Teachers Trashing Students

[MushyMushy]

Oh yes! I was berated by my teacher in front of the whole class because she really resented making accommodations for the "blind girl".

When I returned to the same school years later as a student teacher, I became ill at the things I heard at the lunch room table and in the teacher's lounge. Disabled students were raked over the coals for their needs, girls had "no business in athletics" and all the other nasty gossip. I won't even go into what the principal told me in a one-on-one meeting, which I wish I had recorded. I quit after student teaching as I wanted no part of it.

So no, I'm not surprised one little bit.

Yep, sounds like the middle school where I taught. The teacher's lounge there is just poisonous. I'm surprised these people even went into this profession, because the way they talk about kids is disgusting. They go so far as to mock kids with mental disabilities. It made me sick.

I'll never go back there again. Thankfully not all schools are like that, but you'll hit one or two where the atttiude seems to be pervasive. You've really got to pity the kids in that environment.

 

[declansdad]

My one wish for these teacher threads is for people to learn the difference between principle and principal.

 

[jjarman]

I just have to weigh in her. My son, 19 now, honestly only had one bad teacher in all his years of school. It was 2nd grade and this lady totally lost control of her classroom at the beginning of school and never got it back. Veteran teacher too. Anyway, one night my husband and I were out at this really nice restaurant. While waiting on our table we went upstairs to the lounge. It was really dark in the bar, darker than any I have ever been in. DH got to talking to a man he knew (both are in sales) and the man’s wife was there with him. I recognized the woman as my son’s teacher but did not say anything. Anyway she proceeded to tell me about this horrible little boy in her classroom. She went on and on how bad he was. Then she leans closer and says, “You are Sam’s mom aren’t you?” I said yes. Well her husband grabs her and hauls her out of there so fast. I was furious. Honestly my son was not a horrible child. All of his teachers before and after loved him. Even if he was a horrible child that is so unprofessional of her to talk that way to who she thought was a stranger. This is the same teacher who lost track of some students in the classroom and they found some exposed wires. They touched the wires with their pencil erasers and caused a large bright spark. How do you lose track of 2 kids in the middle of class?

 

[C.Ann]

It bothers me that the school has JUST adopted a new logo "Promoting Respect for Self and Others" that all the teachers voted on and now can't follow themselves.

It bothers me that when a student is demonstrating sincere care and effort to get caught up after missing school that the teacher cant respect that. She only sees the negative and assumes she's doing drugs.

It bothers me that the other teachers joined in.

It bothers me that these teachers don't seem to care that if these children are struggling in school that there maybe something they could do to help.

It bothers me that perhaps the school environment has gotten to the point that teachers feel too frustrated to do their jobs.

It bothers me that students are labeled as "stupid" or "lazy" just because they can't follow the exact curriculum and schedule that the school has laid out for these 800+ students.

I guess I just feel like this one situation is speaking for a much larger problem with our school systems.

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

Sorry this happened in your family..

Several of your concerns are quite common in this day and age of "gang mentality".. One person makes a negative, hurtful, insulting comment and before you know it, 20 more jump on the band wagon..

I would expect a school that recently adopted a logo of "Promoting Respect For Self And Others" to apply it across the board to everyone - adults and children alike..

 

[dismom2]

There is no chance she misinterpreted what the teacher meant, right. Maybe they were asking out of concern that it was obvious that she has missed a lot of school and they wanted to know why. The horrors of a teacher actually showing concern for a child.

I challenge each and every one of you that automatically jumps on these types of posts to go spend a week observing in a classroom and see what REALLY goes on. It is AMAZING how kids will twist a story to their own benefit.

Prime example--I was helping out at the kids' school one day a few years ago. In the 6th grade math class there were 2 separate periods for the class--1st hour kids listened to the lesson and got right to work with every single kid in the class finishing the assignment before the bell rang. 2nd period class the kids were rambunctious and didn't work efficiently so most of them had homework that night. That evening we had a parent/teacher association meeting and a few of the parents were complaining about "all the homework" their kids had and how the kids told them they "never got time in school to work on it". I told them what REALLY happened that day.

It really makes me sad that parents will take the word of a 1st grader or a 15 year old over the word of an adult without checking out both sides of the story or digging deeper with their own child to find out what really happened. Little Johnny comes home from school and "the teacher yelled at me all day" so mommy calls the superintendent because all that teacher does is yell at her kid. The real story is that Little Johnny wasn't listening all day and the teacher had to raise her voice to talk over the kids to get Little Johnny to stop rubbing finger paint into some little girls' hair.

I have helped out at the schools for years, and I've seen and heard extremely unprofessional behavior from many teachers and school employee's. Of course, I've also witnessed some absolutely wonderful teachers, too , and some kids who probably made the teachers' lives miserable. I've seen it all. You can't stereotype all teachers and all kids. And you have no idea if a parent quizzed their child thoroughly or not. Or, if that child has a history of BSing. Or, if the teacher is dishonest. There's no logical reason to assume all kids are lying or exaggerating. And you're also not being realistic if you think a teacher is going to willingly and freely admit to very unprofessional behavior (if they did exhibit it).

 

[Minnie*J*]

There is no chance she misinterpreted what the teacher meant, right. Maybe they were asking out of concern that it was obvious that she has missed a lot of school and they wanted to know why. The horrors of a teacher actually showing concern for a child.

I challenge each and every one of you that automatically jumps on these types of posts to go spend a week observing in a classroom and see what REALLY goes on. It is AMAZING how kids will twist a story to their own benefit.

Prime example--I was helping out at the kids' school one day a few years ago. In the 6th grade math class there were 2 separate periods for the class--1st hour kids listened to the lesson and got right to work with every single kid in the class finishing the assignment before the bell rang. 2nd period class the kids were rambunctious and didn't work efficiently so most of them had homework that night. That evening we had a parent/teacher association meeting and a few of the parents were complaining about "all the homework" their kids had and how the kids told them they "never got time in school to work on it". I told them what REALLY happened that day.

It really makes me sad that parents will take the word of a 1st grader or a 15 year old over the word of an adult without checking out both sides of the story or digging deeper with their own child to find out what really happened. Little Johnny comes home from school and "the teacher yelled at me all day" so mommy calls the superintendent because all that teacher does is yell at her kid. The real story is that Little Johnny wasn't listening all day and the teacher had to raise her voice to talk over the kids to get Little Johnny to stop rubbing finger paint into some little girls' hair.

I am a substitute in the elementary schools (and yes I am a certified teacher). I will tell you in the many different schools I have been in, I have seen teachers behave poorly towards their students. So yes, I will believe what my child tells me while I keep in mind that his perception may be a little different. (I have also seen many amazing teachers at work.) With the example that Little Johnny said he was being yelled at all day, does anyone really believe that a teacher will tell a parent "yes I scream at your child all day" And yes, I have seen (heard) more than 1 teacher who screams all day at their class.

 

[Minnie*J*]

There is no chance she misinterpreted what the teacher meant, right. Maybe they were asking out of concern that it was obvious that she has missed a lot of school and they wanted to know why. The horrors of a teacher actually showing concern for a child.

I challenge each and every one of you that automatically jumps on these types of posts to go spend a week observing in a classroom and see what REALLY goes on. It is AMAZING how kids will twist a story to their own benefit.

Prime example--I was helping out at the kids' school one day a few years ago. In the 6th grade math class there were 2 separate periods for the class--1st hour kids listened to the lesson and got right to work with every single kid in the class finishing the assignment before the bell rang. 2nd period class the kids were rambunctious and didn't work efficiently so most of them had homework that night. That evening we had a parent/teacher association meeting and a few of the parents were complaining about "all the homework" their kids had and how the kids told them they "never got time in school to work on it". I told them what REALLY happened that day.

It really makes me sad that parents will take the word of a 1st grader or a 15 year old over the word of an adult without checking out both sides of the story or digging deeper with their own child to find out what really happened. Little Johnny comes home from school and "the teacher yelled at me all day" so mommy calls the superintendent because all that teacher does is yell at her kid. The real story is that Little Johnny wasn't listening all day and the teacher had to raise her voice to talk over the kids to get Little Johnny to stop rubbing finger paint into some little girls' hair.

This line from the OP's original post makes it hard for me to believe that the teachers were truly concerned about the child. "I know she probably just goes off to do whatever the other druggies do. I just wish she wouldn't waste my time. "

 

[mefordis]

Great, constructive post! I would definitely take this approach.

Not only is this wrong on many levels, it is also illegal.

This kind of discussion falls under the FERPA law of privacy, I believe. In PA it is required that we have an updated inservice on this every year before the school year begins. We have been told in no uncertain terms to never discuss a student with any other teacher who has no reason to know information about said student, even if the child's name is not used. This includes in faculty rooms, or any casual converstion, such as a random meeting with another teacher at the grocery store, etc. As told by our superintendant, you never know who is around listening and may put 2 & 2 together to know who is the subject of the conversation.

Here is what I recommend:

1. by all means, write the newspaper article, but do not publish. She should write down in non-emotional terms exactly what happened. Time, place, persons involved, word-for-word repetition of what was said. Then add a paragraph about how it made her feel.

2. Parents should request a conference with the main teacher involved. Read the letter word for word. Expect at least an apology. If your cousin did not do well on the make-up b/c of the circumstances, request a retake.

3. If no satisfaction is provided at this meeting, go to the principal for resolution. The key here is to go up the chain of command. If you go right to the superintendant, their first question will be whether you spoke to the teacher and principal about it. If the answer is no, s/he will kick it right back there.

My husband and I are fortunate enough to both teach in the same school and often, due to our subject matter, have many of the same students. We talk about the students in our car or our home, where it is guaranteed that no one is around who will know the student. One year not too long ago, we found a girl who had become anorexic and cut herself, based on behavior changes that we had noted from the previous year. Her other teachers had only known her for a couple of months and did not realize the difference in her from the year before. We discussed the situation at length in our home (outside the district), then referred her to the proper counselors for help. Today she is a much happier, healthier student/

but again, the conversation was private, with no chance of it being overheard by the wrong persons.

If you get no resolution by the time you get to the super level, then let them know that your lawyer will be in touch. Nothing makes a district scramble to resolve a situation faster than threat of a lawsuit. Bear in mind that this could get the teacher fired. This may or may not be the right thing to happen to the teacher, but my guess is that the situation will be resolved before this point.

Good luck and keep up posted!