BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: vectis
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 05:52 PM

You forgot the last line Kat

ALL PIGS FUELED AND READY FOR TAKE OFF

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: freightdawg
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 05:39 PM

I am not a teacher, though I would love to be one. I have some education in my background and in my former life (before flying) I taught (mostly adults) in an area most would not consider me as being a "teacher." I have taught quite a number of people the joy of flying, all the way from a private certificate through commercial. As one post above stated it, teaching does seem to be in my bones. But I don't think I could ever teach in a public setting. Why? The original post said it best. Teachers are not teachers anymore. They are called on to be social engineers/cops.

Instead of exposing children to the wonders of science, the beauty of poetry, the power of mathematics, the mystery of music and the majesty of spoken language, we expect teachers to do everything that the family used to do. Granted, there are way too many families that failed, or were not equiped to do this job very well. But instead of strengthening families, we dumped the job on teachers. Now teachers have twice or three times the job that my teachers had, with absolutely no authority (even raising your voice is enough to get you disciplined or fired) and increasing risks.

Self-esteem, sexual ethics, respect for others, responsibility, honesty, etc., should all be taught in the home, not the school. They can, and should be, reinforced in school, to be sure. Label me as old fashioned, but school should be for readin', writin', and 'rithmatic. Leave the social engineering for the folks best suited for it - mother, father, brothers, sisters, grand parents, aunts, uncles and friends.

And let's praise the teachers for attempting to do the impossible, and for the most part, doing it very well. My hat is off to you.

an educated and very grateful for it,

Freightdawg

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 04:40 PM

Mmmmmmmmm Not another thread made by people bemoaning their profession. Guess the rest of us are grateful for having one.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Raptor
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 03:32 PM

Here's to you teachers!

I commend you!

You do good, important work!

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 03:27 PM

Never boring though.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Greg F.
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 03:24 PM

The "poor parents" need a vacation from kids? Whine, whine. Tell dad to keep it in his pants.

There's no requirement to breed, much less dump the product in someone else's lap to raise & socialize.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 01:22 PM

I am a teacher. I can't remember the last time I spent an evening without doing some sort of preparation or planning or recording. School holidays are often spent writing reports, development plans schemes of work etc. I have been sworn at, kicked, punched on many occasions but I have no way of changing the situation long term as regulations are geared towards pupils not staff. My salary is such that we still qualify for benefits. A teaching degree can never be regarded as an easy option. I actually enjoy the teaching but feel the level of administration and lack of support against unpleasant pupils and parents is making the profession one of the most stressful there is.
I am also a parent and did not have the option to stay at home much as I would have liked. My children are well adjusted well brought up articulate sociable beings.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST,James
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 12:59 PM

Guest; I know what you mean by being attacked at social gatherings. I do not attend many sociel events either, for just that reason. It is a sad state when people feel free to abuse you because you happen to be a dedicated teacher.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 12:11 PM

Why do people feel they can bash teachers ? My husband and I no longer go to social gatherings. As soon as people know he is a teacher they proceed to heap abuse on him..perfect strangers feel that this is acceptable, teachers are fair game . Why is that ? It amazes me that such ignorance exists. As for not being able to tell teachers anything; that is such a childish, stupid type of generalizing that makes me see red. Grow up.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Raptor
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 12:02 PM

Guest, What do you do for a living that you are 100% happy with?

It must be good to have a job that you don't "whine" about.

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: EBarnacle
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 11:37 AM

Dear Guest1, among others things, I am a math teacher.

My Summers are taken up with taking courses for my second Master's Degree because I left my previous line of work for the opportunity to 'make a difference.'

My evenings are taken up with marking homework and writing and marking tests. The school I teach in came to me as a specialized school in the City of New York and asked me to join them. I took a cut in pay to do this.

My parents and my sister were/are also teachers, so I did not go into this with my eyes closed.

In other words, I teach because I am a teacher by nature. Now I have to get the coursework and paperwork finished to make it official. The list of issues in the first post are essentially unfunded mandates [Remember that phrase from the past decade? The Republicans made a big issue of them when they were out of office.] because there are not enough hours in the day and other people who will make the effort to to have them come true even without extra money. And you say we have no right to qvetch! HA!

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 11:15 AM

You can always tell a teacher. But you can't tell 'em much.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Amos
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 10:36 AM

..or less relevant. The last thing parents need is an icon to take responsibility for their errors for them. The only thing that makes a better parent is taking your own responsibility for your own damn 'sins', and facing up to your fellow human.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Sam L
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 10:04 AM

Maybe parents don't get a vacation but who drafted them?

   Unappreciative parents are idiots. But anyone can pray whenever and wherever they want, it's not an issue. Ostentatious social prayer is, and Jesus's opinion about that could not be more clear.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST,James
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:56 AM

I have posted here earlire as a guest..regarding twelve weeks vacation that as I teacher I don't and never have gotten. I just want to disassociate myself from those other guests.
   I love my work as a teacher and am very good at it but I feel that we do have legitimate complaints..among them;

Parents who abdicate all responsibility and then expect schools to pick up the slack. These Parents call us whiners.

School Boards who keep adding programs so that parents don't have to cope with many of the child's problems then do not provide the wherewithal to implement the program.

People who glibly say.."if you don"t like it get out". It is because we do like it and value it that we don't get out. If only we could just get on with teaching and send the armchair experts packing..we can only dream.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:55 AM

The average working parent gets 4 to 6 weeks paid leave per year. Not their choice. Sure they would all appreciate being given 12 weeks.In the real world that isn't viable.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Raptor
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:53 AM

Twelve weeks Paid? I think not!

Parents Should raise the kids! You made the choise to have a kid you don't get Hollidays! People don't get that if you have a kid you are responsible for 18 years!!!!!!!!

Its hard to raise kids today right?   THEN DON'T. Quit your whinning!

You get two yuppies decide to have a kid, cuz thier friends have them and its fashonable, than they both continue working cuz money and advancement mean more than the kid so they get a nanny or use daycare and wonder why the kid is on drugs and steeling cars at 13!

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:48 AM

The best teachers love their CHOSEN profession. The rest whine

But that doesn't mean that even the good teachers don't have valid complaints. They do.

and many of the parents who "don't get a vacation" don't have any healthy interaction with their kids in the first place.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:43 AM

We all saw what teachers had to deal with as pupils. I didn't choose it as a career. The people who did, and are now complaining about it should get out and find suitable employment. It is rather an easy degree option. The best teachers love their CHOSEN profession. The rest whine.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:35 AM

So the poor parents don't get twelve weeks off..well, being a parent is not a job and it is not designed to have built in holidays. I have been teaching for many years and I don't get twelve weeks off.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Bobjack
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:33 AM

Three cheers for guest. Teaching? easy life!

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:30 AM

At least you get twelve weeks holidays a year to recharge your batteries unlike the parents. Crouches down to avoid the "but we spend all our time marking work and lesson planning" barrage.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Raptor
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:28 AM

Brilliant!

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 09:23 AM

Here is a list of what we are blamed for......

Obesity, they drive them to MacDonalds, we don"t give them enough exercise.
Iliteracy...there is not a book in the house, kids attend less than half the time..we didn't do our job.

Lack of Sportsmanship..they beat each other and coaches up at Hocky Games....we don't teach them sportsmanship.

Teen Pregnancy..they don't know where the kids are at midnight...we didn't tell them about safe sex.


Bullying...Dad snacks Mum..we don't have a course on peaceful conflict resoloution.

Racism..they use reacial slurs regularly...We don't train them in ethnic sensitivity.

it goes on and on...teacher bashing is rampant and I am sick of it.

(they = parents) Who NEVER seem to be accountable.

Subject: RE: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Jan 04 - 08:15 AM

bloody brilliant! I'm sending it to a teacher I know.

There's not much different here on Oz.

sandra

Subject: BS: Ain't it the truth? ( for teachers)
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jan 04 - 07:10 PM

"After being interviewed by the school administration,
the eager teaching prospect said,


"Let me see if I've got this right.


You want me to go into that room with all those kids,
and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning.


And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity,
modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even
censor their t-shirt messages and dress habits.


You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check
their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self
esteem.


You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair
play, how to register to vote,
how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.


I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment,
recognize signs of anti-social behavior, offer advice, write letters of
recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect
for the cultural diversity
of others, and oh, make sure that I give the girls in my class
fifty percent of my attention.


My contract requires me to work on my own time after school, evenings and
weekends grading papers. Also, I must spend my summer vacation, at my own
expense, working toward advance certification and a Masters degree.


And on my own time you want me to attend committee
and faculty meetings, PTA meetings, and participate in
staff development training. I am to be a paragon of virtue,
larger than life, such that my very presence will awe my
students into being obedient and respectful of authority.


You want me to incorporate technology into the learning
experience, monitor web sites, and relate personally with each student.
That includes deciding who might be potentially
dangerous and/or liable to commit a crime in school.


I am to make sure all students pass the mandatory state exams, even those
who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments


Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps
get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental
or physical handicap.


And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone,
newsletter and report card.


All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer,
a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting
salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!


You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me......



"- NOT TO PRAY -"

(This came to me by email. It seems a few people thought maybe I'd lost my belief in the separation of church and state, so, this is what I posted, later. I've added it here for a an earlier clarification of where I stand. Thanks.:-)

"I was uncomfortable about the last line, too, but wanted to present the piece in its entirety. It was there to make a point about all that a teacher does, in my opinion, and was not meant as a commentary about prayer in school. You know I am a strong believer in the separation of church and state."