Skip to main content

Where have all the good teachers gone?I know they still exist. I have read about them.I have heard stories about them.I have even met them when my son was in elementary school.What has happened to teachers who go that extra step to help a student who may need that extra push ? Are our teachers so busy with so many students that they don't notice what is going on around or do they just not care?I fear it is the latter.Maybe some go into the teaching profession for practical reasons ..to be home with their children when school is out,good benefits and in comparison to my salary their pay is decent.But surely there are some who do it because they love children and enjoy the whole process of watching them grow and learn.Where are the good teachers? I know they are out there.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

quote:
Originally posted by Notsosmart:
I think a better question is, "Where are all of the good parents?" If there were more good parents that didn't expect teachers to raise their kids for them, then there might be more good teachers.


I agree that there are some parents with questionable parenting skills. I am very proud to say I am doing the best I can to be the best parent I possibly can. I do not agree that parents are responsible for teachers who perform poorly.To suggest so is ridiculous.
quote:
Originally posted by jjuliesmile@aol.com:
The very best teacher in the whole wide world teaches 2nd grade at Forest Hills Elementary School in Florence, Alabama. Her name is Laura Hillhouse. As a teacher, I cannot find a flaw with her!


Thanks Julie. Kathy Hargett at Brooks Elementary was a wonderful teacher.I wish we had teachers like Ms Hillhouse and Ms Hargett at the high school level.That is were I am seeing so many teachers who come off as uncaring .I have gone to the school or called about minor things (not often)that I was concerned about and been treated as if I have no right to be there.
quote:
Originally posted by Notsosmart:
I think a better question is, "Where are all of the good parents?" If there were more good parents that didn't expect teachers to raise their kids for them, then there might be more good teachers.


I must agree. I know teachers who left the field merely because the field has changed so dramatically. Parents have abdicated their responsibility and expect the school to raise their child for them. It is sad. Thankfully there are some good ones still around. They are dedicated to the children and are still able to hang in there. Bless them.
I wish I could remember the exact stats, but just the other day on the news I heard that a large percentage of new teachers quit and change their field within the first three years. Gone are the days when teachers could actually teach, worked hand in hand with parents, and were respected. These days they have to worry about their physical safety and mainly do crowd and damage control in the classroom. It's horrendous.
An annotated list: NCLB standards regulating curriculum and setting impossible goals. I had a young teacher burst into tears over NCLB. I said to her not to worry- to do the best she could. She said to me that I did not hear what was said to the teachers by administration concerning meeting the standards, There is little time left for personal interaction between student and teracher. Ridiculous curriculum content taught - often over students' heads in an effort to meet ridiculous goals. Vocabulary lessons consisting of archaic words(this is so when the student is tested four years later he will make a good grade in a word he learned for the test, if he did!). "Bought kits" prepared for particular subject matter which often are not related to local students ate all. Lastly, schools wer designed to educate. the cannot teach subject matter when they are also mandated to teach sex education, internet safety , respect for environment, etc., etc. There are not enough hours in the school day. I return to the encounter between a student and teacher. No encounter, no education. Teachers must be left time for teaching the particular class at a particular time! I have preached enough! Think back to your education years - you will know what I mean!
quote:
Originally posted by SaltyDog:
I wish I could remember the exact stats, but just the other day on the news I heard that a large percentage of new teachers quit and change their field within the first three years. Gone are the days when teachers could actually teach, worked hand in hand with parents, and were respected. These days they have to worry about their physical safety and mainly do crowd and damage control in the classroom. It's horrendous.


I wish I could work hand in hand with teachers but I have been made to feel as if they do not want to be bothered.What is a parent who is truly concerned with her childs academic performance supposed to do when the teacher refuses to cooperate.For example I went to parent teacher conference on the day set aside for that and unbelievably 2 out 3 teachers I saw acted as if I had no right to be there because my childs grades were good( and I want them to continue to be).I WANT TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS TEACHING MY CHILD.As well as to let them know I am available and I care about my child. What happened to the days when teachers actually cared about a student excelling... after all a students performance is a reflection on how well a teacher has done their job.As for the teachers who chose to leave the field maybe they were thoughtful enough to realize they were doing a disservice to the students as well as themselves by continuing in the classroom.. I did not start this thread to bash all teachers because we have been on the receiving end of some excellent educators that genuinely care about the kids.Sadly, they have been few and far between. I started this thread in an effort to reach out to other parents who may be experiencing this same type of indifference among our educators and to search for a solution before the gap between parents and teachers reaches an unbreachable point.
Sal, I hear what you're saying, you have great points, and I do agree, but so many teachers are struggling to meet unrealistic requirements (thanks George W.)while trying to control classrooms that unfortunately they tend to let the better students take care of themselves. I think Obama should rescind the No Child Left Behind Act. Children should be responsible for being promoted to the next grade by HARD WORK. It's not fair that the teachers practically have to drag some of these kids kicking and screaming to the next grade level. It's too much stress for the teachers, sets a bad example for the unmotivated student (feeling that someone will always smooth the path for them no matter what and feeling entitled to things without earning them),and takes away valuable teaching time for the other children and communication time for parents in general. A large number of children in this country are essentially being "dumbed down" because the teachers are required to make sure the slackers pass.
quote:
Originally posted by southernsally:
quote:
Originally posted by Notsosmart:
I think a better question is, "Where are all of the good parents?" If there were more good parents that didn't expect teachers to raise their kids for them, then there might be more good teachers.


I agree that there are some parents with questionable parenting skills. I am very proud to say I am doing the best I can to be the best parent I possibly can. I do not agree that parents are responsible for teachers who perform poorly.To suggest so is ridiculous.


I was not attacking your parenting skills, I don't know you. I'm sure you do a fine job. My point was that many parents try to put the entire responsibility of their child's education upon the teachers. It is NOT the teacher's responsibility to make sure homework gets done correctly, that the child gets a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast so they can be alert in class. Many parents balk at their children receiving discipline at school (or at home) and regularly talk poorly about the teachers, leading to a lack of respect from the kids. There is no way under the Sun I would consider being a teacher: 4-6 years of education costs to earn below the national household average so I can spend every day with kids that won't behave and get criticized by parents who can't fathom that little Johnny might just need a good spanking and some supervision? I'll pass. My hat is off to those that do teach, including some close friends of mine. It's one thing to love your children, it's another to worship them as little gods.
Oh my goodness--where to start. There are some excellent points on here--Saltydog, you hit the nail on the head. I am a teacher who hit the 5 year statistic and left the field. I'm not saying I'll never go back, but after 5 years I was just drained of any energy and enthusiasm I once had for teaching. Southernsally--don't give up. You have a right to be involved in your child's education. Just keep making an effort and maybe this teacher will see you as what you are--a concerned parent. High school teacher are sort of conditioned to expect to only hear from the parents who are mad about something. That statement in itself is just a sad reality. One of the main reasons I chose to leave was that I was tired of caring more for these students than they cared about themselves. It is really hard to continue day after day to teach and motivate these students who just really don't care. There are many bright, savvy, full-of-life students who made my job a joy. But then there are the soul-sucking, prophets of doom that just suck the life out of a whole classroom by their negativity and plain ole mean-spiritedness. Oddly, if I see one of these students out in public, say at Walmart or what-not, they usually come up and hug me and tell me what fun they had in my class. But my memory of them is the glare of hatred and eye-rolling. I could go on and on about other things, but I feel this is getting too long. My main point Southernsally is to hang in there--there are good, even great teachers. And they should welcome your involvement.
quote:
Originally posted by jjuliesmile@aol.com:
The very best teacher in the whole wide world teaches 2nd grade at Forest Hills Elementary School in Florence, Alabama. Her name is Laura Hillhouse. As a teacher, I cannot find a flaw with her!


Mrs. Hillhouse is an awesome teacher. she taught my son who is now 22 she was his favorite elementary teacher.
Please add to that list of all the things that waste teachers' time "the helicopter parent" who cannot accept that her child is now old enough to be responsible for his own performance, that "room mothers" haven't been requested since sixth grade, and that--God forbid--her kid might just be (oh, I shudder at the very suggestion) average.
I agree 100 percent with Mrs Hargett being a great teacher. Both my boys had her and even now that my youngest is 6 foot 2 and 180 lbs he still gets all giddy when he sees her out and runs over to hug her neck.

Now, as for good teachers they are out there. However I also understand what you are talking about when you say that too many of them just don't seem to care. One issue I am concerned with is special needs students. I have fostered children over the years and have had a few that (by no fault of their own) had learning problems. One child in particular came to me at 15 and could barely read. After paying for independent testing and finding out that he was dyslexic I went to the school to get some help with his problem. I believe it's called an IEP which is suppose to help them get the necessary help they need to succeed in a normal class room. I had several teachers who seemed down right angry that they had to give this student a little extra help. Here was a child that had been passed along never failing to the 10th grade and he read on a 3 grade level. He was so behind, but otherwise very smart and willing to learn. I actually had one teacher flat out tell me that if he could not keep up in her class then he would fail and there was nothing she could or would do for him. What happens to these kids that are not bad, don't disrupt the class room, and have great respect for their teachers but need that extra help. Who if not the teachers in their schools, that have been trained to teach, is responsible for those kids education? I put him in Sylvan after school (which helped some) and tried my best to get him all the help he needed at school. He only stayed with me for one school year and in that time he did get his reading level up to 6th grade levels, however I think about him alot and how if no one took up his cause after he left me where is he today. It was such a waste of opportunity on alot of these teachers part. He wanted to learn so bad and he was willing to do what it took to get him there but he needed their help.

What do we do with kids that are round and don't fit into the square peg? I got the feeling that special needs kids are just left to fall by the waste side.
I think that raising a child is a cooperative efforst between parents and the school system. Afterall, the teachers and staff are with our children daily more than we are. Frowner I am very involved with both of my children and I accept responsibility for every single action that they participate in. I appreciate the efforts of the teachers. However, I do not feel as if it is the school's responsibility to "raise" our children. I feel as if with the help of the school informing us on where our children are academically and behavior-wise it is then our responsibility as parents to do what is needed accordingly. My child that is in the school system makes excellent grades. It was his teacher who suggested that he is possibly advanced for his age academically and that may be the root of his "talking problem". She said that maybe he is just a little bored. In a conference I asked for with me, the teacher, and the principal we came up with some great ways to help him not feel like he had time to engage in more talking and "mind roaming". He now gets to "help" a friend with their math or reading and he gets extra accelerated reader books and gets to go take tests on them when his classroom work is finished. I am proud that we were able to help him out. He is doing better now, he still has his days but with the cooperative effort of all of us... he benefits. Smiler With him only being six, I am pretty much responsible for helping him get his homework and reading assignments turned in on time and helping him with his test material. I try very hard to help him realize how important his grades are so that he can take that with him as he progresses to higher grades.
quote:
Originally posted by southernsally:
Let me make myself very clear.I would never expect the school to raise my child nor am I a helicopter mother and I doubt that many of us are.That was a ridiculous comment.I just want more communication between parents and teachers.I certainly don't think showing up for parent teacher conference is hovering.


I understand Southernsally. Its so hard to get a real objective discussion going on with Teachers about their job. A lot of them seem to get defensive and fall back to "its the parents fault" when you want to question what going right or wrong with our education system. I wish that more of the good teachers would speak out publicly about what is really going on in our schools. It's almost like your ****ed if you do and your ****ed if you don't. If you get involved then your a helicopter Mom, if you don't get involved then your not being a good parent. Where does the responsibility of the teachers come in?
quote:
Originally posted by beth:
quote:
Originally posted by southernsally:
Let me make myself very clear.I would never expect the school to raise my child nor am I a helicopter mother and I doubt that many of us are.That was a ridiculous comment.I just want more communication between parents and teachers.I certainly don't think showing up for parent teacher conference is hovering.


I understand Southernsally. Its so hard to get a real objective discussion going on with Teachers about their job. A lot of them seem to get defensive and fall back to "its the parents fault" when you want to question what going right or wrong with our education system. I wish that more of the good teachers would speak out publicly about what is really going on in our schools. It's almost like your ****ed if you do and your ****ed if you don't. If you get involved then your a helicopter Mom, if you don't get involved then your not being a good parent. Where does the responsibility of the teachers come in?


Exactly !!! Where is the middle ground?
sleepyshoals your walmart comment about students is right on and validates why i do what i continue to do as it makes me realize we do have an impact on all kids when we don't even realize it. I don't make alot of money but feel i am doing what i am suppose to in life and do what i want in life with a "teacher salary". I am proud to be a teacher.
My wife teaches and comes home happy some days and crying others. There are great teachers out there and there are bad teachers out there, just like there are great students and bad students. Parents do have to meet the schools half way.

Just like the economy, or schools have fallen victim to the perfect storm.
1. Unrealistic expectation. (no child left behind)
2. Funding.
3. "Not my child" type parents.
4. students who don't take pride in making good grades and attending school.
5. Teachers who have been desensitized.
6. classroom overcrowding
7. Admin. that doesn't care about some students individual education plans (IEP?)

There is a good side though. There are many many teachers that do a wonderful job and take pride in what they do. Yes public schools around here can be frustrating at times but it could be worse. I for one am thankful I grew up in the Florence City School system because there are many of my friends around the state that werent so lucky. Contact the principal or go even higher, You will eventually be heard, I promise!

Add Reply

Post

Untitled Document
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×