School in 1957 VS 2008

[germdoc]

Back in the early 70's when I was in gradeschool, we played tackle football at recess with no pads or helmets. We would get bumps and bruises and very dirty, but that was considered good clean recess fun.

And that's how I broke my collarbone...I continued to play the game for another 15 minutes until we called it on account of darkness.

[germdoc]

Back in the early 70's when I was in gradeschool, we played tackle football at recess with no pads or helmets. We would get bumps and bruises and very dirty, but that was considered good clean recess fun.

And that's how I broke my collarbone...I continued to play the game for another 15 minutes until recess ended...then I asked the teacher if that lump in the middle of my collarbone was normal...

[shoottx]

In my case that would be Mr. Parks with the drilled paddle. I grew up in a very small town (pop 1100) and when you got paddled, the principal made sure your parents knew it. Then when you got home, you got it again.

Like Mike I grew up in a town of 4000 (they lied to get to that number) and my dad was one of the business owners in town. I think he heard about it before I got!

Then when I got home I really got the seat of my pants worn out!

[Kristofor]

And that's how I broke my collarbone...I continued to play the game for another 15 minutes until recess ended...then I asked the teacher if that lump in the middle of my collarbone was normal...

By the time I was in elementary school in the 80's smear the queer wasn't officially allowed, but it was still the standard recess game during the the warmer months, hockey in the winter. At the time I enjoyed it and thought the rules banning it were silly

I never broke any of my bones on recess or playing sports, but that's not true of the guys I tackled in football... There were at least 3 broken bones that I know of that came when the opponents were in full pads.

So, if I'm a school administrator paying the insurance bills I sure wouldn't want my school to be negligent for allowing kids to play tackle games and thus be stuck picking up the tab for medical bills. Not saying that it's right that the system has to work that way, but now as an adult at least I see where they're coming from...

Kristofor.

[gsmittle]

WARNING: Educator Rant Ahead

I've seen this list before. More than once. For years. Only the dates and some details on the second part change. While it's true that times have changed in the last fifty years, some things remain the same: most successful students have caring, involved parents at home. Back then, one parent typically didn't work, and therefore was at home to take calls from the principal, help with homework, dish out round one discipline, etc.

Nowadays, if there are two parents in the home, both must work. (Yes, I've heard all the rants about having too many material goods, etc., but in my experience most are working to put food on the table, not buy another 52" plasma.) Nobody's home. Is it any wonder that people want the schools to be parents, psychologists, nursemaids, disciplinarians, nutritionists, and anything else society doesn't want or have time to do at home?

Want to improve society? Cut the number of students in my classroom in half. That way I have time to work with each kid who needs it, and time to move the high-achievers ahead. Do something about rampant poverty. When you're to hungry to sleep at night, it's real hard to learn anything. Do something about parents working two or three jobs to put a little food on the table, making them too tired to deal with their kids. ESPECIALLY do something about administrators who think the way to improve failure rates in my classroom is to make me cover the same amount of material in half the time, and prove I'm doing it by making me do twice as much paperwork.

Or maybe I'm just cranky this morning.

g.

[3thumbs]

[QUOTE=gsmittle;392245]
Want to improve society? Cut the number of students in my classroom in half. That way I have time to work with each kid who needs it, and time to move the high-achievers ahead. Do something about rampant poverty. When you're to hungry to sleep at night, it's real hard to learn anything. Do something about parents working two or three jobs to put a little food on the table, making them too tired to deal with their kids.

You must watch too much CNN! "Too hungry to sleep?" Ha! That is just a bunch of baloney. Cut taxes, and get rid of the teacher's union.

[gsmittle]

WARNING: Rant Part II

[QUOTE=3thumbs;392256]

Want to improve society? Cut the number of students in my classroom in half. That way I have time to work with each kid who needs it, and time to move the high-achievers ahead. Do something about rampant poverty. When you're to hungry to sleep at night, it's real hard to learn anything. Do something about parents working two or three jobs to put a little food on the table, making them too tired to deal with their kids.

You must watch too much CNN! "Too hungry to sleep?" Ha! That is just a bunch of baloney. Cut taxes, and get rid of the teacher's union.

Beg to disagree. I've BEEN too hungry to sleep. I don't mean missing one meal, I mean missing a WEEK of meals. I've done that, and not by choice. My union is the reason I don't have 75 hormonal teenagers in a classroom. 35 is still FAR too many. It's the reason I actually make a living wage. I'll never get rich, but that's not why I teach. A portion of my salary STILL goes for classroom supplies, like pens and Kleenex and paper. I don't mind buying tools of the trade, like books, but consumables shouldn't come from my salary.

The biggest problem with this sort of debate is that every one of us has been in school (that's a GOOD thing), and we base our educational theories on what we experienced. That's neither good nor bad, it simply is.

Next year, my district is implementing an "Instructional Crisis Plan" in which we will teach the same material in half the time. How would you feel if your work management came to you and said, "Oh, by the way, starting in August you will do twice as much work for the same amount of pay. No, we won't get you any help or pay for training. No, you don't get any input in the matter."

Under this "Plan," students will not be held accountable for missed work. They can make it up any time without penalty. I really don't see how that will improve education or train them for the real world. Students may miss as many days of school as they want, with as much time as they need to make up the work they missed. Meanwhile, I'm being held to task for their failure to show up, failure to do their work, and failure to pass my class. I must document each and every contact with every student and parent. (Currently that's close to 200 students. It will be more next year.)

I must document that I plan my lessons, as well as supply the actual lesson plans. In other words, just supplying the lesson plans is not enough; I have to document that I actually worked on them. I must also walk through the building and evaluate teachers of subjects with which I have NO expertise. How can I, a Fine Arts teacher, know whether the Calculus teacher is effective? How can she know whether I'm effective?

I must also tailor my teaching methods to each individual student, taking into account that there are at least 35 or so, and I'll have half the time to get to know them and how they learn.

IMO, a one-line answer like the quote above is NOT the answer. It's a complex problem that won't have a simple answer. If the solution were as simple as a one-liner, don't you think somebody would have tried it by now?

Please don't cite private schools--privates have one option that public schools do not: they can get rid of the low-achievers. Public schools MUST take all comers.

Personally, I don't see what a tax or union debate has to do with the OP.

Just my thoughts...

g.

[3thumbs]

I can see how this could get totally out of hand, so I won't add any more salt to your wounds.
Crank up the saw, make something. I'm sure that will make you feel better.
DM

[gsmittle]

I can see how this could get totally out of hand, so I won't add any more salt to your wounds.
Crank up the saw, make something. I'm sure that will make you feel better.
DM

Thou speakest words of wisdom, oh man with extra thumb. Yeah, getting some shop time would help, but I have to leave in a few minutes for a performance. Tomorrow I'll sleep most of the day, and I'm sure that will improve my outlook. Sorry for the outburst--I do have a temper, and I let it get the better of me this morning. My apologies.

That we disagree is a good thing, I think--better ideas come from debate. Thanks for letting me rant.

g.