I would like to respectfully point out that as a 20+ year veteran of the school system in New Bedford, I--and MOST of the teachers I know and work with--are there for the kids. We got into teaching to make a difference. We got into teaching to show kids that they hold endless possibility in their hands and how precious it is.
We didn't get into teaching for the fame, or the glory, or--God knows--for the money. We didn't even get into teaching for the summer vacations. We got into it for the kids, and we stay in it for the kids. Yet we are dragged through the mud in the city newspaper, and often unappreciated for the things we try so hard to accomplish in a system with hardly any money to purchase the materials we need to teach, the most important job on earth.
Poverty, a lack of unity between families and schools--nowadays it seems to be an outlook of parents vs. the schools, far too often--a growing generation of kids who feel that the world will fall in their laps at the snap of their fingers, who are unwilling or uninterested in learning no matter how wonderfully the lessons are constructed; these are all the obstacles we face daily.
Kids who love learning by the time they reach the grade I teach are up against daily(sometimes constant) behavior outbursts and disruptions by their peers who are so disengaged, so driven by goals OTHER than education, that kids who want to learn must lose valuable learning time while the teacher handles classroom discipline. Discipline in my classroom is my job, and to be honest, I'm good at it. Most of my students treat me and others with respect and decency--but there are a few "frequent fliers" who won't let other kids get down to the business of learning. They insist on ruining the learning environment, on stopping the education of others. For their own entertainment, out of frustration, out of who knows what motives, they destroy what I work so hard to build for my students. They take the chance that "ain't nobody gonna do nothin' to me about it anyway"--and sometimes it seems like they're right.
I agree that suspensions only work if the kid being suspended *sees* it as a punishment. Taking a free day off is pointless.
In-school suspensions can only work if there is structure in place--or else it's just indoor recess. Why is it that instead of asking "why were there 3000 suspensions" with a view of the school system suspending kids unfairly, why, WHY aren't we asking "how have we gotten to a point where on 3000 separate occasions, students did something worth suspending them over??" The schools aren't tossing kids out on the curb willy-nilly. They're trying to run a safe environment for your kids.
I don't have all the answers, but I'm a teacher and a mom with two kids in schools in New Bedford. I'm invested in making it work! And my own two children DO learn, DO work, and have never been given so much as a conduct card--because they know how important their learning is to me, and that there is NO WAY I will ever march into their schools and take their word over the word of the teachers. They have a healthy fear of authority, a dread of being caught doing wrong. When did we lose that in our world? Wrapping kids in bubble wrap to protect their self esteem is NOT working--we're creating a nation of miniature tyrants.
As I was raised to understand, "parent" is a verb.
It's something you do, every day, every second, even when there's an easier route "Just give it to him, he's crying, let him have his way." "Let her do what she wants, she's just a kid!" Those are the short-term fixes. Long term, they ruin our children.
I'm my children's parent first. I'm not their friend; I'm their parent. Like it or lump it, a parent IS a child's first teacher. When the families of the kids I teach all get involved and see me and NBPS as an ally rather than an opponent, THEN we will be on our path to solving a majority of the issues in our schools. We need to roll up our sleeves, and truly work TOGETHER, or we will lose more and more kids full of potential to poverty, jail time, underpaying jobs, and all the other ills of our city.
8 comments:
These words are eloquent ! They are true ! They are to the point! They should be read to our school committee members, and our city council. The mayor should be the person who has to read them !
Well said!!!!
Excellent! and so true.
Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Remember that kid you had a few years back? When was the last time you bought the kid a book? Brought her to the library? Took him to a museum? Had a conversation over a meal? Put down the wine glass, keep the pills in the bottle, take a parenting class, seek help for addiction, get counseling, be a parent--please!
Bravo!
Having the parents involved makes it easier, but we can still succeed without them. The work is just a hell of a lot harder.
Great letter! And so very true. I doubt that we'll see anything in the Standard-Times about the teacher who was severely injured breaking up a fight yesterday at NBHS. Had it happened on the streets, that someone was assaulted and beaten, it would be on the front page. But let's cover it up, why don't we? Maybe if these kids HAD been suspended, this fight wouldn't have taken place and this teacher would be in his classroom today instead of in the hospital.
We cannot change the parents. We are going to have to find a way to educate students whether or not their parents do what we want them to do.
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