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FOREWORD
Directory
ESSAY: Do Teachers Actually Teach Anything? by Leon <<< Lou Dobbs Rails on Teachers! >>> Do teachers actually teach anything? We try. But, ultimately, it is up to the student to actually learn something. We cannot force a child to learn. There is a report on YouTube by GOOD Magazine about the "State of Education in 08", which illustrates the problem (in U.S. education), and eliminates two or three possible problems. I'm glad that teachers weren't blamed, but it doesn't give any other possible culprits or solutions. The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBZqrzZvk8&NR=1 Lou Dobbs, a news commentator for CNN, really ticked me off the other day, when I saw and listened to his report, which aired March 28, 2008. In it he said: "We know there are about 1,700 high schools in this country that contribute about half of the dropouts in this nation. Think about that, 1,700, half of them. They are dropout factories without question. So I mean, his perspective is a little different than mine. Mine would be that if you can't get the product -- if you can't bring out 100 percent graduation rate or pretty close to it, you've got to change management. I'd fire the principals of those schools. I'd get teachers in there who are going to perform, because I've got to tell you, it is not the kids. It is not the kids. It is a society, a community and a school that tolerates a lack of discipline, and doesn't have clear goals, isn't doing what it can." I heard it with my own ears. I saw the words come out of his mouth. But, I also have a reference to the transcript of the show: click here for transcript. (Who knows how long CNN will keep it posted?) I have to admit that I like what Dobbs says about the lack of discipline. I mean whenever I have sent a child to the office for criminal behavior, there were no charges made. There was no discipline. The delinquent children were simply told not to do it again and sent right back into the classroom. There were NO consequences for children from my administrators in the public schools where I've taught. I am further outraged by the incident not so long ago when a teacher was physically attacked and the principal neither disciplined the child and had the gall to blame the teacher for using a "trigger word". You may watch the video @ MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24053035#24041784 AND What about those girls that literally beat the crap out of a classmate and then laughed about it to authorities thinking that they'd be released that same day? Why do kids think that there will be no consequences for their actions? I'LL TELL YOU WHY; BECAUSE, ADMINISTRATORS DO NOTHING! THAT'S RIGHT! DON'T BLAME THE TEACHERS! BLAME THE ADMINISTRATORS FOR LACK OF DISCIPLINE! AND, Blame the parents if you want for raising unruly children, who receive no consequences for their actions. But, don't you dare blame the teachers! SEE THE VIDEO: http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/04/08/myspace_beating/ Did Myspace cause that? No. Did YouTube cause that? No. I'll tell you what caused it: unruly children, with poor roll models at home and administrators that do not discipline children. ARE THERE BAD TEACHERS IN THE U.S.A.? I'm sure there are. And, the tenure system caters to producing bad teachers. I say, "Abolish tenure". Make teachers just as accountable as any other employee of any other job. But, I hate it when people make general statements blaming the problems of student drop-out rates, or low test scores on teachers. It is so unfair, unfounded, and frankly immoral. If students break the law, they should not have the right to a free education. When a student assaults a teacher or fellow student (verbally or otherwise), when a student vandalizes the property of the school or others, when a student prevents the teaching/learning by constant disruptions (in essence impeding a federal mandate that all children be educated), then that child needs to be removed from the public school system and be disciplined. Why do minors get to break the law in U.S. public schools? I could go on and on about how my students broke countless laws and the administrators did absolutely nothing to dissuade students from doing so. I reported and documented everything and in the end who got blamed? I did. That's right, I was told that I could not control my classroom. Well, No sh__, Sherlock! I had no power to discipline and those that did, did nothing. So, I refused to ever teach in U.S. public school system again. That promise shall remain in effect until I am given the power to suspend and/or expel children from my classroom, which will never happen. In an article by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
we can read: "The number of
teachers leaving the profession is increasing. Twenty percent of
teachers say unsatisfactory working conditions keep them from staying in the
profession. Nearly 50% of newcomers to the teaching profession resign during the
first five years. Science and math are two of several areas in which there is a
shortage of teachers." I'll tell you why good quality teachers are leaving the profession: lack of discipline by administrators! I don't know why administrators refuse to discipline criminals. Why don't you ask them? Ironically, just a couple weeks prior to Lou Dobbs's attack on U.S. teachers, he had a guest on his show, who actually empathized with what teachers have to go through. He said, "Schools now are
shouldering a lot of responsibility that parents should actually be shouldering.
And burdening teachers who have to pay a lot of attention to these kinds of
things when they prefer to be dealing with the academic subjects they're
teaching. So we've dropped an awful burden on teachers because of the neglect of
many parents occasionally." My comment: Yeah! Parents don't raise their children with the proper balance of love and discipline. Often children are merely given the basic necessities: food, clothing, shelter; But, those children are not given an 'education' at home. Also, I think it interesting that in an article about Lou Dobbs, entitled, "The Secret Life of Lou Dobbs", we can read: "Dobbs’s seventh-grade teacher, remembers Lou as a bright, diligent student who excelled in English, science, and debate." <read whole article here>. I wonder if Dobbs blames his seventh grade teacher for his being a bright diligent student who excelled in English, science and debate." Or does HE take the credit for that? COMMENT ON THIS ESSAY (by Leon)
Check it out! It just might save your life!
You will NOT regret it!
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