Calling Teachers to ACTION

>We hear a lot about SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY and TEACHER >ACCOUNTIBILTY and that’s OK. We don’t mind being accountable for the work we >do. No one works harder than teachers!

>The problem is this: No one ever talks about PARENT ACCOUNTABILITY or >STUDENT ACCOUNTIBILITY.

It sounds like you are very frustrated and need a vacation. I hope spring break gives you the breather you need.

I respectfully have to disagree that student and parent accountability are never spoken of. I have been beat over the head with the message that my children’s issues are my children’s fault and or my fault many times over the years by individual teachers and at IEP meetings. Not everyone has done this, but it has happened enough to frustrate the heck out of me. I really think the problem is that we need to get out of the blame game altogether and seriously get down to the business of finding solutions that work for these students.

What is happening now is not working for the most part. While it is true that there is sometimes a real “bad guy” that people can legitimately point a finger at in individual situations, often all sides are working as hard as they can to solve the problem but they are not working effectively together and are not providing the students with the things they really need. I am so tired of people passing the buck.

“It is the government’s fault for not providing enough funding for the SPED mandates.”

“It is society’s fault for not paying enough taxes to fund school systems.”

“It is the teacher education programs’ fault for not properly training teachers to work with the kids they will be faced with in the classroom when they start teaching.”

“It is the teachers unions’ fault for making it impossible to fire poor teachers.”

“It is the school systems’ fault for not providing proper training once they begin teaching and for jumping on every fad curriculum that comes down the pike.”

“It is the IEP teams’ fault for not coming up with a proper IEP.”

“It is the teachers’ fault for not reading the students’ profiles and properly implementing the IEPs.”

“It is the parent’s fault for not properly supervising their children, helping with their homework and punishing them when they are bad.”

“It is the students’ fault for not being thrilled at the privilege of attending school every day and busting their butts to do assignments they do not understand and do not have the tools to complete (really they are just lazy and could do it if they really tried!)”

Does any of this sound familiar?

>When I started teaching, over 30 years ago, I had fifth grade classes with 35 or 36 >students. Of those 35 students, one or some years two students were discipline >problems. Those students are what we now refer to as “distracters.” In 2002, I have not >one or two distracters in a class of 25, but 7. That’s 28% of my class. There is no way >that I can do my best job teaching.

>The reason for this increase is complex. Some parents are not spending enough time >raising their children, because they both must work outside the home. Too many parents >are, or have been, addicted to drugs and alcohol. They, for obvious reasons, are not able >to parent well. And, often, their children have suffered brain or emotional damage due >to their parents’ substance abuse.

And sometimes the parents are home and the children are well supervised, assisted, and encouraged but they STILL have developmental delays, physical handicaps, ADHD, and learning disabilities and STILL suffer immense frustration when it comes to dealing with school. We really need to be careful here.

There certainly are -some- drug and alcohol addicted parents and children, single parent and dual working parent families, poverty, malnutrition, child abuse, etc. These things have always existed to a greater or lesser degree and have always been a problem, though we may not have always been as aware of these issues as we are today. There are also premature babies, accidents and illnesses that occur during childhood and genetic problems. Many children with issues would not have survived to school age a generation ago, or if they did survive, would not be placed in regular schools. Maybe we should also blame the medical establishment for saving these children.

Parents are often unfamiliar with the many differences of today’s school environment as compared to what they experienced in school. It can take years for a parent to begin to appreciate the complexities of school today, if they ever really do understand.

How are they supposed to understand with no experience? Parents are not required to get a degree or take classes before placing their children in school, perhaps they should be??? I simply do not believe that all, or even most of the problems schools face are due to “bad parents” or “bad kids.” There are however, many problems associated with ignorance, misassumptions, and lack of adequate communication and respect between parents and schools.

>I suggest that our governing bodies take a look at what has >really changed in American Education. The majority of teachers >are still knocking themselves out to do a great job. What has >changed is our clientele. Please DO hold us accountable but >please take those “distracters” out of our classrooms, so we can >do our job!

> I have two proposals:

>1. Three Strikes and You’re Out!

> If a student’s behavior requires parent involvement (usually >meaning suspension) three (3) times in one year, his or her >parents will be required to arrange for a private school >education for him or her. I would think that, knowing this was >the rule, parents would take a more active role in raising >their children. The pocket book is something they understand!

If such a rule were implemented, you would find yourself complaining about the increase in juvenile and adult crime. Such rules actually do exist at this time when it comes to violence and bringing weapons to school. Has that solved any problems yet?

The parents you are complaining about would not have the money or might not be responsible enough to send their kids to private programs. The best you could hope for would be an increase in wards of the state since the parents would be forced to give up guardianship of their children under such circumstances.

Not enough schools exist that would take these students. Most private schools cater to “good”, privileged, neuro-typical children. There are very few schools that specialize in learning, behavior and mental health issues and those that do exist are extremely expensive. In the end, society would still be responsible for these kids, the cost would be more, not less, but a greater part of the burden would be shifted to the courts and DSS. Come to think of it, the schools would have to send personnel and provide tons of paperwork for these hearings so they wouldn’t really be off the hook either.

>2. A NATIONWIDE TEACHER WALK OUT (date and length to be determined)

>We need to “just say NO!” United we will see change. Real >change! Enough is enough!

The “just say no” campaign slogan didn’t work against drugs or teenage sex and I don’t think it will work here either. It would take a minor miracle to get teachers nation-wide to walk out all at the same time, and if they did, who would look like the bad guys?

What we need now is open communication and cooperation, not war.

> If you are with me on this, please add your name and send it to >every teacher you know. Please do not send it to their school >addresses. Only send if you know their personal email address. >After 100 names are added, please return it to me at >[email protected]. I will send it on to our President and other >legislators.

>Thank you so much!

>Kathy Hansen [email protected]

Good luck on your campaign. It may be successful in removing a few teachers from our schools who would prefer to be a part of the problem than a part of the solution. I think there is little hope it will accomplish anything else.

Dear Parent,
YOu sure said everything I would have said to this “teacher”. I am a teacher and find the remarks rather bizarre. Thank you for stating the realities so clearly. WE must work together and stop passing the buck. Besides, we all went into teaching knowing that the job would be difficult, so if it has become too difficult for you and you are burned out, you need a rest. Even the best teachers do, so don’t feel that you can’t. I feel strongly that any child I have in my class is my responsibilty. I have to find a way to make this child to become an independant learner and that means that he needs to find a way to motivate himself. It is not easy, but it can be done. OI have taught children whose parents were both developmentally disanbled and could barely take care of themselves. THese kids were taught nearly everything by the school including things not covered in curriculums per say. So I say, stop complaining, find a way to settle yourself down, and forget about any teacher ever walking out.We are dedicated to the children, no matter what age, ability, temperment. THey need us. And no, I am not a new teacher. I have been in special education for nearly 20 years, 15 of which as a certified teacher.

It certainly sounds like burn out to me or is it lack of true understanding of disabled and/or disturbed children. I think possibly every position of the disabled/disturbed child’s decision-making team (support system) was put under fire by your comments and possibly offended by being put under these umbrella descriptions of the “troublemakers.” While I will agree that there are children with troubled home lives, this is an exception and not the rule of unruly classrooms. You have posted on a site for LD, so are you complaining about the LD, ED, etc. children or the general population? Why would you call for a nation-wide walk out on the kids who need you the most? I sounds to me as if you may have some difficulty with being held accountable. Sorry you are in such distress.

THe “just make them…” policies are like zero tolerance. The innocent get hurt.

A *huge* problem where I”ve taught is consistency. FOr a number of reasons, some valid and some cheesy, students never know what will happen when they cross the “acceptable behavior” lines. Generally, the admins don’t want to go through the paperwork involved in suspending a special needs kid, but nor do they want to invest the time and resources in an effective alternative. Every once in a while, the admins feel they need to make an example so somebody gets suspended. It doesn’t work — the kids pick up that that lotto ticket has been taken so they can lie low for two days and then go back to the “norm.”

IT’s not effective discipline, so gosh golly, the kids develop worse and worse habits… regardless of whether their home situation is good, bad or indifferent.

However, the “three strikes and you’re out” means “change in placement” which is heavy on the paperwork and expense. And it would be the kiddos who get manipulated ;by the bad-behavior experts into being at the wrong place at the wrong time who would bear the brunt of it.

I do k nkow that as long as students perceive school as a place they are forced to go to, and not a place that tehy are privileged to attend (and there’s nothing like knowing about an expulsion to hammer that idea home!), they don’t feel ownership or responsibility or accountability.

Bravo to you! I too am a special ed teacher and couldn’t agree with you more that its our responsibilty to try to reach each and every child, even the ‘distractors’ as she or he referred to them. I’ve been a stay at home Mom for the past 10 years and am just now re entering the teaching profession. I look forward to the challenges as well as the successes. Thanks for helping me see that there are still teachers out there that feel the same.
All the best,
Susan

What exactly would count as a strike? Fighting, being mouthy, not doing homework?

O.K. so I guess then the rule should apply to teachers as well. Embarassing kids, being rude to kids, not teaching them properly, 3 parent complaints?

I think you have school somehow confussed with criminal charges.

marion wrote:
>
> What exactly would count as a strike? Fighting, being
> mouthy, not doing homework?
>
> O.K. so I guess then the rule should apply to teachers as
> well. Embarrassing kids, being rude to kids, not teaching
> them properly, 3 parent complaints?
>
> I think you have school somehow confused with criminal
> charges.

That sounds good to me :) An elegant comeback.

Where is Ball when you need him? It is not the parents fault that schools are not like they were in the old days. I came from a very strict home and my mother was at home every day I can remember. If I went to school with all the new rules, policies, and curriculum you have today, I would be one of those that got kicked out. I agree with the teacher who said that we are not trained to put our kids in school and the teachers are not trained to deal with the kids either. If “distractors” have increased that much then we need to change the way teachers are educated. Maybe you need to pull the teachers together for some positive solutions. I have no idea what planet my kids teachers are on half the time. It sounds like we all have options here except the kids. You could go work for a private school, get tested for ADHD and get some meds to help you deal with life. Get counciling, Find another profession, what ever you want. Beside all of that, even if kids have no boundaries at home, you can put them in ANY environment and they will obide by the rules of that environment IF they CAN and dont have an underlying reason why they cant. Kids learn real quick, what the rules are for what setting. We parents can not come into class and make the kids be quiet all day like a zombie. And no matter how much you might try to hide that attitude of yours, kids know when they are cared about and not. So maybe you are reaping what you are sowing. Bad attitudes!

When I was in school kid’s from bad homes found refuge at our school. It took the form of kindness from teachers other students guidance counselors and principals. We had our share of nasty teachers so we gave them a hard time. The teachers that were liked and respected had few behavior problems. Calling teachers to action sounds like a seige mentality in a school that unbeknown to the advocate of that action has become toxic. There is some validity to the assertion that teaching has become more challenging but to throw kids away after they screw-up 3 times is Nazi thinking. Anyone who advocates 3 strike for children may want to consider becoming a correction officer or a Texas judge.
It may be time for retirement or hormone replacement therapy or happy pills. Too many kids are thrown away sometime the school is their only refuge. The word physician also means teacher as does rabbi. Think about that!!

Ball is here. Ball has read. Ball has responded. I had a retired principal tell me how disgusted he was withthe lame brains that worked for him. This man has a PhD in education and psychology. He apologizes to me for the treatment my kid endured at the hand of these numbskulls.

You know the old expression ; Those who can do. Those who can’t teach. I’ll add one more; Those who can’t teach blame it on the student and the parents.

Chalk one up for Ball’s poison pen.

Gee Kathy ya got AOL so you probably won’t get no email. Ain’t ya got nuthin better to do than to rag about yer Easter off Xmas off June July and August off get out at 3:30 job. Sorree about da bad spellin and grammar but my Inglish Teecher got called to action at her Skool.

Kids respond to how they are treated. If you have a low opinion of children and lable them “distractors” they have an uncanny way of meeting up to those expectations.
So how does Kathy Hanson handle kids under her care?

I think she has plainly answered that question.

One teacher made the difrents in my life so if your a teacher make a difrents in some students life and help them. DON’T EVER GIVE UP!

Well said Mike. My son and his best friend would agree with you totally. They both had not 1 but 4 teachers make a difference for them over the last 2 years. His best friend wrote a letter to their teachers to express his gratitude. His teachers liked it so much it got read at their 8th grade graduation. Both boys are going on to high school next year with a sense of self worth and the attitude that they can do well. It is these teachers that should be celebrated.