Attitudes Toward Teachers

[MM27]

Another teacher here.
Personally, I think it comes down to the fact that people with good experiences are less likely to report the good than those with bad experiences. Look around the internet for anything; hotels, medications, electronics, you name it, and you will find more negative things posted.

You don't see the posts that say "Listen to the wonderful homework my child was assigned" or "my child came home talking nonstop about school today," but I can guarantee you those things are happening as well. You see the posts that are venting. That's okay. It's human nature. Sometimes I just wish that those venters could see that there is another side and all teachers are not out to get their child.

 

[jodifla]

Mine son is only 6, but we've already had our share of GOOD TEACHERs and NOT SO GOOD TEACHERS throughout preschool.

GOOD TEACHERS teach the student. Everybody learns differently. They know this and they get to know their kids. Once you are on a kids' wavelength, you can teach them almost anything! Kids and teachers are engaged and involved.


NOT SO GOOD TEACHERS teach to the curriculum. They rush through stuff not like they enjoy it, but it's just a checklist to them. If kids don't shut up and sit still, they are deemed problems, even in preK or K when it's not developmentally appropriate to sit still for an hour and listen to the teacher.

Two years ago, my DS had afternoon classes and morning sessions with different teachers. I've literally sat in parent-teacher meetings a DAY apart, and had teacher A tell me my kid needs help, he's a problem, he's not paying attention in class, he's not learning, he doesn't know his ABC's, etc. (Even though I KNOW he's know them for more than a year!!)

THE NEXT DAY I sit in with Teacher B, who tells me MY KID IS THE SMARTEST ONE IN THE CLASS! He's such a joy to have, he's a lot of fun, etc. etc. etc.

So, what's a parent to think in that scenario?

 

[worm761]

I have been very lucky to have had good teachers when my DS was in public schools. He is in private school now and I pay a lot of money for that. You had better bet that I feel one of his teachers is "bad" I will say something! Of course his teachers are great but that is a different issue...a little OT but i a make my son write notes of apology to his teachers when he does something wrong. i feel that it helps to reinforce the teachers position of authority in his life.

Back on topic...on the other hand, my niece had a homework assignment and the pages were missing from her book. The teacher refused to give her a book with all the pages, refused to make an assignment she actually had access to, and gave her a zero on the assignment. Now i could understand a zero if she had access to the assignment and just didn't do it. This is the same teacher that gave her zero's on all assignments for BEFORE she was attending this school. That is just unacceptable to me. that is a BAD teacher and she is giving all teachers a bad name when she behaves this way. personally i would have raised holy h-e-double hockey sticks had that been my son.

 

[SunshineOR]

I've been on both sides of this and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I was a teacher and found myself frustrated with the lack of support from parents and the way they'd jump all over me if I contacted them about a problem.

I quit my job to stay home with my kids and planned to be so supportive of teachers and involved in my kids' education. I had fantasies of great communication and being the supportive parent for teachers and working hand-in-hand to help my kids be healthy, happy, and successful. My kids have had some incredible teachers, some horrible teachers and some in between. I have been welcomed into one or two classes and seemed like my interest was appreciated. However, most of the time, teachers seem really annoyed by me when I ask questions, bring up a concern, or even just want to come in and spend a little time with my child at school. It feels like the classroom is their fortress and they don't like invaders in their space and want blind, silent loyalty from parents.

This year, one of my kids was having problems, mostly basic stuff like talking too much, a few social issues, etc. The teacher perpetually called, emailed and wrote to me to complain about my child. She told me my daughter needed medication, that I was causing all my child's problems because I used consequences with her, and that it was unrealistic of me to expect her to help my child because she's teaching in a public school (with a class of 22) and is too busy. I kept offering to come in and help, offered suggestions because I know what works with my child, and she would flat out tell me that she's a teacher and knows better and my way will not work. She TOLD my daughter that we were trying to get her fired because we tried to ask the principal to help us, she allowed the class to make fun of our daughter because our daughter is adopted from another culture and doesn't speak the language, and I could go on for days about the problems we had with her.

It was just one experience and I understand that it was one bad teacher, but it was a frustrating and horrible year for me, my child and our family. I will try to forget her and focus on the great teachers, but I can understand why people get "sour" about teachers after an experience like that.

 

[WeCantWait]

I

 

[Ember]

There's an interesting job description that comes with the title "teacher." Teachers are expected to LOVE their jobs. To CARE DEEPLY about each and every student. To BEND OVER BACKWARDS to help each and every individual succeed.

At the same time as teaching the actual curriculum teacher's are expected to impart morals, to teach positive character traits, to address multiple needs, to provide unlimited and unconditional support, to and to never have a bad day.

Can you imagine the out rage if a teacher confessed to it being just "a job?" No, think about it. A job that they cared about, worked very hard it, but ultimately, just another job to pay the bills. Other people are allowed to have "a job." They are allowed to have days that don't work, days where they don't feel well, and days that are so bad they can't wait to be out the door. Not so with teachers. For them to have days like this means they don't care and should obviously leave the profession.

A large part of teaching is customer service. How to interact with the public in a way that leaves the parents feeling you care deeply about little Timmy, while still actually doing the job of instructing 24 other students in the actual curriculum. Each parent wants you to pay attention to their little darling. Each parent is ready to blame you if their child doesn't succeed (it's obviously your fault). And at the same time these parents strip the teacher of any respect for their position. Do they think their kids don't pick up on that, making the teachers job a thousand times more challenging?

Here's a thought: There will always be great teachers, just as there will be good teachers and bad teachers. But part of going though the system entails learning the people skills of dealing with different people. That's how life works. You may not like you boss, or your co-worker, or your in-laws. But you learn to deal with them. This is an important lesson. This is not to say that if there is an actual problem between teachers and students it should not be formally addressed. But to rail road the entire profession because one teacher wasn't the greatest instructor to your child for one year seems overly critical. (And the teacher probably went home and complained about the unreasonable parents they had to deal with that year.)

Okay, I realize that was long winded. Humble apologies. But I've also noted a real hate for teachers the last while.

 

[agnes!]

I'll just speak to our experience with homework...
IMO assigning pages of homework (let's say 50 math problems) doesn't seem to teach anything more than just assigning 10 problems would.
And also, in our experience, a lot of homework comes across as busywork. I understand that there might be some serious pedagogical reason for assigning "projects" (eek!) or pages of homework, but most of the time? As a parent and as a family? We've just gritted our teeth and gotten through it.

After young teachers have kids and they then experience life from the other side of the desk, they usually seem to have a keener appreciation of how hard it can be from the parents' point of view.

agnes!

 

[angwill]

There's an interesting job description that comes with the title "teacher." Teachers are expected to LOVE their jobs. To CARE DEEPLY about each and every student. To BEND OVER BACKWARDS to help each and every individual succeed.

At the same time as teaching the actual curriculum teacher's are expected to impart morals, to teach positive character traits, to address multiple needs, to provide unlimited and unconditional support, to and to never have a bad day.

Can you imagine the out rage if a teacher confessed to it being just "a job?" No, think about it. A job that they cared about, worked very hard it, but ultimately, just another job to pay the bills. Other people are allowed to have "a job." They are allowed to have days that don't work, days where they don't feel well, and days that are so bad they can't wait to be out the door. Not so with teachers. For them to have days like this means they don't care and should obviously leave the profession.

A large part of teaching is customer service. How to interact with the public in a way that leaves the parents feeling you care deeply about little Timmy, while still actually doing the job of instructing 24 other students in the actual curriculum. Each parent wants you to pay attention to their little darling. Each parent is ready to blame you if their child doesn't succeed (it's obviously your fault). And at the same time these parents strip the teacher of any respect for their position. Do they think their kids don't pick up on that, making the teachers job a thousand times more challenging?

Here's a thought: There will always be great teachers, just as there will be good teachers and bad teachers. But part of going though the system entails it learning the people skills of dealing with different people. That's how life works. You may not like you boss, or your co-worker, or your in-laws. But you learn to deal with them. This is an important lesson. This is not to say that if there is an actual problem between teachers and students it should not be formally addressed. But to rail road the entire profession because one teacher wasn't the greatest instruction to your child for one year seems overly critical. (And the teacher probably went home and complained about the unreasonable parents they had to deal with that year.)

Okay, I realize that was long winded. Humble apologies. But I've also noted a real hate for teachers the last while.

Did you feel someone here rail roaded the entire teaching profession or expressed a real hate for teachers? I didn't get that feeling. I just see people expressing their experiences that are all different just as you are yours. Nothing personal in it.

I do hope you are not stating that you think that you have been stripped of any respect for your postition by a parent. If so you are taking things way too personally. You can only control you and how you feel and react to your experiences not how others feel and react to theirs. You can choose to be confident in who you are and be positive or choose to give up and be negative. If you choose to feel negative that will come across to everyone around you including co-workers, students, and parents which will inturn cause others to react to you the same way and vice versa with the positive.

You stated "A job that they cared about, worked very hard at, but ultimately, just another job to pay the bills." Heck if a teacher cared about it and worked very hard at it and want to call it just a job that's fine with me call it whatever you want. I feel if they care and work very hard they are doing their job. If a teacher is having such a bad day that's to be expect but if it will effect everyone around them then maybe they need to take a personal day everyone is entitled.

I don't hate teachers I am only commenting on one single post so please don't take it as more than it is.

 

[In a hurry]

I'll just speak to our experience with homework...
IMO assigning pages of homework (let's say 50 math problems) doesn't seem to teach anything more than just assigning 10 problems would.
And also, in our experience, a lot of homework comes across as busywork. I understand that there might be some serious pedagogical reason for assigning "projects" (eek!) or pages of homework, but most of the time? As a parent and as a family? We've just gritted our teeth and gotten through it.

After young teachers have kids and they then experience life from the other side of the desk, they usually seem to have a keener appreciation of how hard it can be from the parents' point of view.

agnes!

I agree. Doing 50 math problems incorrectly merely makes it worse. If you know how to do them, 5 or 10 for review is fine.

And I understood parents so much more when I became one! They really do make you think you know so much about kids when you are going through school. Probably 50% was accurate in my view.

 

[Ember]

Did you feel someone here rail roaded the entire teaching profession or expressed a real hate for teachers? I didn't get that feeling.

Nope, I don't feel this thread in any way insulted teachers. But there have been a great many threads that have. And it was to those I was responding as the topic was "attitudes towards teachers." As a profession it seems to garner very little respect from many posters on this board, as stated by the OP.

 

[GeorgiaPeach8]

I wanted to address a couple of previous posts--so I didn't use the quotes--

1) one of the pp mentions that her friend is a SW and makes less...this has always been the case. Most of the SWs I know are trying to get in the school system as guidance counselors because the pay is better.

2) my district is also within 45 minutes of 2 major universities but no one is waiting years for a job anymore. I can't remember the last time I had a student teacher who didn't get a job right out of school.

3) this part is in response to the pp that said good teachers will not admit there are bad teachers---I will fully admit it. It is one of the most frustrating elements of teaching. And, sadly, most of them seem to gravitate to special education. I'm not sure why. In all the years I've taught I've only worked with a handful of truly good special education teachers. Not really sure why...burn-out, who knows??

The other thing is several posts have mentioned that many jobs have seen their pay flat line and their health insurance increase. This is always the justification for not paying teachers more. I don't think police officers shouldn't get a raise just because my pay sucks.

It was especially frustrating this year because DH got a job a FedEx delivering packages...pays great, they love him and it is has WAY better benefits than my teaching job.

 

[Barbossa]

My DW is in education, believe me it goes both ways. That said, it's definitely the case of a small % of teachers and parents who can cause a lot of trouble. From a teacher's point of view, one out-of-line parent can ruin a year or a career. Personally, I wouldn't be an educator for $200K a year, it's way too stressful. Opposite topic, I realize. I'll fade into the background...

 

[spima3]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I have to remark on one thing.

In our area, teacher's pay is very high. (average teacher salary is $58K, and average salary for area is $28K)
You do NOT get a teaching position unless you know someone or pay someone off on the schoolboard. Everyone in the area knows this. I would not say they get a lot of respect because of it.
Now I have friends and family members who are teachers, and they don't like the way they are perceived, but can you blame the general public for feeling the way they do, knowing what they do?

 

[RitaZ.]

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.

First thing I will say is that I love our elementary school. A few months ago, I volunteered as a chaperone for a field trip. I couldn't believe the kind of behavior that I saw among some of the teachers, especially the younger ones. My DD's teacher was THE WORST ONE! Her griping about the students and, worst of all, about the other teachers! She practically got into an argument with another teacher that was trying to keep the groups organized. Guess who she vented to? That's right, me! I got to hear all about it on the way to our destination. She told me that she ended up in teaching because she didn't know what to do in college. She also made slanderous comments about an administrator. I have never ever seen such blatant and disrespectful behavior/attitude from a teacher. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't wait for the field trip to end. I thought about complaining to the principal about it, but they would know it was me and I didn't want my child to have to suffer for it.

 

[C.Ann]

My DGD has been very lucky and had excellent teachers since she started school.. (Next year she'll be in the 5th grade..)

Her teachers have been fun; creative; kind; caring; compassionate; and really, really seem to enjoy teaching children..

She has had all kinds of homework - from what some might call "busy" work to projects that others feel are "too expensive".. Whatever her assignments are, she is learning and enjoying it at the same time.. You can't put a price restriction on that..

If you love kids - and you love teaching - you should be fine..

 

[agnes!]

My DGD has been very lucky and had excellent teachers since she started school.. (Next year she'll be in the 5th grade..)

Her teachers have been fun; creative; kind; caring; compassionate; and really, really seem to enjoy teaching children..

She has had all kinds of homework - from what some might call "busy" work to projects that others feel are "too expensive".. Whatever her assignments are, she is learning and enjoying it at the same time.. You can't put a price restriction on that...

Your DGD is indeed lucky that she has had good experiences with her teachers so far - I do hope her luck holds. My child is in high school - there is still a grade-school year that the entire family refers to as "The Year from Hell" because of our experience with the teacher and other school personnel that year. Time has somewhat diminished the impact of that year, but it did take quite a while.

Our experience was somewhat similar to the poster who had two different teachers THE SAME YEAR give completely different assessments of their child.

agnes!

 

[friend of pooh]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I have to remark on one thing.

In our area, teacher's pay is very high. (average teacher salary is $58K, and average salary for area is $28K)
You do NOT get a teaching position unless you know someone or pay someone off on the schoolboard. Everyone in the area knows this. I would not say they get a lot of respect because of it.
Now I have friends and family members who are teachers, and they don't like the way they are perceived, but can you blame the general public for feeling the way they do, knowing what they do?

See that is the problem. It is the way people think things are because someone told them so. I teach in NEPA and while yes there are some people who have their jobs for the reasons you stated, not all of us are that way. And I am tired of hearing that we get paid too much. That average 58K salary is because of the vast numbers of teachers who have been around for 30 years. Also, did you take into account that many of those same teachers have their master's degrees and beyond and paid for all of it themselves (no reimbursement)? So for someone who has schooling beyond a master's degree and has been working for 30 years 58K is not really all that much.

I think that people feel that they can complain about teachers and schools because they think they know all about them. Afterall, didn't everyone go to school?

 

[C.Ann]

Your DGD is indeed lucky that she has had good experiences with her teachers so far - I do hope her luck holds. My child is in high school - there is still a grade-school year that the entire family refers to as "The Year from Hell" because of our experience with the teacher and other school personnel that year. Time has somewhat diminished the impact of that year, but it did take quite a while.

Our experience was somewhat similar to the poster who had two different teachers THE SAME YEAR give completely different assessments of their child.

agnes!

---------------------------

I too hope her good luck continues.. One more year and she's off to the middle school.. However, everything we have seen about this particular school district is a big plus so far and we're keeping our fingers crossed that the middle school will also be a positive experience..

 

[GeorgiaPeach8]

See that is the problem. It is the way people think things are because someone told them so. I teach in NEPA and while yes there are some people who have their jobs for the reasons you stated, not all of us are that way. And I am tired of hearing that we get paid too much. That average 58K salary is because of the vast numbers of teachers who have been around for 30 years. Also, did you take into account that many of those same teachers have their master's degrees and beyond and paid for all of it themselves (no reimbursement)? So for someone who has schooling beyond a master's degree and has been working for 30 years 58K is not really all that much.

I think that people feel that they can complain about teachers and schools because they think they know all about them. Afterall, didn't everyone go to school?

I wondered about the pay thing too...I don't teach in PA so I couldn't respond. In KY when the state averages "teachers" salaries they include g.counselors and libraries. These two positions usually have extended days. So, their salary is higher sometimes by several thousand dollars per year. This pushes up the average. Also, sometimes states get the average by adding the salaries of all "certified" employees. The public assumes they mean teachers but asst. principals and principals are also "certified."

With the rate of increase in higher education it now takes our poor 1st and 2nd year teachers more than 4 years to recoup the cost of their masters programs. I checked our salary scale...if I teach 25 years w/a masters plus 15 hours (called a rank I in KY) I will make $65. Again, really not a great deal for that level of Ed. plus 25 years of experience. BUT as a pointed out in pp I don't think it would take a great deal more to "close the gap" between teaching and other professions...I think $10k to $15k more would reasonible. I don't think most teachers are asking for or expecting to be paid doctor or dentist money

 

[Pikester]

This year has been a first for me as I worked at DS7 school as a substitute teacher. Sometimes I subbed for the classroom teacher and sometimes I subbed for a para-educater. I think teachers are not paid enough for all that they do. I am lucky that I live in a town were the average sized class is 15 students. But, those 15 students vary in there ability to learn. How a teacher can keep them all engaged at the same time is something to see! In my town, property taxes pay for our school budgets. Unfortunatly we are a property poor town so when the budgets go up we moan and groan! It's not personal. It just puts a hurt on our wallets.