Are You a Teacher-Hater?

[Planogirl]

I think that some teachers take the brunt for some of the ridiculous choices made by those in command. Teachers are often the bearers of news both good and bad and maybe some people react to the teachers instead of the administrators like they should.

But I respect and admire teachers for what they do, there's no question about that. We've had a few that I haven't been all that thrilled with but for the most part, they've been very helpful and knowledgeable. If I ever feel a bit of impatience, I just remind myself of the difficult jobs they have and all that they have to deal with. I know that I couldn't do it.

 

[Sharon A.]

I think teaching is a lot like being a parent -- it's easy to criticize until you try to do the job. It is really hard to meet the needs of 30 very different students day in, day out.

I think nearly all teachers care intensely about their students. Of course they make mistakes, of course they are better at some things than others, but nearly all of them are trying their best to help your child. You should remember that when they make a mistake and work as a partner with them instead of an antagonist.

 

[grinningghost]

Nope. I have nothing but respect for most of them. There have been a few bad apples in DD's schooling career, but they were in the minority. I have cousins who are teachers, and I know they worked very hard to get where they are. In fact, DD's math teacher for the past two years is so amazing that I wish he would move up with her next year, but sadly, that won't happen.

 

[lisajl]

Ok...I need to get in on this one~

I am not a teacher hater, but I do not like it when my son's teacher treats him like she does.

My son has something called cluttering. It is a language/brain dysfunction. He cannot always get his point across as quickly as others. He has a 6th grade reading level and is in the 3rd grade.
Unfortunately, his comprehension is 2nd-3rd grade.
Now, that is really not that bad, considering that he is in the third grade.

Here is where my problem lies: At the beginning of the year I took a pamphlet in explaining cluttering. I made sure everyone that came in contact with my son got one.
I just had a P/T conference last week. They went over his lack of comprehension, he cries too easily, etc.
I just shook my head and said yes, that is part of cluttering.
Both teachers looked at me as if I had spoken a foreign language.
I gave them that info, so they could be informed of my childs special needs. Just last Thurs. she seemed rather mad at me and called me into her classroom when I went to pick him up.
She verbally attacked me, because my son had a "meltdown".
He was crying and she said, " I didn;t yell at him or anything".
Again, I have to go over the cluttering thing.
I have pretty much had it with our local public school. No one is listening to me.
Any ideas from the teachers here?
I would gladly take some advice.
Lisajl

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

I hear you Lisa.... different problem, but same general reaction from time to time.

Our kids are bright - I mean all 13+ grade equivalent, 99th percentile bright - and they are in 7th and 5th grades. We always meet with teachers and ask them to challenge the boys. Some roll their eyes. "What's wrong with getting 120% in a class and never having homework???" they ask.

Well, in a nutshell, they are not learning anything. We had one teacher this year where 1/3 of the first mid semester grade was a 320 point crossword puzzle. Ummmmmmm....... let me think.... IMO there should not be that much emphasis placed on a busy work assignment. They had no tests, no quizzes.....

We do teach our kids - I have been in charge of their math for years and they are both way ahead of grade level (the school wanted nothing to do with them for this very reason).

I understand it's difficult when you have 30 in a class, but on the other hand, when the bright kids are shorted time and time again, there is something wrong with the system.

"No child left behind".... and I would add "No child held back."

 

[Jeff in BigD]

I agree with CJMickeyMouse.

 

[lisajl]

CjMickeyMouse,

Thanks for understanding where I am coming from.
Our kids have a lot of busy work also.
Another problem we have is that they are teaching " the test."
A lot of parents and teachers are not happy about this arrangement.

We will see how things go.....we may pull him out.
Our soon to be 17 year old daughter is homeschooled. We could do that with our 8 year old too.

Lisajl

 

[Deb in IA]

CJMickeyMouse, are there any TAG (Talented and Gifted) programs in your school? There are quite a few in the Iowa City schools. Also, have you checked out the Blank-Belin Center for Gifted Education at the U of I? They may be able to provide some assistance to you and your school.

 

[Kermit]

I love teachers. In fact, I considered being one in college. I ended up getting a degree in English so that I can work from home as a writer if I ever have to, but I plan on homeschooling my kids (with the help of certified teachers in some subjects). Most teachers are admirable people who make great sacrifices to improve our children's futures. I don't necessarily like school systems in a lot of situations, but usually the problems are due to people who have no formal training in education whatsoever, like school board members.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Yes, Deb there are.... unfortunately though, it consists only of accellerated math which we were already doing - and now the boys have gone past where the teacher is licensed to teach.....

It gets really frustrating!

Both are testing through Belin Blank this year - They were both Iowa Scholars last year (top 3% of the top 3%). We are so out in the middle of nowhere though, it's tough to make use of the programs in place. Of course athletics are an important part of the boys' summer which makes going to the week or two week long summer courses out of the question. We are going to have to rely on distance learning and online courses in the very near future. Fortunately our middle/high school principal is much more receptive than our elementary principal was.

We will get through it.... but it's just a situation where WE (the parents) are going to have to be the advocate for the kids because nobody in the school system is really qualified, nor do they have any experience with this type of situation. The elementary staff, aside from a few very understanding teachers, just seemed to make life difficult for us and the kids in any way they could. At least now (entering MS/HS) the teachers and administrators are noticing that these kids ARE very bright (I think the ACT score and Iowa Scholar status opened many eyes) and need advanced coursework. Up until this year I think everyone thought we were just crazed parents trying to push their children too hard. Now they understand that the goals are the kids, we are just trying to help them get where they want to go.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Kermit, I agree, some of those problems are due to the non certified people involved. But many of our problems have been directly related to teachers themselves. We had one teacher in a spelling bee..... the word was bilious. She gave it to my son and said (and I quote) "That's a good one for you, huh???"

Little did she know that we had been using the spelling list as vocab words at home, and he knew full well that bilious meant bad tempered.

Also, another one that sticks out in my mind... our son arrived home one day with a big goose egg on his temple. He had hit his head on the CORNER OF A METAL FILE CABINET. It was close to time to go home, so the teacher would not let him go to the nurse. So, he walked home in tears (nearly a mile) by himself. This was a second grader. Bilious did not even begin to describe me that day.

These are two of the teachers that flat out refused to do any advanced work with the boys.

Some people just are not meant to teach.

 

[Lucky4me]

With 4 kids, having probably over 100 teachers over the last 14 years, I can honestly say there's only one I disliked.

Mrs. B was my sons 2nd grade teacher. He was a smart kid, way above average in reading, math, etc. He also was very mature acting, more like a 12 year old than a 7 year old.

The teacher was obsessed with her cats and talked of nothing else. She didn't bathe. She had missing teeth. She came to school drunk at times. She had my son watch the class while she stepped out for an hour at a time to take naps.

When we went on a field trip she took my son in her group and left me with 6 hellions, at a museum no less. I tried to give her some credit, but I never did find anything redeeming about her teaching. My son went on to third grade with no problems, but a lot of kids in her class didn't. She retired when my son was in 6th grade. I'll never understand how she lasted as long as she did.

 

[ripleysmom]

lisajl, perhaps you should try to get in touch with your district's SEPTA (Special Education PTA). They may be able to give you some tips on how to talk to the teachers or put you in contact with someone in the district who can make sure that the teachers are understanding the problem and following through on his IEP.

The other things is that perhaps you should request an FBA (Functional Behavioral Analysis). I don't know anything about cluttering but an FBA can be done to determine if there is anything that could be causing the outbursts other than his issues with cluttering. An FBA reviewed with his teachers may also help them to understand the problem a little better.

I hope this helps and Good Luck.

 

[lisajl]

Ripley'smom,

Thanks for the info. I have never heard of an FBA. I will check with his speech teacher.
My DS only occasionally has these "meltdowns", as she so quaintly put it!
But, it disrupts the class and that is not good for anyone.

Most kids are really good about it, but there are some boys that are really mean.
I tell him that is a part of growing up and he has to deal with it.
But, honestly, it gets harder and harder every day to send him there.

I appreciate the advice and will speak to his speech teacher and the principal tomorrow.

Lisajl

 

[Judy from Boise]

My DS only occasionally has these "meltdowns", as she so quaintly put it!

actually it is the term almost everyone uses.
Have you officially "applied" for special education services ? Is he on an IEP ? If so you need an emergency IEP team meeting and to start cracking a few heads !

 

[Mermaid02]

Do I hate teachers? I "hated" my dd's 4th grade teacher..... she didn't like children very much either so do I feel badly about it? Nope. I feel badly that I didn't follow my gut instinct and remove my dd from that classroom in October of that year..... would have saved my dd from the job that witch did on her self esteem.

I LOVED my dd's kindergarten and 1st grade teacher..... her second grade teacher was a wonderful teacher.... her 3rd grade teacher was okay...... her 5th grade teacher was WONDERFUL TOO! My son's kindergarten teacher is FANTASTIC!!

Teaching is NOT for everyone and I think the bad ones should be "outed".... but I don't hate teachers.

 

[tedsmom]

I don't have children, so I have no personal experience with teachers as far as my own children are concerned, but I do remember certain teachers from my long-ago youth who were wonderful, and others who were not so wonderful. I don't recall any who were so bad that I could say their negativity still affects me today, but I do recall a few who were so good that when I think about them now, I still get a warm feeling.

Part of the problem with being a teacher is that you are dealing with a person's most precious thing...their child. Normally rational people can get pretty nuts when it comes to their kid. Even the best teachers aren't perfect, and perception (both the parent's and the child's) is a variable which cannot be controlled.

My hats off to all teachers. It is a difficult, underpaid, often thankless job.

 

[lisajl]

judy,
Hi,
Yes he has an IEP. They (the teacher, pricipal, speech therapist) had a meeting without my knowledge early in Oct. With IEP's I am suppose to be informed whenever they have a meeting.
They messed up big time.

I think I need to find out more from the principal...although I feel she is just stringing me along also.
Lisajl

 

[Judy from Boise]

This is sad, to have an IEP meeting without you !
You have every right to get some quick answers from the principle.
I wondered if you asked the teacher what interventions from the IEP she tried to prevent said meltdown.....what look she would get on her face. Sounds like she never even read it !

 

[fklhou]

We had one meltdown with my youngest DD third grade teacher. Both of my DD have ADD (though my youngest was not diagnozied at that time). This teacher was supposed to be gifted adn talented trained but had the concept that ADD was a disability that would stigmatize the child the rest of their life. After having a couple of battles with the Houston Indepedent School District, we ended up pulling my daughter and putting her in a private school. I can honestly say that the gifted and talented program in Houston is a joke. Now all three of our children are at private school and are getting a far superior education that what was offered in public school.