What would you do?

[mia]

I post this in support of public school teachers. I just received this facebook post.

"I left work early today after an incident with a parent left me unable emotionally to continue for the day. I have already made the decision to leave teaching at the end of this year, and today, I don't know if I will make it even that long. Parents have become far too disrespectful, and their children are even worse. Administration always seems to err on the side of keeping the parent happy, which leaves me with no way to do the job I was hired to do...teach kids.

I am including photos that I took in my classroom over the past two days. This is how my classroom regularly looks after my students spend all day there. Keep in mind that many of the items damaged or destroyed by my students are my personal possessions or I purchased myself, because I have NO classroom budget. I have finally had enough of the disregard for personal and school property and am drawing a line in the sand on a myriad of behaviors that I am through tolerating. Unfortunately, one parent today thought it was wrong of me to hold her son accountable for his behavior and decided to very rudely tell me so, in front of her son.

Report cards come out later this week, and I have nearly half of my students failing due to multiple (8-10) missing assignments. Most of these students and their parents haven't seemed to care about this over the past three months, though weekly reports go out, emails have been sent and phone calls have been attempted. But now I'm probably going to spend my entire week next week fielding calls and emails from irate parents, wanting to know why I failed their kid. My administrator will demand an explanation of why I let so many fail without giving them support, even though I've done practically everything short of doing the work for them. And behavior in my class will deteriorate even more. I am expecting this, because it is what has happened at the end of every other term thus far.

I have never heard of a profession where people put so much of their heart and soul into their job, taking time and resources from their home and family, and getting paid such an insultingly measly amount. Teachers are some of the most kind and giving people I have ever met, yet they get treated so disrespectfully from all sides. Most parents can't stand to spend more than a couple hours a day with their kid, but we spend 8 with yours and 140 others just like him. Is it too much to ask for a little common courtesy and civil conversation?

It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to have a classroom of my own, and now my heart is broken to have become so disillusioned in these short two years. This is almost all I hear from other teachers as well, and they are leaving the profession in droves. There is going to be a teacher crisis in this country before too many more years has passed unless the abuse of teachers stops.

People absolutely HAVE to stop coddling and enabling their children. It's a problem that's going to spread through our society like wildfire. It's not fair to society, and more importantly, is not fair to the children to teach them this is okay. It will not serve them towards a successful and happy life.

Many will say I shouldn't be posting such things on social media...that I should promote education and be positive. But I don't care anymore. Any passion for this work I once had has been wrung completely out of me. Maybe I can be the voice of reason. THIS HAS TO STOP."

When I went back to get the facebook link, it had disappeared. Here's another link:
http://www.kcentv.com/article/news/education/texas-teachers-post-on-parenting-draws-support-from-fellow-educators/95-534575925

[Skittles]

1. can you post the pics?

[mia]

3. Photos here.

http://www.kcentv.com/article/news/education/texas-teachers-post-on-parenting-draws-support-from-fellow-educators/95-534575925

[ProudLib72]

2. I completely agree

1)Parents need to take responsibility. 2)Administration needs to take responsibility. 3)Students need to be taught to take responsibility. But students cannot be taught responsibility until numbers one and two occur. Until then, teachers will always lose.

[dubyadiprecession]

4. My Father told me,that if he acted up in school, his father would hear about it and spank..

him for it.
Parents today, don't have the respect for authority (as in the past generations) because of the few bad apples in our system, that have ruined it for the rest who make an effort to do their best. That is why cameras need to be installed in the classrooms, to show jimmy squirming in his chair or playing while not paying attention in class. All of this poor behavior needs to be shown to the parents, so they have no doubts.

[missingthebigdog]

5. Hmmm.... I don't know

From the pictures, this appears to be an elementary school classroom. It is clear that something is badly awry, but I am not convinced that the parents, administration, and kids are the whole problem here, unless all of the other teachers have rooms that look like this as well.

I know teachers have really hard jobs. I know I couldn't do it. I have the utmost admiration and respect for those who choose to teach.

Parent involvement is important. Administrative support is important. Good classroom management is also important. Most teachers are able to keep their classrooms from devolving into complete chaos.

She says that half of her students risk failure due to multiple missing assignments. HALF. That's pretty substantial; are we certain that her expectations are reasonable? Are we certain that they are clear? That seems to be a lot of missing work for elementary age kids.

In my experience, "coddling" and "enabling" are red flags, usually followed by defenses of corporal punishment and a return to "how we did things in the good old days."

We clearly need to address the problems with our education system. But we need to do it together- parents, students, administrators, and teachers. Pointing fingers and assigning blame gets us nowhere.

[tblue37]

6. While I partly agree with you, I also know for a fact that teachers are not

permitted to exercise much authority in the classroom.

I have had experience both as a volunteer teacher in an elementary school, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and as a substitute teacher--again, in elementary schools--during the 2002-2003 school year. The difference was drastic.

When I taught in my own kids' classrooms at the reading, writing, and math learning centers during the 1980s and 1990s, the kids were, in general, reasonably well socialized, but when I taught as a substitute in grades 2 through 6 during the 2002-2003 school year, some of them really were quite unsocialized and out of control.

"The Inmates Are Running the Asylum"
http://teacherblue.homestead.com/inmates.html

[Control-Z]

7. I've looked at both links

but have been unable to find pictures other than the tidy headline pic.

[Tatiana]

8. I am an elementary teacher and I agree with this post.

There are some caveats, though. This seems like a new (novice) teacher. One thing new teachers always struggle with is classroom management. You must teach the students respect for themselves, their classmates, as well as the classroom materials. I have easily spent close to $1,000 this year in supplies/materials for my classroom alone. Students used to come to the classroom with respect and they used to be afraid for their parents to come to the school if a call was made regarding misbehavior.

Now? I had one student who actually brought his mom to interrupt my afterschool planning time to attempt to berate me (in front of her child) because he failed to earn an incentive due to his behavior. I had to make clear to this parent that what I do with my personal funds is my prerogative. If she wanted her child to have birthday cupcakes, she was welcome to buy them herself. I also told her that our conversation was over and I would be happy to resume it once she afforded me the same level of respect that I had for her.

I think this was the first time in 5 years that anyone had challenged her on her rudeness and enabling of her child. Long story short, we have a GREAT partnership and relationship now. The student knows that his mom and I are on the same page to ensure the student's success. But it takes a strong disposition, conviction in your belief that you are doing what's best for children. It also helps to have the support of administration.

And even with all that, I have thought about leaving the profession. I stay for the kids -- not the salary (LOL!) and my desire to do my part in shaping the critical thinkers of this nation and world. But our school has no money, our children come to school with no supplies (which is why I have to spend so much of my own $$$ just to have a functioning classroom), and many lack motivation for learning.

I honestly don't place a WHOLE lot of emphasis on homework unless the students need additional practice with a concept and are having difficulty mastering a particular skill/strategy. Some students get things right away; some need that extra practice. When a student needs the extra practice and doesn't turn in the homework, then I'm calling the parents to make sure there aren't valid reasons why it's not being completed.

This teacher needs a support system and some part-time support to re-teach the procedures of the classroom so that students aren't destroying the things she spent so much time and money on.

[mia]

9. Well-said, Tatiana.

Thank-you for taking the time to share your experiences in support of teachers.