I always enjoy movies on education reform, but I'm especially excited about "Waiting for Superman." It turns that the leftist teaching/union bureaucracy protested the film's premier tonight in New York. And leftist Patrick Goldstein at LAT is perplexed that right-wing critics are digging the film. One of those is at NY Post, "Film's anguished lesson on why schools are failing."
Very interesting reader comment on the NY Post article - from a teacher. The commenter blames the parents. I've noticed that teachers love to do that.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that so many parents don't understand that homeschooling is an option. The parents of the kids in that article give a damn about their kids, they would do a great job educating them. Far greater than the teacher who commented on the article and who loves so to blame the parents. A relative of mine is very active in the teacher's union. Needless to say, she has not been very supportive of our homeschooling our girls. That's all I hear about her job though, complaints, complaints, complaints - and mostly about the parents.
Grizzly,
ReplyDeleteOne I'm not a fan of unions, two I teach HS English at a Title 1 school. If you saw the things I saw and heard the things I hear about what happens to students outside of school you'd place some blame on students as well. Drugs, gangs, pregnancy, parents who literally don't give damn, this is the reality for many students at my school. The teacher next to me got a student in trouble for telling her mom that she was doing well in school. I had a student last year tell me that her mom was a crack whore and her brother was so abusive that she had to move out with a friend. Would you like me to go on? I work in the only career that has no control over the raw material I am given, and unlike companies, I can't send any of them back.
That being said I am the luckiest man in the world to be a teacher. Nothing is better than watching kids who know they can't write, do just that. Or watching kids who think Shakespeare is for the 'smart' ones finally understand Romeo and Juliet.
I don't mind homeschooling at all, this is still America. I can't wait to see this film, I just hope that one day my district gets a good superintendent because the last three have been ugsome. Yes that is a word. Out here classrooms only get about 25% of every dollar given to the district.
You need three things to have a good school. Competent administrators, good teachers and parents that give a damn. Even though you homeschool you also need to be involved in your local schools because they do affect you as well. It is your tax money after all they are wasting. Hold them accountable for their actions.
Thank you Vegas Art Guy. I'm not saying that there are no problems with parents - especially in poverty stricken school districts. I've also seen kids even in those districts succeed - and it seems to me that the key to their success was mostly positive parental involvement in their lives.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to tell me about suckish parenting - I came from that type of home and had to escape at a young age for my own safety. So, no, I wouldn't be shocked. I also wouldn't be shocked to see how many teachers feel about parents who they consider to be 'overly' involved in their kids' lives - and I'm sure that if you're honest about it you would admit that you have seen that type of attitude, even if not in your own self, atleast in other teachers around you.
The kids featured in the article are not kids from homes that do not care about them. In fact, I think the exact opposite is demonstrated by their parents concern for their education. In those cases(and in most cases), I believe that the parents would do an excellent job educating the kids. Studies have been done showing this to be true, in that parents do not need an education degree to do a fine job in that area - and in fact in the vast majority of cases do a much better job than the schools are able to do. You are a part of a failing system. The teachers unions play a big part in the failure along with administrators run amock and awash in billions of dollars who don't really give a crap about kids and education - but mostly give a crap about protecting their little racket and, of course, pension and benefits. If you pay dues to a union that contributes to the democrat party - hey - it's on you, too.
As far as being involved, thank you for the advice. However, you should probably know that I am quite politically active locally. But thank you for assuming otherwise.