Thursday, October 23, 2008

There I've said it

As a teacher, I have weekly meetings at our school and with my grade level co teachers discussing state standards, standardized tests, curriculum progress, strategies to engage those students that could care less about being at school, and the list goes on and on. As we sit in these meetings, the conversations seem to go in circle and we never really get anything accomplished. In fact, we just stir the pot of unanswerable circumstances and questions. I work with a highly educated and experienced staff. They have been discussing these things for years and I believe teachers frustrations come in because there is no EASY, QUICK fix. And in my personal opinion I don't think more money will fix the problems the schools are facing. I think school districts spend a lot of time attempting new and different ways to reach the state standards so they don't get put on "the list". I think school districts waste A LOT of money buying more and different curriculums hoping it will help with the current student issues and situations they have. I believe that MOST teachers are doing the best they can, that they care about each student they have and that they are doing everything humanly possible to assist them with passing their tests.

Maybe instead of pointing fingers at teachers, schools, administrations, and the government to come up with ways to fix the educational downfalls. Maybe we need to start pointing the fingers at the parents. There I've said it! I know some will disagree with me and I welcome respectful discussion. It's been my experience in my short 3 years of teaching that the students that are struggling with turning in homework, passing tests and meeting standards are typically students with parents that don't stay actively involved with their child's education.

1 comment:

  1. although i don't have school age children, i think you are right. i think too many parents depend on schools to do the jobs that parents are supposed to do themselves. there is so much pressure on the education system. unrealistic expectations from parents that are either TOO involved or parents that are not involved at all. i never thought of school as being responsible for whether i passed or failed. they were to give me the tools needed to pass but it was up to me to deliver on that. and it was my parents job to make sure i was doing my homework and engaging in my academic life. i think the problems you see just speak to the growing lack of personal responsibility we have in this country--it is growing like a cancer!

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