Who is teaching our Children?

1. 60

   Ohmaposted 14 years ago

   Recently I noticed that my 13 yr old grandson was having some trouble with his grades. I had a talk with him and discovered that the 2 classes he was having trouble with both just got new teachers that were according to him unable to control the class. Confused I contacted the school and was told that they did not have any other complaints with these teachers but I was welcome to monitor the classes.
   I was horrified by the complete lack of control in both classroom. Kids were trowing things yelling jumping on desk tops and chairs and the whole time the one teacher never stopped talking on the subject she was teaching. after the class i asked the teacher about this and she stared at me with something akin to horror on her face before she replied that she did not want to make them angry at her.
   I have filed a complaint with the district on both teachers but as of this time (3 weeks) i have not gotten a response.
   Does anyone have any idea what I should do next?

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   1. 83

      Rafiniposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      OMG that is Ridiculous!!!
      
      call the principal every day
      call the school board every day
      call the superintendent every day
      call the PTA every day
      
      don't give up, those kids need you pulling for them so they can learn.

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      1. 66

         RKHenryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Call your local newspaper and tell them that there might be a story here.  Is your district looking for an increase in property taxes for school repairs by chance?
         Use whatever you can to your advantage.

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   2. 0

      LegendaryHeroposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Can you get your grandson transferred to a different class so he gets a different teacher?

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   3. 50

      pghildiyalposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      transfer your grandson to new school

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      1. 60

         Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         A new school is in the works for next year but cannot be done anymore this year.

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         1. 0

            LegendaryHeroposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            What about transferring to a different teacher?

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            1. 60

               Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I have been trying but the school seems very reluctant they say because it would require changing to much of his schedule to put him in a new class that is the same level?

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   4. 59

      Can do itposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Unfortunately as the Grandparent you have little standing unless your the legal guardian. If you are the legal guardian I might suggest that you proctor the class and take along a video camera. (I suspect the teacher might not appreciate it but she's not a teacher anyway except in name) Once you have documentary evidence, you can ask for a meeting with the teacher and principal and if this is of no avail, Contact some of the local radio and TV stations as they are always looking for a cause to jump on. Our poor education system wracked as it is by "Political Correctness" needs to be jumped on. (But then, non-active parents desrve much of the blame too.)

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   5. 61

      stephensaldanaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      This has become the most terrible situations in school these days.. Teachers are becoming quite irresponsible.. This situation is not only with the school in which your children are studying but also around the world.. sad sad sad!!

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   6. 51

      vivi007posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hi. I'm very sorry to hear about what is going on in your grandsons classroom. As a teacher myself I can tell you one thing, if thosse teachers didn't set the tone the day they started, forget it! They will never gain control at this point.
      The best advise I can give as a mother is that the loudest people get heard the fastest. Of course, I don't mean to go ghetto or nothin of that nature, but maybe as one of the previous bloggers posted, calling everyone everyday will get you somewhere and some results.
      For your grandson's sake, I hope soon!

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   7. 54

      Restigirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Ohma, 
      Questions arise in my mind: 
      Do you think that you could have "calmed" the class had you been the teacher? 
      What tools do you think the teacher is lacking? 
      Is the teacher empowered to discipline (not punish) the children who misbehave?  (Does he/she know how?  Is he/she too fearful of the children?)
      I am sure that they sense the fear of the teacher and the lack of will to affect their behaviour.  This is not an easy situation; but, I believe the whold community must act to help the teacher do the job he/she is paid to do.  Don't give up.  Kids Are Worth It!

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2. 73

   AEvansposted 14 years ago

   I have not experienced that in our children's classrooms but what we have experienced is our son had a teacher who was just plain mean! She would call the children in the classroom idiots because they could not understand what she was discussing. This mom was not going to have that and went directly to the Principal she of course was there with us, needless to say after many complaints from other parents who's children complained about the same thing she no longer had a job in our district, but I feel sorry for the next District who recieved her, or maybe she learned a lesson. mmmm... One will never know, but if a teacher cannot keep a classroom in control then they should not be a teacher. You cannot be timid and teach the children of today or many of them will eat you alive.

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3. 59

   logic,commonsenseposted 14 years ago

   Have a friend that is a teacher!  She says she is required to spend more time on political correct crap than real teaching!

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   1. 60

      Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That is just too sad for words.

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4. 60

   Ohmaposted 14 years ago

   Thank you ladies I am at my wits end with this. We are a city school but that is no excuse. I just can not seem to find anyone that wants to take this seriously and in the mean time my grandson and his classmates are the ones paying the price.

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5. 0

   JeanMeriamposted 14 years ago

   I'm not sure what the equivalent is in the states, but I had to call the ministry of education to get some action for a little girl. Speaking to the school and the school board was a total waste for me, weeks went by with nothing happening. The ministry had it sorted out in 2 days.
   
   And teachers can be awful to deal with. One of my daughters is having a nightmare with her chem teacher who is into his second semester of teaching ever. She has no notes because he rambles and jumps from subject to subject, he won't answer questions directly, she has a 99% in calculus and he told her she will have a hard time in life and never understand higher math. Then he said he wouldn't be in the day after St Paddy's because of the hangover.
   
   Cheerleading coach saw one of my daughter's get dropped from a pyramid and land on her head, told her to get back up and cheer, didn't tell me she was dropped. I took her to the hospital that night with a level 3 concussion.She didn't remember what happened, but luckily she had a sister in cheer too.
   
   Grade 1 teacher had peer discussions and anger management but didn't teach them how to read.
   
   Some teachers are a nightmare. Unfortunately they have unions.
   
   Just keep going higher until somebody steps up. And talk to the other parents or go back and video the class sneakily with your cell phone. My nephew did that on an out of control class and put it on youtube. He got suspended, but was the class ever different after.

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6. 93

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   I'm a retired high school teacher, and I can tell you that no one hates bad teachers as much as good teachers do. They make the rest of us look bad!
   
   It's late in the school year, so a transfer might be difficult. Join forces with other parents who have kids in the class. There is power in numbers! Meet with the principal, the superintendent, and the school board members. Don't give up!
   
   You did exactly the right thing by going to the teacher first. Now move on up the ladder!

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   1. 73

      AEvansposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I concur!

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7. 60

   Ohmaposted 14 years ago

   Thank-you everyone for responding so thoughtfully. I will work on getting the parents together but I do not have a lot of hope of that as it seems that if these parents were more involved their children would not be acting like this in the first place.

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   1. 60

      Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Mr. Homer I agree with yiu I do not think the parents are involved enough as I said above but I also think at least one of these teachers is too afraid to try and make a change.

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8. 77

   kirstenblogposted 14 years ago

   Having worked in a school I have noticed a complete lack of discipline that often starts at home. You warn the kids that their parents will be told about bad behaviour and they shrug their shoulders and don't care. Not like the parents will do anything about it. Couple that with the fear of being accused of ANYTHING by the parents means most of these kids will only get a feeble attempt to teach them the basics and you can forget about anything more then that.
   
   Here in the UK at one point they were talking about trying to reward kids for not being asked to leave the class for a whole week with things like iPods! Sheesh, why can't kids learn how to behave because if they don't know its likely going to mean jail later?

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9. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   that's ridiculous. a good teacher can manage a classroom even though it's not always easy especially before any breaks or towards the end of the school year. but that being said, the teacher should plan instruction accordingly and make it interesting and interactive.
   
   for her to respond to you as she did is very unprofessional. I would certainly request some time with the principal to discuss your observation and have it written down exactly as you observed in the classroom. you have every right to request time with an administrator, but I recommend not being bitchy, they tend to listen with more respect if you are concerned, but not haughty.

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10. 0

    Justine76posted 14 years ago

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyTVW9e6q5E

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    1. 60

       Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I am not sure whether I should laugh or cry about that.

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       1. 0

          Justine76posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I know. Its a sticky situation, first there ARE some lousy teachers, then there are some lousy parents, and sooo many kids stuck in the middle of it.
          
          I would say, do all you can to help your grandkids at home, help them with homeowrk and stuff, and get them to see that how they act shouldnt be based on how the ohter kids act, and keep up with the trying to contact supervisors. Does anyone get to request a specific teacher for next year?

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          1. 60

             Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             we are moving him to a new school district next year. Hopefully that will help. Mostly he does good in school but really when the classroom is so out of control no one would be able to learn anything. From where I was sitting next to him the day I monitored the class I could tell that the Teacher was talking but could not begin to here what she was talking about.

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11. 60

    Ohmaposted 14 years ago

    Good advice RebekahELLE I do have a hard time not being bitchy when my grands are involved in something like this.

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12. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

    I know what you mean. I guess after working in the system for a while, that's what I have found. even when my sons were younger, I wanted to know more about the whole language curriculum that was implemented and ended up speaking with the principal for over a half hour. I wasn't criticizing it, but had questions and he was very respectful with his time in explaining it to me.
    
    good luck. I feel sorry for the new teachers now. in my opinion, kids are harder to teach now in the elementary setting. their attention span is very short.

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13. 60

    Ohmaposted 14 years ago

    Can Do it I am his legal guardian. An what a wonderful Idea of course I expect to get thrown out the minute I show up with my camers but that might be worth the footage to.

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14. 64

    Mr Homerposted 14 years ago

    This is just a thought, but shouldn't the parents of the kids who want to learn be allying WITH the teacher, against the disruptive kids and their irresponsible PARENTS??

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15. 54

    the third eyeposted 14 years ago

    after 6 decades of independence why we are not able to develop a research oriented quality education system??
    who is responsible for this??
    is it the governament or regulatory body??
    or
    the private management who thinks the education is a money making business??
    or
    the teachers who thinks teaching is just time pass profession,??
    or the students after paying a heavy fees they just want a certificate rather than knowledge??
    or
    the parents ignoring the current corrupted situation and not questioning it??
    share your views with me...
    http://hubpages.com/t/135bed

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    1. 57

       Sab Ohposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Who is "we"?

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16. 60

    pooja0908posted 14 years ago

    Now a days
    various kinds of electronic media.
    Except it our environment

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17. 68

    Flightkeeperposted 14 years ago

    It's too bad that the public schools are so bad. From what you're describing Ohma, it sounds like all those kids are like animals and haven't been brought up with any discipline and social skills.  Too bad you can't put your child in a private school.

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18. 60

    Ohmaposted 14 years ago

    Thanks for your thoughts everyone.
    RK i might really consider that one.

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19. 66

    RKHenryposted 14 years ago

    Gotta go with what works.  Good luck.

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20. 69

    waynetposted 14 years ago

    Teaching is a dying profession....kids will be learning from robot teachers able to deal with rowdy pupils by pulling their arms and legs off like grasshoppers if they don't start to behave!!

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21. 60

    Ohmaposted 14 years ago

    Hmm I hope not I have 9 grands that I would not like to see armless.

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    1. 69

       waynetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       If they behave, then they is ok, this robot will only disarm the ruffians!!

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    2. 0

       sneakorocksolidposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       It's scary and it's not just the teachers. The parents are responsible for their childs behavior and if my son had ever behaved like that I'd have to hop to the ER to get my foot out of his butt! The lack of discipline by the parents does carry over to school thats why when I monitored his classes we put him in a private Christian school but, we only had one kid. I don't know what we would have done with more.
       
       Nine Grands! Now thats awesome!

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22. 60

    Ohmaposted 14 years ago

    Well that would make a few parents take notice of what is going on.

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23. 76

    Shadesbreathposted 14 years ago

    Some of this is because there's no money for young-teacher mentoring anymore.  You can't throw a new teacher into an unruly class and expect that because he or she has a bachelor's degree in some subject and a teaching credential (assuming they do, given the desperate need for them in places that allows "emergency" exemptions) that they will be able to handle it.  It's like anything, you have to learn the ropes.  For teachers, they have to learn the ropes on the job, trial by fire, combat training with live rounds. They need support and mentoring.
    
    Mentoring programs are a thing of the past in many places, if not all.  Many would-be great teachers are thrown to the wolves and either make horrible teachers or quit the profession.

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       Ohmaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       This is sad I truly did not know this was happening. Seems loke teachers and students are both getting the short end of this stick.

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24. 82

    Tom Cornettposted 14 years ago

    My daughter was taught in her Early Childhood Development class to never...ever use the word "NO."  She was to approach bad behavior with things like,"You can do better...you can be like Chucky Choo Choo and make it up that big hill to good (boy or girl) land."
    I can't imagine saying that after being bitten, scratched or spit on....but that is the politically correct way of teaching our children.
    Nobody wants the responsibility of discipline and that is why we are in this mess. I have heard,"But a child needs to express themselves...freely and openly without restraint!"
    I did that at work once years ago....I got fired.

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25. 76

    nadpposted 14 years ago

    There are a lot of teachers out there who are not doing a good job, and this is a crime.  However, people should think about why this is the case.  If teachers were paid, respected, and treated as the critically important part of society that they (we) are, then there would be more than enough competent teachers to fill all of the teaching jobs, and schools would not have to hire incompetent ones just to fill the classroom.

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       dragonrider32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Excellent point...and well said...

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26. 0

    Audreveaposted 14 years ago

    Talk to the head teacher of the subject & then, if still not getting any help, the Principal.
    
    Sounds like an inexperienced teacher who just needs a bit more support from senior staff.

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