) a particular teacher is, & how it was supposedly commonly "known" among parents, etc. This was communicated quite early in the school year, invariably. Naive me, I had never happened to see the same things in those teachers apparently, so I would begin specifically looking for such eccentricities, social maladaptation, or whatever form of dress or appearance the unfortunate underpaid teacher was able to afford & was being ridiculed for, etc. Yet in at least 80% of such cases, I did not find the same things these mothers "found" & broadcast liberally among each other. What I watched, though, were turf wars created or provoked by these mothers against another female who had some control over their children for a good part of the day: I saw it in the hostile ways they spoke about those teachers & approached those teachers & self-reported about resulting meetings with those teachers. I had seen this thread approaching a similar tone, which is why I still maintain these perceptions about teachers lack credibility -- given my past first-hand experience with similar sweeping, judgmental, personal, & often socially-based criticisms of teachers who also taught my children.</p>
<p>So we have gone from ONE teacher interacting with ONE particular student, to unrelated generalizations about the full range of teachers -- probably pre-school through high school, private as well as public, multi-subject as well as single-subject, religious and secular. Further, we are now on the subject of sexual abuse, & not just in Catholic schools but in the Church in general, as if that has anything to do with the OP's question (!) Now, I myself have criticized parochial schools for some of the same reasons that edad mentioned. (Variation in training requirements, etc.) However, it's important to note that in my experience & the experience of others in my region whose children were in parochial schools, non-lay teachers are rare. There are simply not enough religious personnel interested, willing, young enough, energetic enough to teach. Overwhelming, they do social work. Overwhelming, parochial schools in my region are populated AND ADMINISTERED by lay people; that would include principals & diocesan personnel. In fact, ironically, the best & healthiest principal we had at that elem. school was a nun. So again I would be very careful about the generalizations or conclusions. Because of the very scarcity of religious staff in the parochial schools, most of the unspeakable sexual abuse still occurring (!) is occurring within non-school interactions between priests or their appointees and youth groups, catechetical situations, prviate counseling situations, summer camps, etc. </p>
<p>I am not trying to minimize the horrific experience of edad's D, as I've been a vocal critic of malpractice & yes, immorality, in the Catholic Church, but merely explaining my earlier reactions to what I view as a derailing of the discussion.</p>
<p>Thank you for re-expressing your views.</p>
<p>I'm not sure I understand your post (sorry), but I would like to clarify:
I personally do not gossip with other mothers. Any issues I've had with teachers have been between me and the teacher, and in a few cases, the administration.
To parents, I'm pretty sure, all things concerning their kids tend to get "melodramatic" at times :)
A sense of humor is vital to survival, in school as well as life, IMHO.
I have personally never been anything but respectful (I am a soft-spoken person) to each and every teacher I have ever dealt with.
I had nothing to do with the Catholic school discussion which was a part of this thread, since I've had no experience in that area.
Perhaps my posts come across as more acerbic than I mean them to be.
Again, apologies if you felt attacked in any way.</p>
<p>ok, annie oakley,
just so you and all the very CONCERNED Parents who seem to have a good time pointing your finger at the BAD TEACHER WHO ALMOST TRAUMATIZED yor children, you seem to forget the fact that when you as parents destroy their confidence, we pick up your slack</p>
<p>and just so you know i'm also a parent,</p>
<p>teacheroftheyear</p>
<p>Thanks for making the point for me. </p>
<p>We aren't offended by your statement that there are bad parents because we know that there are SOME bad parents (YOU don't use the word "some" but I assume since you are a parent yourself you don't think all parents destroy kids' confidence). The acknowledgement that there are some bad (some VERY bad) parents out there does NOT diminish ME as a parent. </p>
<p>(If adults expect CHILDREN do be able to handle any and all offhand comments from a teacher, then why is it that some of these same adults can't handle comments posted here?)</p>
<p>So.... why are YOU so offended if others have noticed that some teachers aren't as good as most teachers? If you are truly reading these posts you will see that most people are happy with most of their kids' teachers. Some of us (me, for instance) are former teachers (and I still occasionally sub). </p>
<p>Your posts seem to suggest that it isn't possible for a teacher to be substandard. Do you really think that all teachers are "good to excellent"? (Those of us who teach or used to teach sure know that isn't true!!!!) No one is suggesting that all or most teachers are substandard or nutty.</p>
<p>Your posts also suggest that it isn't possible for a teacher to do anything wrong or inappropriate. Are you actually trying to suggest that there have never been a teacher who hasn't traumatized or hurt or abused a child? If you are trying to claim such then I must ask, "Is your school under a rock?"</p>
<p>You are absolutely right.
Of course, being an "artsy " teacher myself, i resent personally the way some of the parents, are making their input.
and yes, every human being makeas mistakes, even with the best of intentions
I know you are asking yourselfs why do i take it so personally, well , i've dealt with my fare share of parents, who don't even know what i look like, until (quote) I DARE take action about a situation, </p>
<p>As a parent, and a Third generation teacher, i understand the need for a parent to come to their child's rescue. However, don't play house only when you feel like it, </p>
<p>Now, don't take it personally.</p>
<p>Are you really a teacher??? yourselves (not yourselfs) fair share (not fare share)</p>
<p>it's a kid in teacher's clothing. Isn't it a parent?</p>
<p>Yes I'm a teacher, a very tired one who's been neglecting her work hours to discuss with a bunch of..
how wrong it's to undermind teachers</p>
<p>undermine teachers</p>
<p>just to have you correct my spelling..</p>
<p>i ask
are we really acting like grownups here, or you are just grasping for air.</p>
<p>if you were really a teacher...</p>
<p>you wouldn't be generalizing.</p>
<p>there are wonderful people out there working very hard to help your kid have a successful life</p>
<p>tomorrow after you take attendance in your locked ward, write on the blackboard 3x
'I will not spell undermine undermind',..</p>
<p>lady,
i deal with 32 8th graders at a time, you are not going to get me off my shoes, no matter how hard you try,</p>
<p>gosh, this is fun. Does your school insist upon a dress code?</p>
<p>Dear Mrs Smith!</p>
<p>Charlie had no time to complete his homework, since we had a family emergency. Please call me if any questions</p>
<p>Mrs Mom</p>
<p>That note does not help your child if anything, will teach him how to avoid responsability.</p>
<p>Oh, i forgot, the only one who should be held responsible for every little problem your child has, is the teacher, who HAS IT IN FOR HIM.</p>
<p>poor kid</p>
<p>yes we have the parents color-coded, that way we know which one is psy</p>
<p>how many classifications of parent have you discovered and clothed?</p>
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<blockquote> <blockquote> <p>yes we have the parents color-coded, that way we know which one is psy <<<<</p> </blockquote> </blockquote>
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<p>Oh... so it's okay for y'all to gossip about parents and to disparage many of them. Sounds pretty hypocritical to me.</p>
<p>This is all my own personal opinion from what I gather from the OP's post so bear with me.</p>
<p>Teachers are people too. They aren't infallable. If the teacher would have stopped at saying she was worried and talked to jlauer95 that would have been good. But sharing her own experiences as a sort of scare tactic is going over the line. It takes on the persona of an ultimatum, "Change or else become a failure." Fire and brimstone maybe good motivators for some but for others it can destroy an already fragile self-confidence.</p>
<p>If it came from some random stranger or an adult its impact maybe minimal but it came from a teacher. Teachers are figures of authority, guidance, and nurturers. Teachers have a profound impact on a child.</p>
<p>Good intentions do not justify harmful advice. This isn't the Good Samaritan Law we're discussing here, nor is it something along the lines of Voltaire saying "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." </p>
<p>Anyway, I don't think the OP is blowing it out of proportion as some people have said. Its his (or her) child and what he or she perceives as the appropiate course of action should be followed. When I have kids, if a teacher even insinuates that my son or daughter would be a failure I would be up in arms about it. Advise him or her to a more suitable workload, contact the parents and voice your concerns, even fail them if they can't do the work. But don't tell them they'll be a failure. It's like tripping a sprinter out of the blocks. You're setting them up to lose before they even have a chance.</p>