Schooling has failed - It's all our fault

I agree because parents would rather back their child, right or wrong, to make themselves look good and have schools by the _ALLS!! The law has not helped, either. There is no more respect and people will sue you for doling out discipline!! I am in the private sector and can toss out a student with no repercussion, thank goodness. I had thought about teaching in regular school but that was one reason why I chose not to. I feel for you and other teachers in these situations. My cousin, a teacher, too, feels the same way.

Yep, the more we let kids do what they want to do, the more we get ourselves into predicaments like that. Parents often don't care or find it to difficult to handle their child, schools don't want to be unfriendly and be perceived as uncaring, and teachers at the short end of the stick are left to their own devices. Those who try to curb bad behavior, try to teach even to those who refuse to learn, jeopardy their own health/life, and others have resorted to simply not caring anymore. I can see it in our kids' classes and the stories they tell at home. And that's only primary school. We try to teach our kids and we let them know that the bad behavior we have witnessed and the bad behavior they have told us about, is not acceptable for our family. Unfortunately too many parents simply put their child on the bus and open the housedoor when the kid comes home. What happens between those two events... they could care less about it. Our society as a whole needs an attitude change. Kids need to learn responsibility, learn to behave, and no, schools are not just cheap daycare centers.

Personally it is becoming a SAD SAD day when students are bullying their teachers and not learning anything and getting away with it. Back in the day when I was in school you would have never seen anything like this, and it would have been immediate discipline and usually suspension for a while or sometimes even worse if this was a continuing matter. When they continue to just act like nothing happened you just begin to wonder what next, and will you ever really be safe? I just continue to Pray for all teachers for Safety and wish you the Best.

This is a subject close to my heart. I imagine EVERY parent should be concerned about what's going on in the schools system, but of course, that's not that case. I agree with SOME of what you are saying. Where you are saying "It's all our fault" and you make sure to include EVERYONE in the blame, yes I agree. At the beginning of your post though, it sounded like you were blaming administration and not considering the possiblity of the teacher's part in the exchange. I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened, but I am sensitive to the common attitude that the teacher is ALWAYS right and the student is ALWAYS wrong. I know from personal experience as well as from observation, that there are MANY teachers that go to work with the attitude that they can say or do anything they want to the students and that whatever they say or do should be accepted and respected. There are PLENTY of teachers that are out of line with their behavior and their words. Yes, there are also plenty of students who are disrespectful. There are plenty of parents that are irresponsible and there are plenty of adminstrators who have their priorities completely wrong. So, in that regard, yes, I agree with you. Whether administration handled that particular incident correctly or incorrectly, I can't say whether I agree or disagree. I would need more information. Like, why was the student out of class to begin with? How was the teacher addressing the student? Does the student have emotional or developmental issues that are being addressed or should be addressed? Were the parents contacted? Of course students should NOT threaten teachers, but I do believe that there ARE teacher out there who not only antagonize students, but there are teacher out there that actually BULLY their students. And NO that is not acceptable. Having authority and having to find a way to get respect from your students does NOT mean that anything goes! Far to many teachers resort to intimidation, belittling and many other inappropriate methods to TRY to maintain order in there classrooms. I may not know what it's like to try to keep a classroom of 30 students in check, but I do know that there are some VERY GOOD teachers out there that manage to inspire their students and gain their respect WITHOUT resorting to bullying and demeaning their students. Those teachers who do resort to those methods need to take a moment or two and learn from their more positive coleagues how to INSPIRE students rather than trying to CONTROL them.

Failure of schooling is a two edged problem. It is as much a failing of teachers as it is of students. I believe that students must be dealt with a firm hand but a soft glove. They are delicate and innocent and can be moulded the way you want but a lot of effort has to be put in by the teachers. Teachers have no time for the students and they are just "Earning a living" by teaching and are mostly not teachers by choice. I believe that three things are essential when dealing with a student. Discipline, punctuality and turnout. If a teacher maintains this and insists on this from the students, then students will react. I never accepted nonsense,but I am very fair in my dealings. I can get away with giving a student a slap too without any retaliation from them. They fear me yet respect me. outside the class we are like friends and we joke and have fun too. I insist that as long as they stay within limits, it is ok by me.

nowadays schooling is a total failure. I fell for you and all the teachers. students dare to do anythings violent, so teachers have to be smart. It is just a job, it is not worth risking life. All schools care about is just their reputation, so they prefer covering up anything that might damage the reputation.

I have been a teacher over the years, and I've been appalled at all the things I've seen. I remember one assistant principal saying that if he was told what he could do to himself by one more parent he would think about leaving the field altogether. Even here in our little rural community, the kids run the schools. I don't want to teach any more. I do sub occasionally but then always wish that I hadn't said I'd do it. Kids do not even try to control themselves any more. No matter how badly they act, their parents stick up for them and blame the teachers. Last weekend there was a high school kid being very rowdy at a basketball game. He was screaming profanities at the players and being totally obnoxious. Finally the principal asked him to leave. Later there were a group of guys in the parking lot waiting for the principal to leave so that they could pay him back for expecting the kid to behave. The cops had to be called to protect the principal. There is absolutely no respect for authority, and no one in their right mind would want to become an educator any more.

S i met failure in 10th std in history subject i hate history subject after and before that. but now i became a engineer

I think the authority has been taken from the schools and their employees. It's all come about from children dying and being abused, and the Social Security's mistakes in preventing these tragedies. So, in trying to put a wrong right, and to make it look good in their eyes, the Social Security have worked in a Children's Rights Law, so that they are over-protected now, and parents, teachers, carers, nannies, have all had their authority and control techniques taken away from them. The children don't care any more because they know that they have places to go which will protect them from any strict authority! The whole system is failing my friend... not just schooling. Brightest Blessings.

Hmm...having taught for six years, I know what you mean. I quit precisely for this reason. I saw no sense in what I was doing there. Of course, I don't have a secure job now. I write for a living; but at least I have my freedom and my peace of mind, and I feel that life has meaning. At the same time, I have a little boy, and I really feel terrified of sending him to school. But, I guess I have no choice, and anyway, he has to learn what society is like. I feel I will be able to do a great job at home as far as education goes, but he will never learn about the world, about people, and there he will miss out. :) Cheers and happy Mylotting

Somehow or other, I think that it has happened over two generations! And it seems to me it started with the "make love, not war" era....that spewed over into every walk of life! Everything became so casual! Dress! Conduct! Discipline! Respect! Morality....and last, but not least...rights! When I went to school, there was "corporal" punishment (a smack on the fingers with a yardstick....it really didn't hurt anything but ones ego.) The teacher was revered! The teacher received total respect from the FAMILY as well as the student! You were expected to act exemplary...and did! (Or a detention ensued, and you were embarassed by that!) You went to school with clean clothes, and proper grooming...hands, teeth, nails inspected each morning! And your parents meted out the same punishment as the teacher! Double whammy! I personally do NOT think schooling has failed...any more than the family UNIT, for the reasons I have mentioned above!

Certainly I have thought for a long time it is more of a state funded day care center for all ages. I have an 8 year old and a 7 year old and I don't see how the teachers put up with some of the kids and you can't really do anything to them anymore because the parents will just sue. That is just crazy woop their arses!

Hi ronaldinu, What is this, are the schools so afraid of the students they teach? and why don't they want to put in a report? it should be done right away because if the teacher gets hurt, there is no report on how bad the student behave and now days its always the teachers that suffer, bring back the cane. I am glad this teacher reported it to the police. Tamara

I think over the time the respect and the over all attmosphere of school has changed or degraded. The use of abusive language is increased, the teachers and the students have become more aggressive and thus the over all scenario of schools have changed.

You should as though you teach one tough school. I feel that you haven't failed i teaching it is just the kids are refusing to learn what is taught and the school administration seems not to be doing his job.

Well, I believe things have changed a lot since the days I last schooled. Teachers had more leeway, and freedom to do many things. Nowadays, in my country, students become like our clients, instead of our 'students'. There are a lot of things that teachers cannot do anymore, and I think students take advantage of that situation. Moreover, parents are pampering their kids like crazy... so most of the times, children grow up demanding things, and they don't show that much respect to teachers anymore.

Everyone has failed. Back in the day, the parents would teach their children Not to talk back to teachers. And if they did something wrong either at school or in the neighborhood,when the parents found out , the child would be punished, harshly.But today,parents are too busy working to teach the kids.They Know they can't beat their kids so they don't discipline their kids at all.So it falls on the schools.And schools aren't equipped.I am glad the teacher reported the incident. If the school isn't going to protect teachers, them they have to do it themselves.

I guess the school has got its own difficulties too.. THey cant afford to go to the police for it will spoil the school's imagine.. THus, the school adminstration is right to do that.. As for the verbal abuse by students, it's the parents whom has to take most repsonsibility out of it, and not the teachers.. Teachers can only be protecting their students while they are in school.. But once they are out of school, it's out of their control.. They have no right to discipline them anymore.. So it's time for their parents to exercise discipline on them..

The school system is not perfect, never was. But they really ruined it when they removed the STRAP. With no discipline nor respect for their elders, why won't the inmates revolt and threaten violence at will? Who will stop them, really? What repurcussions do they fear? None, I'm afraid. I'm disgusted with this story of leaving the teacher hanging out to dry and allowing this student's obvious threats to endanger her. Good for her for reporting it to the police. Yes, I agree with you.

I don't think it is just the schooling alone that has failed. I think it is everything in general. I blame society for it, I blame the government for it. They have placed so many laws that you can't do anything anymore to punish your kids for the bad things they do. Then you have all these doctors telling you to raise your kids this way and that, when really none of it works because they all just turn out. Mouthy, disrespectful, and they don't care about anything around them any more except for what they are doing or what their friends are doing saturday night. It is sad to see what this world has come to for our kids. Imagine what the next generation of kids is going to be like!!