Attitudes Toward Teachers

[Eeyores Butterfly]

While reading threads on the CB, I have noticed what appears to be an "us vs. them" mentality between parents and teachers. I am intrigued by this. I am earning my Master's in elementary and special ed, so I'm curious what people think about teachers.

I honestly do not understand this attitude. It appears from reading these threads, many people believe that we are out to get their children and do not care about their learning. I see lots of comments that insinuate homework is simply busy work. I will let you in on a secret: Homework spends more of my time than it does yours and your child's. For one lesson I planned I spent over an hour scouring the internet and my resources for an appropriate worksheet to use with my lesson. I then have to go through and grade every paper.

Parents seem to assume to know the teacher's motivation in assigning an assignment or project. I saw lots of threads where the assumption was that it was just a "fun" project without any educational value. Everything I do is deliberate, if I assign a project, it is for a specific reason. I develop a rubric that each child receives explaining where the points come from. In my classes I integrate the different content areas, so one project may fulfill the requirements for art, social studies, and communication arts. One thing have learned when reading thse threads is that I can't assume that parents will understand my purpose in a project or assignment, I need to communicate that to them so they will be on board with it.

The thing tha bothers me the most is the way that some parents seem to set themselves up as adversaries to the teachers before they even meet them! I saw one poster who said that if the teacher gives more than x amount of homework they send them a "nastygram". As part of my master's I had to have a class in how to work with parents, and it's parents like that that terrify me. I don't understand why you wouldn't talk to them politely and find out their purose first? How do you know that your child isn't being given time to work on it and has been goofing off instead?

Is it because these threads tend to be vents about specific situations that most posters seem to have this attitude, or is this representative of how most posters here feel about teachers?

 

[NJMomma]

My son has always been in a self contained class. With one exception, I was truly thankful we had each and every teacher we did. I appreciated their hard work and interest in my son. Even the teacher I didn't care for, I have to say she had interest in my son, it was just our view points didn't compliment each other. His last teacher is a gift to the profession, and we care for her deeply. She always watched out for him and went to bat for him. I think she's great and told anyone who would listen to me the same thing.

Flip the coin now...

My SIL is an elementary teacher. She frequently complains about the parents, the kids, the administrators. She has suspected problems with kids and done nothing to help them because she didn't want to get involved. She has failed to get tenure 3 times. I can see why a parent would be less than thrilled with her. It's a just job for her.

I am NOT a teacher. I don't know what you deal with every day. IMHO it's like anything else in life -doctors, lawyers, anything - some are just better than others.

 

[winkers]

I think you find more negativity here because posters are "griping" about a specific case. Overall, I don't think most parents have a negative feeling towards all teachers.

I have 4 kids and have had alot of interaction with their teachers, mostly positive. I have dealt with a few who for what ever reason I had some problems with. I think it's the same in most of life, sometimes personalities clash.

I'm extremly greatful for the teachers who have taught my kids. Altho, we have had a few projects that made me wonder what on earth the teacher was thinking!

 

[In a hurry]

I think teachers set themselves up far too often. They gossip far too much. Teachers just out of college often assume they know more than the parents raising the child. And many do assign homework based on policy rather than results. And the assigning of numerous projeects beyond the ability of the child involved is ridiculous. Projects are expensive, and that affects people, at least in our district. And I always have more than one child who has parents who are unavailable to help for whatever reason. You can teach simply or not, that is your choice. 9 times out of 10, I find it to work best to stick with the basics without all of the clutter. And when it doesn't, I've got the time to deal with those kids.

Dealing with one or two of these sets the rest of the teachers up in the eyes of parents.

As a mom and a teacher I see both sides. Sure, some parents are beyond nuts. But so are some teachers.

 

[Mermaid02]

My son had a fabulous teacher this past year- I really wish we could just take her with us for the rest of his school life....
I miss her already

 

[GeorgiaPeach8]

I agree with the op. There seems to be a general negative attitude about teachers. I will also say that this is just on the boards. I call them Teacher-Bashers. The people who say--"I'd like to work 8-3 Monday through Friday and have summers off."

I've been teaching for over a decade. Pay, insurance, etc...have all stayed the same or gotten worse over the years. I have always had the Pollyanna attitude that eventually people would realize how hard teachers work and the work climate would change.

I had an eye-opening experience a few years ago. My state was planning to drastically increase the cost of our health insurance and decrease coverage. Naturally, our yearly raise would not cover this change. Some teachers were calling for a strike. We settled for a large protest instead. Our local news channel covered the event and opened a discussion board on the topic. What I read on the discussion board almost made me want to leave teaching. Essentially, people believe that teachers are stupid, lazy, mean or a combination of all three.

I will be starting my 16 year in the classroom this fall. Sadly, I now no longer believe that the work situation for teachers will improve during my career. Also, I used to be offended when other teachers said they wouldn't want their own children to become teachers. Now, I have to say--I would want my kids to do something that had either a greater emotional or financial return for the work you put in to it.

Also (typical teacher--long post ) I have to add that the amount of pay increase that would make people in the profession stopped complaining about pay is surprisely very little. Most people would like to see pay brought up to the level of other fields where professionals have Masters degree. I wrote a research paper on this for a Masters class. Nurses, CPAs and a few other careers that people think are on par with teaching...make about 10,000 more per year AFTER factoring out our non-paid summer.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I will weigh in on this. Some parents are wonderful and some parents think that you need to do EVERYTHING for their child. You will laugh but here are some of the things they want us to do: brush their teeth, teach them to ride a bike, intervene in social problems that occur between friends which do not happen at school, in short they want us to do THEIR job and did I neglect to mention teach them MANNERS. I did not say all parents but just as bad teachers give us a bad name so do bad parents give parents a bad name so to speak. I too am a parent and a teacher so I KNOW what is expected on both sides.

I also get the feeling that I am the bad guy. I give HW for a reason but often I get back stupid notes like ...'it took so and so 2.5 hrs to do his homework. You give way to much homework"The sheet was 5 multiple choice questions and 15 min would have been too much time. When I confronted the parent she said , " well that is what he told me." JEESH don't you even check the kid's homwork? He lies and the parent writes a note.

On the flip side I have had some dedicated parents who really take care of their kids and work with them each night. They should be the example to all because it is not remote control education as so many parents like to think. Parent and teacher need to work together because we cannot do it all and neither can they.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I agree with the op. There seems to be a general negative attitude about teachers. I will also say that this is just on the boards. I call them Teacher-Bashers. The people who say--"I'd like to work 8-3 Monday through Friday and have summers off."

I've been teaching for over a decade. Pay, insurance, etc...have all stayed the same or gotten worse over the years. I have always had the Pollyanna attitude that eventually people would realize how hard teachers work and the work climate would change.

I had an eye-opening experience a few years ago. My state was planning to drastically increase the cost of our health insurance and decrease coverage. Naturally, our yearly raise would not cover this change. Some teachers were calling for a strike. We settled for a large protest instead. Our local news channel covered the event and opened a discussion board on the topic. What I read on the discussion board almost made me want to leave teaching. Essentially, people believe that teachers are stupid, lazy, mean or a combination of all three.

I will be starting my 16 year in the classroom this fall. Sadly, I now no longer believe that the work situation for teachers will improve during my career. Also, I used to be offended when other teachers said they wouldn't want their own children to become teachers. Now, I have to say--I would want my kids to do something that had either a greater emotional or financial return for the work you put in to it.

Also (typical teacher--long post ) I have to add that the amount of pay increase that would make people in the profession stopped complaining about pay is surprisely very little. Most people would like to see pay brought up to the level of other fields where professionals have Masters degree. I wrote a research paper on this for a Masters class. Nurses, CPAs and a few other careers that people think are on par with teaching...make about 10,000 more per year AFTER factoring out our non-paid summer.

Wow you just about said it all. I did talk my son out of being a teacher. It is not worth the public scorn, late hours, and poor pay. You forgot to mention the tons of courses we need to take in the summer so we can be recertified every 5 years at a cost of a couple of hundrend dollars. The result of the public negativity is that less and less good people are going into teaching. In our state they want to pay a premium for sped, math, and history teachers. What does that tell you? We had two student teachers in our school this year and after having worked with one and my friends worked with the other I can tell you the future is bleak if they are a representation. I think it is a case of bad public opinion as well as more and more difficulty dealing with kids who really do not behave and have no repercussions at home NOT money that is contributing to what is the beginnings of a teacher shortage.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Well as a Mom I will tell you how I feel so maybe you can see my side of it. I LOVE my children's teachers!!!! You want to know why? They get it. They are not control freaks. They genuinely want the children to succeed. Not because it makes them look good but because they want the CHILD to succeed. They are always communicating with me. If I have any concern no matter how small and silly it might seem they never make me feel like an idiot or a pain in the butt for asking. They address my concerns immediately. I am not a mean nasty parent. I respect what they do and teach my children accordingly. In the same breath I am their parent so I do know them best. Don't lose sight of that. No matter how good of a teacher you are you will never know that child better than the parent. This year I wish my son's teacher was teaching all of my children from K-12. She is amazing and we wrote a letter letting her know just how much we appreciate her. We will also be writing a letter to the principal and ccing it to the superintendent and BOA. So if you don't lose sight of why you are becoming a teacher (assuming it is for the right reasons) then you will be a success.

 

[GeorgiaPeach8]

Wow you just about said it all. I did talk my son out of being a teacher. It is not worth the public scorn, late hours, and poor pay. You forgot to mention the tons of courses we need to take in the summer so we can be recertified every 5 years at a cost of a couple of hundrend dollars. The result of the public negativity is that less and less good people are going into teaching. In our state they want to pay a premium for sped, math, and history teachers. What does that tell you? We had two student teachers in our school this year and after having worked with one and my friends worked with the other I can tell you the future is bleak if they are a representation. I think it is a case of bad public opinion as well as more and more difficulty dealing with kids who really do not behave and have no repercussions at home NOT money that is contributing to what is the beginnings of a teacher shortage.

I'm sure the teacher shortage is a whole new thread...so I won't stray too far off topic but when I started teaching it was nearly impossible to find a job in history or english. Sometimes there was up to 300 applicants for one job. Seven years after I got started, you could already see the difference...I would sit in on interviews for new positions in our building. We'd interview 10 people and have two or three really good candidates. Fast forward...7 more years--we have interviews with 5 to 7 candidates and we are lucky to have one solid candidate.

What is worse--the public probably isn't aware of this because I'm shocked that administrators still think they are giving away a job that 300 people want. Example--last month I sat in on an interview. There were 10 people interviewing the candidates. We have 15 questions. We SCORED the candidates on a rubric. Then, we met to go over our scores. THEN...we made the candidates wait for 3 weeks before they heard from us.

Sorry...I diverted from topic. I have fewer parents who think that I'm one of "them." If they know that I have a working class background (father truck drvier, mother secretary). I also teach some gifted students. It seems that if the parent has a degree in ANYTHING...they think they can do my job.

 

[In a hurry]

I'm sure the teacher shortage is a whole new thread...so I won't stray too far off topic but when I started teaching it was nearly impossible to find a job in history or english. Sometimes there was up to 300 applicants for one job. Seven years after I got started, you could already see the difference...I would sit in on interviews for new positions in our building. We'd interview 10 people and have two or three really good candidates. Fast forward...7 more years--we have interviews with 5 to 7 candidates and we are lucky to have one solid candidate.

What is worse--the public probably isn't aware of this because I'm shocked that administrators still think they are giving away a job that 300 people want. Example--last month I sat in on an interview. There were 10 people interviewing the candidates. We have 15 questions. We SCORED the candidates on a rubric. Then, we met to go over our scores. THEN...we made the candidates wait for 3 weeks before they heard from us.


Sorry...I diverted from topic. I have fewer parents who think that I'm one of "them." If they know that I have a working class background (father truck drvier, mother secretary). I also teach some gifted students. It seems that if the parent has a degree in ANYTHING...they think they can do my job.

We have 3 colleges within 45 minutes of our district. People wait years to get hired.

As far as salary and continuing ed, my sister works as a SW and makes less than I do. She is sent to one training a year, but that in no way makes up the difference. And she works 49 weeks a year. I love being a summer pool mom.

We had a great time last week. 6 of us pool moms took a class together. Lots of laughs, and we learned a thing or two.

 

[Hoodie]

I think it has less to do with teachers than public education as a whole having a very poor reputation right now. Parents are afraid that teachers and administrators are not just teaching the three R's but also pushing agendas. This could be anything from local politics to global warming to evolution/creation to dispensing birth control without parental consent. This is nothing new - it existed in my high school - but now we are inundated with these stories daily. It's creating an us/them mentality. Parents vs. Big Brother.

I think the pay/tenure structure doesn't play a big role. The only time it ccomes up that I see it is when a really bad teacher is locked in with tenure. I will say that I laughed at the PP saying they protested the health insurance costs. My best friend was a SpEd teacher and union rep a million years ago. She called me to complain that the town wanted teachers to pay 25% of their health insurance (it was previously 100% covered) and reduce their raise to 3%. Since I knew she already made more than me, I hadn't seen a raise of any kind in 3 years, and already paid 50% of insurance costs, she got absolutely no sympathy from me!

Be the best teacher you can be and the parents will respect you. (well, most will - you'll always get the bad parents as well). The kids will too!

 

[MushyMushy]

While reading threads on the CB, I have noticed what appears to be an "us vs. them" mentality between parents and teachers. I am intrigued by this. I am earning my Master's in elementary and special ed, so I'm curious what people think about teachers.

Did you notice this "us vs. them" in your classes? I sure did and it really ticked me off. I constantly heard "parents this and parents that" when I was taking my graduate classes. I was always the jerk in class presenting the other side of the argument.

I think it's sad all around. We're all here for a common goal, but that tends to get lost in the real world.

 

[Nette]

We TRIED to work with our DD K-garten teacher. She told us that DD was wiggling too much and not paying attention. So we signed a behavior contract, we talked to the teacher frequently and exchanged emails about how to overcome this "distraction". But when the teacher sent home a list of URLs for ADHD websites so that we could "look into it, because she shows many of the symptoms" we were shocked.

1- it's illegal for a teacher to even suggest such a thing.
2- our daughter is SO not ADHD
3- gifted children often show THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as ADHD children

We sent her the URLs that we found relating to item 3 above. She ignored them and continued to imply our DD was ADHD and could not be acting this way because she was bored. That the curriculum was designed for lots of leeway in both directions academically. She did acknowledge that DD was bright, but felt she wasn't working to full potential because she was so easily distracted.

We finally went to the counselors, and guess what? Instead of checking the situation out, they immediately took the teacher's side. So now we hire private testers, who confirmed EXACTLY what we knew all along. She is bright, and bored. And when she appeared to be distracted, if you asked her a question, she knew EXACTLY what was going on in the room.

My beef isn't w/ teacher's in general, my grandmother was an exceptional teacher, my aunt was also. My uncle is a math professor and I couldn't have gotten through Calculus III w/o his help. ON THE PHONE. I seriously considered Elementary education as a career. I may still go that route (my company has a transition to teach program), but maybe not. I certainly couldn't work in the kind of environment that my daughter was forced to learn in.

My beef is with individuals who expect every child to be the same and school districts that promote this as well (this is the same school district my brothers and I were raised in, and we all had the same kinds of problems with them).

I appreciate all the hard work teachers do. I realize it can be a thankless job, and I do believe that the compensation should be improved greatly. However, along with that, we have got to come up with a better system of checks and balances than just standardized testing for "grading" teachers. As it is, there is nothing from stopping them from just squeaking by or teaching only what is necessary for the tests.

 

[Master Mason]

I have had one boy go all the way though college now, and another that is going into his junior year of HS, so I have been around the schools for a while now as a parent. I have had the pleasure of experiencing very good teachers, and the pain of encountering terrible ones. On average, what we have gotten has been exactly that, average, they are doing their jobs, but are not doing that little extra which would make them great. But you know, that's the same in everything you encounter in life.

The few times I did encounter bad teachers, I simply had my sons removed from those classrooms.

My real problem with the education system is not the teachers, but rather the teaching methods and curriculum that have been put in place in the last 30 years or so. But that's a whole other thread.

 

[diznygirl]

I have lots of friends who are teachers. So I know all the ins and outs - I see them deal with things, and hear them vent. However, I believe that it ends up being an us vs them mentality because the good teachers will never admit that there are bad teachers, and that parents have a right to vent about the bad teachers. And vice versa - parents don't thing teachers should complain about them or their students - after all, it's part of the profession they chose.

There are good and bad teachers - and I'm gonna say so when I have dealings with one. The rest of the teachers in the world have nothing to worry about - especially the ones here on the DIS who are the best of the best!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm not a teacher, I'm a nurse - but I can tell you that "nurse bashing" appears at times to be a fun sport also, so I can sympathize.

A few thoughts on the matter. I have two children going into 5th grade and so far, I've had no complaints with any of their teachers (with the exception of one this past year because she assigned projects over both February and April vacations). Some of the teachers have been really great.

I'd love for my daughter to be a nurse, but guess what? Right now she wants to be a teacher, and I'll be in full support of that also. (She's been lucky enough to help out in my friend's classroom and abolutely loves it.)

Two of my best friends are teachers, and I see how hard they work and how much they care. We travel to Disney with one of these friends, and I always find myself waiting for her in the gift shops as she takes time to find just the right souveniers for each of her students.

I appreciate the time you took to write your OP. I learned something about homework and how much time and thought you have to put into it as well.

 

[angwill]

I think teachers set themselves up far too often. They gossip far too much. Teachers just out of college often assume they know more than the parents raising the child. And many do assign homework based on policy rather than results. And the assigning of numerous projeects beyond the ability of the child involved is ridiculous. Projects are expensive, and that affects people, at least in our district. And I always have more than one child who has parents who are unavailable to help for whatever reason. You can teach simply or not, that is your choice. 9 times out of 10, I find it to work best to stick with the basics without all of the clutter. And when it doesn't, I've got the time to deal with those kids.

Dealing with one or two of these sets the rest of the teachers up in the eyes of parents.

As a mom and a teacher I see both sides. Sure, some parents are beyond nuts. But so are some teachers.

I agree completely. Having worked in the school setting as a teacher's aide and being the parent of a 13 year old student with learning differences I will give my view. I typically stay out of these discussions but hope this might help you as a new teacher.

We have had mostly amazing teachers who loved their job and the children and for the most part they might have to deal with only one or two complaining parents who will never be happy with anything it's just who they are and just don't take it personal. These are the teachers who listen to the parent who is the expert and educated in their own childs needs and are confident that they are the teacher who is the expert and educated in teaching as a whole. They help find solutions to problems based on that individual child who needs a solution. I will not go into the few who really need not work around children. There are bad and good in all professions.

My son's learning differences are with math, writing and lack of organization skills. He is the quiet kid who never likes to ask for help for fear of looking stupid and tries to just blend in. An assignemnt that may take a typical child say 30 minutes takes my son 3 to 4 times as long 1hr and a half to 2 hours as observed by myself. He works on things himself and I will only step in when he asks for help or I can see he is really struggling. Most times he tells me he can handle it. Forget long projects he just can't organize it all in his head and panics. This has been consistant since he was young and I either get the teachers who I can talk to and help or those that say too bad so sad, my classroom, my rules. The ones with the latter opinion, those years he spends hours at his desk doing homework after the 7 hour day at school. Those years after school activities are impossible or he will not be able to keep up. Not only does that keep everyone else in the household a prisoner of their own home but it causes anxiety, stress, sadness, and a dislike of school for not only the student but the whole family. I live in a rural area so the principals and superintendant don't like to get involved since there are personal relationships at stake. Some years I am the frustrated parent.

My point is to understand that the project you put hours into coming up with might not be as easy for some kids as it will be for others and then what is the lesson? Listen to the parent and don't automatically assume they are just trying to tell you how to do your job instead assume they just want to help their child succeed and need you as the expert in teaching to help find a solution.

I really hope this did not come across as teacher bashing. I am just trying to get you as a new teacher to understand that not in all cases would a comment about the work be in disrespect of your education or the time you put into coming up with the assignment. It would be so you could help the student who struggles more than others and understand that their parent is the expert in that particular child's needs. The stuggles might not be appearant to you in the classroom if the child has learned to hide it for fear of being seen as not as smart.

The thing that helped me most in the classrooms I have worked in is respect on all sides. If I show respect toward a child or parent as a person and open my ears and listen I have always gotten respect back. If you get a crazy parent you will know it so don't take it personally.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I also agree with inahurry's comments above.

I have been known to post some negative comments regarding some teachers...

First, I will say that I do not hate all teachers.
I will say that I did not walk into my experiences with our educational system with any preconcieved prejudice.

My opinions of our educational system, and my opinions of many teachers (what I find to be true of many teachers in general...) are based on my own personal negative experiences regarding my son.

Believe me, if I had found ONE teacher who really cared about helping my son, who has some learning disabilities, to learn and succeed, I would be soooo appreciative.... I would literally be falling at their feet in admiration and thanks...

That simply has NOT been the case.
Has not happened yet...
My experience began as DS was turning 3 in preschool, and has involved many teachers/educators/administrators, between then and now. He is now age 10.

BELIEVE ME... AS A FEW HAVE BEEN BRAVE ENOUGH TO POST... THIS SITUATION IS A TWO WAY STREET. I have seen plenty of evidence of adversarial 'parent bashers'... Teachers who were 'control freaks' or what I have termed 'teacher gods'... Teachers who simply did not teach... etc.. etc...

Bottom line..
It is a two way street..
There may some bad/adversarial parents out there.
And there are bad/adversarial teachers out there as well.

 

[Pikester]

We TRIED to work with our DD K-garten teacher. She told us that DD was wiggling too much and not paying attention. So we signed a behavior contract, we talked to the teacher frequently and exchanged emails about how to overcome this "distraction". But when the teacher sent home a list of URLs for ADHD websites so that we could "look into it, because she shows many of the symptoms" we were shocked.

1- it's illegal for a teacher to even suggest such a thing.
2- our daughter is SO not ADHD
3- gifted children often show THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as ADHD children

We sent her the URLs that we found relating to item 3 above. She ignored them and continued to imply our DD was ADHD and could not be acting this way because she was bored. That the curriculum was designed for lots of leeway in both directions academically. She did acknowledge that DD was bright, but felt she wasn't working to full potential because she was so easily distracted.

We finally went to the counselors, and guess what? Instead of checking the situation out, they immediately took the teacher's side. So now we hire private testers, who confirmed EXACTLY what we knew all along. She is bright, and bored. And when she appeared to be distracted, if you asked her a question, she knew EXACTLY what was going on in the room.

My beef isn't w/ teacher's in general, my grandmother was an exceptional teacher, my aunt was also. My uncle is a math professor and I couldn't have gotten through Calculus III w/o his help. ON THE PHONE. I seriously considered Elementary education as a career. I may still go that route (my company has a transition to teach program), but maybe not. I certainly couldn't work in the kind of environment that my daughter was forced to learn in.

My beef is with individuals who expect every child to be the same and school districts that promote this as well (this is the same school district my brothers and I were raised in, and we all had the same kinds of problems with them).

I appreciate all the hard work teachers do. I realize it can be a thankless job, and I do believe that the compensation should be improved greatly. However, along with that, we have got to come up with a better system of checks and balances than just standardized testing for "grading" teachers. As it is, there is nothing from stopping them from just squeaking by or teaching only what is necessary for the tests.

Been there! I didn't have the ADHD info sent home. But was told by the teacher that my son was a bully because he messed around in class (This was in 2nd grade and he had the same teacher for 1st. She was a looper). He was in 4th grade this year and made High Honers all 4 quarters. He also recieved the class citizenship award. I feel that his 3rd grade teacher really got him and helped him on the road to 4th grade where he had an excellent male teacher. Both the 3rd and 4th grade teachers understood him and I am very thankful for that.