Barbershopman
TMF Master
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2006
- Messages
- 821
- Points
- 18
This is a yahoo lifestyle story of a Facebook post by a teacher who called it quits.https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/style/
When I read this story, I was heart broken for the current state of the US education system. I think the saddest thing is, what he said is 100% true.
Today's teachers face a no-win situation. They don't "teach" anymore, they drill students to be able to pass standardized tests. These tests are tied to everything from their job performance to state funding. If the students don't do well, funding is cut and then it is even more of an uphill battle to get kids educated. And like he says, he's "tired of being told that if the students fail, it's not their fault, it's mine".
There are a number of other factors that make teaching less glamorous than when I went to school:
My kids ( I have three) seemed to take more standardized tests in two months than I can remember taking in a year. Teachers curriculums today are situated around getting students prepared for these tests than actual teaching. This, in my opinion is a direct result of teachers preparing students for testing rather than teaching facts and figures, arming them to be successful in the world, rather than a slave of it. He states that "Lots of districts only care about school-wide growth, children are pressured to succeed without factoring in their personal development". I have another post on the forum about "smart phones/ dumb people"; it amazes me how kids can spend hours on their phone or computer, yet have trouble making change from a $20 bill or can't spell worth a crap because "today's technology can do that for us".
As stated in the article, they go through active shooter drills as part of everyday life at school. This is something people my age never even dreamed of having to do. A hot topic today is the debate over arming teachers. In my opinion, it is a bad idea, but his explanation is better than anything I could ever come up with, "we didn't go to school for law enforcement". Save the fact that this takes time away from instructing when there aren't enough school hours in the day as it is.
He states that he some times had to dip into his own pocket to buy supplies for his students because he couldn't get school funds to do it (see state funding). I know many teachers today who do this.
They constantly clash with administration. Now this probably happened when I was in school but I can't imagine it happened at the level it is happening today. Early in my marriage, my ex used to teach at a grade school. The principal at that school would often throw the teachers under the bus to side with (please) the parents. This undermined the authority of the teachers and caused the kids not to pay attention or respect the teachers. This has only escalated since I was in school and seems to be an epidemic of ultimate proportions today. ”As he states, this is a major reason for the "toxic" work environment.
They also have to deal with students with an array of psychological issues or on any number of medications. I'm not belittling this situation, just stating that this is one more thing they have to deal with. My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD and if she didn't have medication, she couldn't concentrate enough to complete her schoolwork. I'm not for sure, but I think a college education degree requires more than just the basic psychology courses.
Perhaps the saddest part of the education system is that some "parents" today send their kids to school to not only be taught to read and write but expect the school to teach them how to function in society. And if the school "fails" to "teach" that, the parent is all up in the administration's business about you didn't your job educating my kid. One of the responsive comments from the post said that in their school handbook it reads- "Parents are the primary educators of their children. *school name* works with parents and the student to teach them not only academic material, but social responsibility, compassion, and respect for others." Truer words were never spoken.
Reading this article stirred my emotions about the state of the US today. Teaching values, morals, respect for authority and responsibility for and consequences of one's actions should be taught at home by the parents with the school in a partnering role. Forgive me for my bluntness, but if you fail to teach your kids right from wrong and your actions (good or bad) have consequences, you've failed as a parent.
Barbershopman
When I read this story, I was heart broken for the current state of the US education system. I think the saddest thing is, what he said is 100% true.
Today's teachers face a no-win situation. They don't "teach" anymore, they drill students to be able to pass standardized tests. These tests are tied to everything from their job performance to state funding. If the students don't do well, funding is cut and then it is even more of an uphill battle to get kids educated. And like he says, he's "tired of being told that if the students fail, it's not their fault, it's mine".
There are a number of other factors that make teaching less glamorous than when I went to school:
My kids ( I have three) seemed to take more standardized tests in two months than I can remember taking in a year. Teachers curriculums today are situated around getting students prepared for these tests than actual teaching. This, in my opinion is a direct result of teachers preparing students for testing rather than teaching facts and figures, arming them to be successful in the world, rather than a slave of it. He states that "Lots of districts only care about school-wide growth, children are pressured to succeed without factoring in their personal development". I have another post on the forum about "smart phones/ dumb people"; it amazes me how kids can spend hours on their phone or computer, yet have trouble making change from a $20 bill or can't spell worth a crap because "today's technology can do that for us".
As stated in the article, they go through active shooter drills as part of everyday life at school. This is something people my age never even dreamed of having to do. A hot topic today is the debate over arming teachers. In my opinion, it is a bad idea, but his explanation is better than anything I could ever come up with, "we didn't go to school for law enforcement". Save the fact that this takes time away from instructing when there aren't enough school hours in the day as it is.
He states that he some times had to dip into his own pocket to buy supplies for his students because he couldn't get school funds to do it (see state funding). I know many teachers today who do this.
They constantly clash with administration. Now this probably happened when I was in school but I can't imagine it happened at the level it is happening today. Early in my marriage, my ex used to teach at a grade school. The principal at that school would often throw the teachers under the bus to side with (please) the parents. This undermined the authority of the teachers and caused the kids not to pay attention or respect the teachers. This has only escalated since I was in school and seems to be an epidemic of ultimate proportions today. ”As he states, this is a major reason for the "toxic" work environment.
They also have to deal with students with an array of psychological issues or on any number of medications. I'm not belittling this situation, just stating that this is one more thing they have to deal with. My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD and if she didn't have medication, she couldn't concentrate enough to complete her schoolwork. I'm not for sure, but I think a college education degree requires more than just the basic psychology courses.
Perhaps the saddest part of the education system is that some "parents" today send their kids to school to not only be taught to read and write but expect the school to teach them how to function in society. And if the school "fails" to "teach" that, the parent is all up in the administration's business about you didn't your job educating my kid. One of the responsive comments from the post said that in their school handbook it reads- "Parents are the primary educators of their children. *school name* works with parents and the student to teach them not only academic material, but social responsibility, compassion, and respect for others." Truer words were never spoken.
Reading this article stirred my emotions about the state of the US today. Teaching values, morals, respect for authority and responsibility for and consequences of one's actions should be taught at home by the parents with the school in a partnering role. Forgive me for my bluntness, but if you fail to teach your kids right from wrong and your actions (good or bad) have consequences, you've failed as a parent.
Barbershopman
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