I am often amazed at how much teacher-bashing goes on in these forums, even the ones that seem to be aimed at teachers.
I understand that parents of LD children are often frustrated with their children’s progress, but it would seem that they are too quick to lash out at teachers.
Let me just go ahead and say it:
Teaching is a job that does not pay well at all. Teaching is a job where you are supposed to care about an entire class of children as if each one were your own. While being ultra-compassionate, you must also be objective, omnicient, and not play favorites. The parents can scream at you, write nasty grams to your boss and your newspaper, and threatened to have you fired if you disagree with them. You can only be utterly gracious to them. You are supposed to be able to work miracles with whatever the intellectual capacity of the children you are given even though you did not control what had come before you in terms of training and education. It’s all your fault if you fail and you get no credit if the kid learns anything. If a child acts out or hits you, no one gives you any compassion and more likely you are blamed for not understanding the situation.
And let’s not forget how the “teaching” part of teaching gets dwarfed by having to play parent to a lot of children — teaching basic social skills, sometimes being the only listener, having to do insane amounts of administrative work, etc.
If people would actually let you teach reading and math, at least in the primary grades, our children and teachers would be far better off for it.
Is it any wonder that there are shortages of teachers and that teachers leave teaching for better-paying jobs in other fields?!
I’m not saying that y’all are saints, just that I am thankful that the good teachers that I had hadn’t given up before they got me and that teachers deserve credit for taking on these challenges.
Re: Teacher-bashing
There’s another extreme, although you’d never see it here.
There are some children where the teachers are the only ones involved in trying to get services to children who desperately need them. Often, these parents won’t come to any parent-teacher conferences or even meetings for the children’s IEPs. Often the district has to take them to court (actually before an administrative law judge, but it is court-like) to get an IEP in place, and frequently the parents do not even show up then. But for those teachers and their persistence, those children would have absolutely nothing going for them and no hope of educational success. And, as you’d guess, jumping though all of these hoops leaves less time for other things that the teacher might want to do; often, it comes out of their free time.
It’s all so sad.
Re: Teacher-bashing
Parents care tremendously about their children and the parents of children with learning differences live in certain fear for their children. Schools are not well-designed to meet the unique needs of children with learning differences and understandably parents want the needs of their children met.
People lash out, as you say, at other people. Rarely do they have the direction to lash out at the system but it is usually the system that is the problem, not the individuals. If a doctor is incompetent, why is that allowed? Yet it is. Hospitals allow incompetent physicians to practice medicine saying they have not authority over individual physicians. Schools should take responsibility for those teachers who aren’t up to snuff, but do they?
However much teaching can be a hard job as this teacher can attest, yet I see too many teachers being too judgmental of children, especially those with learning differences. When a parent is faced with that, it’s hard for them to remember that teaching is a very challenging job.
Re: Teacher-bashing
If you have a class of 17, you have to have one academic standard for those 17 students and one conduct standard. Deviations from the behavior standard need to be addressed and grades are assessed on meeting the academic standard. To do otherwise would be unfair to all 17 children and their parents and the taxpayers. To the extent that one or two children and their parents consume a disproportionate share of resources, the other children, their parents, and the taxpayers are shortchanged. When we change the assignments to take LDs into account, we need to do it a way that still lets a child’s learning be measured and quantified. I do not want LD children not to learn math and reading because their standards are lowered; I want them to learn math and reading and be on a par with their peers even if they have to learn it in different ways or through different assignments. I expect them all to learn even if it takes different routes.
BUT, school has only 4 or 5 academic hours in it, for 180 days a year starting when chilren are 5 or 6. If one child is disruptive, then the others don’t learn either. Additionally, some children come to school needing much parenting at school, which is unfair to other children to come to school prepared to learn.
I totally understand why some parents send their children to Catholic schools or private schools or do home-schooling. They see all this as a waste of their children’s time and worry that the disruptive children might hurt their children or make schooling impossible with their disruptions. I can’t say I blame them, even though most classrooms aren’t so dire. It is unfortunate for them financially — there is no reason why they should have to pay when the public schools (which they’ve already paid for with their taxes) should be adequate. And it is bad in the sense that some of the strongest academically-motivated families aren’t part of our school’s community any more.
When parents say that their children are hard to handle and that schools need to do a better job, that says a lot to me. Most parents do not have many children and have them at home for most of their waking hours — if they can’t control them, I can’t imagine why we’re supposed to be able to produce miracles with fewer hours, less control, and divided attention.
Crazy.
Hi Nita,
I understand what you are saying, and agree that on the first pass some parents may APPEAR to be “quick to lash out” at teachers. However, as someone trained in school social work and who does substitute teaching, I can tell you that many parents have tried their best to work with schools and have come away feeling frustrated, patronized and disrespected. By the time they find these boards, many are feeling hopeless and they are very angry. Many have dealt with their own learning problems without the support and help they seek for their kids. They need to vent.
I hope you can rethink your reaction to some of the posts, and not take the criticism too personally. Most of the parents just want help for their kids. They want things to “work” for their kids at home and at school. They are tired of being blamed for the LDs and resulting behavioral and emotional fallout their kids didn’t ask for, and for which there are no easy answers. Yes, some may be defensive, and yes, some have biases against teachers and for their kids regardless of the situation. Still, everyone who comes here with helpful suggestions and compassion can help make a difference in the lives of their kids and their families. Hope this helps you see things a little differently. And you are so right, teaching is darned hard work! Try being a sub in a high school!!!(G) JJ