Teachers Resigning Like Crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS is actually on Forbes' 2023 list of the best largest employers based on surveys administered to employees of these organizations/companies around the country. Before you sneeze at it's 229 ranking, it is one of only TWO school districts in the country to even make the top 500 list.

As a teacher, I don’t have a problem with FCPS as an employer. It’s all the other stuff that comes with the job.

Who do you think piles on all the other stuff that comes with the job?

Reality and laws.

+1, the federal government and state laws force a lot of this down, but FCPS can control annoying CLT meetings.

Please share one of those Federal laws.

ESSA

Have you heard of teacher resigning because of ESSA?

I haven’t.

You are connecting dots that aren’t there. PP said that FCPS has to follow federal and state laws, not that they would quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things are great here in New Jersey, where the median teacher salary is above $90,000 (versus about $65,000 in Fairfax County). Of course, we pay 2x the property tax you do.

How many years of teaching with a Bachelor’s degree does it take to get up $90k? Just curious. I’m in year 11 in my district and I’m around $81k. I should get to $90k by year 20. That’s nothing to get excited about.

If salaries aren't frozen AGAIN...

I have a MA+30 and have been teaching over 20 years, but only 16 with FCPS. I barely make $90K. I've had an MA the entire time I've been teaching and added the +30 about 15 years ago, so it isn't as though those are new credentials. We've had salary and step freezes so often that I am not on the step I should be.

I've worked for 30 years professional work and make $100,000 and don't have summers off. Teaching might be harder, but there are real other jobs that make this same amount. I think the safety issues are ridiculous in the schools.

Right, but if people aren't willing to do the job, then you don't have people doing the job. That's the bottom line.

It's a necessary job, so you have to get it filled somehow. That means more salary or better benefits or something. The benefits and salary are not too much if you can't find people to do it. Obviously -- and I mean obviously -- if it was that great a trade-off, people would go into teaching from other jobs instead of just saying it's a better deal. If it were, they would do it, especially with requirements loosened.

Not really. That’s what they said about grocery store checkout employees. Should we pay checkout workers 6 figure salaries because they had to work duri by the pandemic and deal with the public and other undesirable traits of their jobs? Nope. Self checkout!

Trends are moving in different directions. Traditional styles of in person teaching are fading away. Time to rethink education.

I mean, sure. The self-checkout equivalent in teaching is homeschooling.

Enjoy it.

Seriously, what a loon. As if millions of parents are going to drop out of the workforce to teach their kids, Little House on the Prairie style.

[Anonymous]

FCPS NOW HIRING TUTORS! All subjects, all levels. P/t and w/o benefits.

$47 an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, when this sort of crap happens, I understand: https://fcpdnews.wordpress.com/2023/02/16/fcps-instructional-assistant-charged-with-assault/
For some perspective, last May or June, this same school (Saratoga ES) had a (I think) 5th or 6th grade student assaulted a teacher by stabbing her with a pair of scissors and attempt to stab a couple others (assistant principals?)...in that case, this same principal (Erica Loesch) did *not* call the police.

So what lessons do the kids learn from this episode? If a teacher so much as touches you, the cops will be called and the teacher will be arrested; but if you stab someone with a weapon, you won't.

+1
I had a similar experience with a student, and admin made it clear they felt it was ME who was unable to control the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of my kids' teachers have left, there are no unfilled vacancies and some of the behavior issues that seemed a bit more of an issue in years prior (devious licks stuff) seem to have settled down (public secondary school in FCPS). I know there's a shortage, but it seems to be unevenly distributed even in FCPS.

A lot of times the vacancies are not even listed so you don’t even know when a teacher leaves.I am at a well regarded HS in FCPS and we have had several teachers leave midyear this year and last year. Most of them are younger and are getting out of teaching all together. Some are doing corporate training, a few are going to the govt. A couple have moved. their positions have been filled mostly by long term subs for the rest of this year. Not the best, but at least there are consistent people in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Principals get in trouble from above for having too many suspensions or disciplinary statistics so they don’t want to follow through. Kids get way too many chances, and without documentation, nothing happens.

Now that we cannot tell a child they must stay in a designated room, because that is considered seclusion, they can wander the building at will, and do.

Special education teachers cannot keep up with the workload. It’s impossible.

I know several teachers who have been attacked by special education students, and these teachers have been out for weeks as a result. One needs surgery. When a teacher is assaulted, law enforcement is supposed to be notified, but they never do that. When a teacher is out on short-term disability, they only get paid 2/3 of their pay, even if it wasn’t their fault a child hurt them severely. They can’t work their side jobs on weekends or evenings when laid up. Bills have to be paid.

JFC. This explains why so many of the sub openings are for SPED teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

Parents are fed up with this too. I feel like no one is listening.

I think school administrators are hesitant to discipline because parents are quick to sue and usually win. Too bad teachers can't sue to make sure that their workplaces are safe.

+1
I have to deal with an extremely disruptive girl, every single day. When I finally broke down in tears, another teacher (thankfully) saw us in the hallway and hauled this kid to the office. I got myself together and followed, so I could explain what had been going on in my classroom. The principal and ass't. principal just stared at me. I asked if they were going to contact the girl's parents, remove her from the classroom, etc. What was their plan? They replied that they felt she was misunderstood and deserved a more "empathetic" teacher. Oh, and btw - both admin and the girl were black. I am white. I guess I'm the evil white teacher who needs to "check my privilege" and allow this girl to wreak havoc in my classroom.

I will be quitting by the end of the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

The primary problems I see among the kids in my neighborhood and the ones on my children's sports teams are almost all related to poor parenting. These kids are held accountable for nothing, their parents jump in to rescue them from any adversity, and the kids are showered with things rather than given structure. Speaking to the parents at practice or in the neighborhood, I am disgusted to hear them blame others for everything their kids do. The kids aren't expected to take any responsibility for a single thing. The parents especially seem to vilify teachers and schools, which is wrong. Parents need to look in the mirror and directly at their children when evaluating whom is to blame for kids' bad behavior.

I watch my neighbor children intentionally litter their snack wrappers, and their parents excuse it, saying they didn't know to throw away their trash. If your 12-year-old doesn't know to throw away their trash, that's a reflection of your poor parenting.

The way my children's teammates speak to the coach and to their own parents is appalling. If your 10-year-old completely ignores adults speaking to them, that's a reflection of your poor parenting. If your 10-year-old can't even listen to the coach's directions for 3 minutes without rudely interrupting him or bouncing a ball against the wall while the coach is talking, that's a reflection on you as a parent (Before anyone jumps on me and says that some kids are not neutotypical, I am aware of that, but when 50% of the team acts this way, I'm sure it is not all because of neurodivergence.)

When my kids have invited their classmates to a birthday party, I have encountered kids (ages 8+) who have broken all the plastic forks before cake time, parents who have sent demanding lists of foods, music, and activities that their children like or do not like, kids who have thrown temper tantrums when I tell them they may not go through our personal items, and parents who just stand there watching their kids destroy other people's property.


If the above are the types of behaviors schools are encountering from both students and parents, no wonder the teachers are burning out! They must feel so discouraged and frustrated! I know I am, and I only have to deal with this nonsense a few hours per week!

Thank you for this. I am a teacher and 100 percent agree.

Maybe the public schools need to require parents go to "parenting school" for X hours before allowing their children to enter public school each year???? Has this always been a conflict b/t parents and teachers -- that kids are not sufficiently disciplined at home? I really don't know. I went to Catholic school for most of my K-12 schooling and we were taught manners like holding the door for others and standing up to say "good morning, Mrs.... " when someone walked into the room. In the rural states, the teachers are generally respected as part of the "more educated" people in the community. So, maybe there's less respect for school itself, and teachers in general, in an area where parents don't necessarily look up to or regard teachers as better than themselves.

While helping recently with my son's sport team practice, I did a little keeping of statistics.

1. I said good morning to each of the 24 children separately, using their names as well. Of the 24 children, all fifth grade students, three children said good morning back. That is three out of 24! The rest just looked at me.

2. As I was handing out snacks, the same three children who said good morning all said "Thank you," plus one other child as well. Twenty of the 24 children just took the snack and said nothing to me.

3. When the families left, fewer than half of the parents said a word to the coach or me. The rest just collected their children and left.


It seems that reciprocating greetings is a common courtesy that is no longer being taught by parents. That is unfortunate.

It seems that using appropriate manners, such as thanking someone when they hand you a treat, is also no longer taught by parents.


As a parent myself, I am disgusted by the behavior of several of my children's peers. The lack of respect for others, complete disregard for common courtesy, and lack of empathy I see among other children is horrific. I hate that my children are surrounded by rudeness and disrespect, but I also resent that these children are being raised in homes in which this is the norm, so that means their parents also act that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are leaving because administrators are refusing to discipline children and school systems are refusing to separate out poorly behaving/severely learning disabled children from the general education classroom. This didn't happen when we were children because kids were disciplined and because kids couldn't handle being in a general education classroom were put in separate schools. We need to go back to that model. Sorry, but equity is not working.

While I agree with some of this, most of our SPED kids are not behavior problems. Only a handful are. Many of our behavior problems are non sped students.

I didn't say all SPED kids, I said severely disabled and I'll be honest that I don't know the appropriate terminology, so I apologize for offensive language. I should have just said any extremely disruptive and violent child regardless of whether they have any sort of diagnosis or not. There's no discipline (and absolutely agree with everyone who says this needs to start with the parents because I know that teachers are not allowed to send kids out of the room anymore and disruptive children just end up being coddled by the administration and we need to fix this).

Exactly this. It's absurd. What do you do with disruptive kids if you're not allowed to remove them from the classroom? FCPS preaches a big game with "equity," but what about the kids who want very much to learn and aren't allowed to because of the *constantly* disruptive, misbehaving kids and the administrations that refuse to discipline them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no data to support the claim that teachers are resigning more than other professions.

I’m happy to be proven wrong, but please post a link. A story is not data.

Are you serious? This has been in the news for the past two years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

The primary problems I see among the kids in my neighborhood and the ones on my children's sports teams are almost all related to poor parenting. These kids are held accountable for nothing, their parents jump in to rescue them from any adversity, and the kids are showered with things rather than given structure. Speaking to the parents at practice or in the neighborhood, I am disgusted to hear them blame others for everything their kids do. The kids aren't expected to take any responsibility for a single thing. The parents especially seem to vilify teachers and schools, which is wrong. Parents need to look in the mirror and directly at their children when evaluating whom is to blame for kids' bad behavior.

I watch my neighbor children intentionally litter their snack wrappers, and their parents excuse it, saying they didn't know to throw away their trash. If your 12-year-old doesn't know to throw away their trash, that's a reflection of your poor parenting.

The way my children's teammates speak to the coach and to their own parents is appalling. If your 10-year-old completely ignores adults speaking to them, that's a reflection of your poor parenting. If your 10-year-old can't even listen to the coach's directions for 3 minutes without rudely interrupting him or bouncing a ball against the wall while the coach is talking, that's a reflection on you as a parent (Before anyone jumps on me and says that some kids are not neutotypical, I am aware of that, but when 50% of the team acts this way, I'm sure it is not all because of neurodivergence.)

When my kids have invited their classmates to a birthday party, I have encountered kids (ages 8+) who have broken all the plastic forks before cake time, parents who have sent demanding lists of foods, music, and activities that their children like or do not like, kids who have thrown temper tantrums when I tell them they may not go through our personal items, and parents who just stand there watching their kids destroy other people's property.


If the above are the types of behaviors schools are encountering from both students and parents, no wonder the teachers are burning out! They must feel so discouraged and frustrated! I know I am, and I only have to deal with this nonsense a few hours per week!

Thank you for this. I am a teacher and 100 percent agree.

Maybe the public schools need to require parents go to "parenting school" for X hours before allowing their children to enter public school each year???? Has this always been a conflict b/t parents and teachers -- that kids are not sufficiently disciplined at home? I really don't know. I went to Catholic school for most of my K-12 schooling and we were taught manners like holding the door for others and standing up to say "good morning, Mrs.... " when someone walked into the room. In the rural states, the teachers are generally respected as part of the "more educated" people in the community. So, maybe there's less respect for school itself, and teachers in general, in an area where parents don't necessarily look up to or regard teachers as better than themselves.

While helping recently with my son's sport team practice, I did a little keeping of statistics.

1. I said good morning to each of the 24 children separately, using their names as well. Of the 24 children, all fifth grade students, three children said good morning back. That is three out of 24! The rest just looked at me.

2. As I was handing out snacks, the same three children who said good morning all said "Thank you," plus one other child as well. Twenty of the 24 children just took the snack and said nothing to me.

3. When the families left, fewer than half of the parents said a word to the coach or me. The rest just collected their children and left.


It seems that reciprocating greetings is a common courtesy that is no longer being taught by parents. That is unfortunate.

It seems that using appropriate manners, such as thanking someone when they hand you a treat, is also no longer taught by parents.


As a parent myself, I am disgusted by the behavior of several of my children's peers. The lack of respect for others, complete disregard for common courtesy, and lack of empathy I see among other children is horrific. I hate that my children are surrounded by rudeness and disrespect, but I also resent that these children are being raised in homes in which this is the norm, so that means their parents also act that way.

As a parent deciding between our neighborhood ES in FFX County and Catholic school - this post just pushed me closer to choosing Catholic. It will be the same Catholic school I attended as a kid and while I disagree with some of the Church’s teachings, what Catholic schools excel in is character education. When a teacher or other adult entered a classroom, the ENTIRE class was taught to stand up, push in their chair and say “Good morning Mrs / Miss / Sister / Father” - and we were to remain standing until told we may sit back down! It sounds a little draconian writing it out, but it was totally normal and just the culture of the school to respect teachers and adults. Kids who didn’t abide were given a few chances to fall in line but otherwise we’re kicked out if they didn’t. I don’t have a single memory of class disrupted by another student - it just wasn’t done and wasn’t accepted. The other parents who choose to send their kids to Catholic school very likely have the same values - which matters a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

The primary problems I see among the kids in my neighborhood and the ones on my children's sports teams are almost all related to poor parenting. These kids are held accountable for nothing, their parents jump in to rescue them from any adversity, and the kids are showered with things rather than given structure. Speaking to the parents at practice or in the neighborhood, I am disgusted to hear them blame others for everything their kids do. The kids aren't expected to take any responsibility for a single thing. The parents especially seem to vilify teachers and schools, which is wrong. Parents need to look in the mirror and directly at their children when evaluating whom is to blame for kids' bad behavior.

I watch my neighbor children intentionally litter their snack wrappers, and their parents excuse it, saying they didn't know to throw away their trash. If your 12-year-old doesn't know to throw away their trash, that's a reflection of your poor parenting.

The way my children's teammates speak to the coach and to their own parents is appalling. If your 10-year-old completely ignores adults speaking to them, that's a reflection of your poor parenting. If your 10-year-old can't even listen to the coach's directions for 3 minutes without rudely interrupting him or bouncing a ball against the wall while the coach is talking, that's a reflection on you as a parent (Before anyone jumps on me and says that some kids are not neutotypical, I am aware of that, but when 50% of the team acts this way, I'm sure it is not all because of neurodivergence.)

When my kids have invited their classmates to a birthday party, I have encountered kids (ages 8+) who have broken all the plastic forks before cake time, parents who have sent demanding lists of foods, music, and activities that their children like or do not like, kids who have thrown temper tantrums when I tell them they may not go through our personal items, and parents who just stand there watching their kids destroy other people's property.


If the above are the types of behaviors schools are encountering from both students and parents, no wonder the teachers are burning out! They must feel so discouraged and frustrated! I know I am, and I only have to deal with this nonsense a few hours per week!

Thank you for this. I am a teacher and 100 percent agree.

Maybe the public schools need to require parents go to "parenting school" for X hours before allowing their children to enter public school each year???? Has this always been a conflict b/t parents and teachers -- that kids are not sufficiently disciplined at home? I really don't know. I went to Catholic school for most of my K-12 schooling and we were taught manners like holding the door for others and standing up to say "good morning, Mrs.... " when someone walked into the room. In the rural states, the teachers are generally respected as part of the "more educated" people in the community. So, maybe there's less respect for school itself, and teachers in general, in an area where parents don't necessarily look up to or regard teachers as better than themselves.

While helping recently with my son's sport team practice, I did a little keeping of statistics.

1. I said good morning to each of the 24 children separately, using their names as well. Of the 24 children, all fifth grade students, three children said good morning back. That is three out of 24! The rest just looked at me.

2. As I was handing out snacks, the same three children who said good morning all said "Thank you," plus one other child as well. Twenty of the 24 children just took the snack and said nothing to me.

3. When the families left, fewer than half of the parents said a word to the coach or me. The rest just collected their children and left.


It seems that reciprocating greetings is a common courtesy that is no longer being taught by parents. That is unfortunate.

It seems that using appropriate manners, such as thanking someone when they hand you a treat, is also no longer taught by parents.


As a parent myself, I am disgusted by the behavior of several of my children's peers. The lack of respect for others, complete disregard for common courtesy, and lack of empathy I see among other children is horrific. I hate that my children are surrounded by rudeness and disrespect, but I also resent that these children are being raised in homes in which this is the norm, so that means their parents also act that way.

Responsible parenting is a thing of the past in most families. Absentee parenting means kids are mostly raising themselves. Parents are too busy to bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this happening anywhere else? My DC's ES has has have five teachers resign mid year. Is this normal? What is happening?!

And then doing what for income?? Waitressing?
going back to school?
They are not qualified for anything else

I’m a teacher now. I plan on quitting after I earn a certification or two in coding. My son is teaching me now. He’s 16 and he says I shouldn’t be treated the way I am in a professional job. He’s a kid and he knows what’s what.

Ten years ago I knew, probably a dozen teachers personally as friends. Now I know one. They've managed to find jobs they like better without any issue; none of them have ever mentioned wanting to go back to teaching. The "doing what for income" poster is out of touch.

Like what? What are they doing? Wal-Mart? Volunteering?

Most I know are doing some sort of corporate training work. My work bff left last year and says she gets glowing performance reviews and works half the time she did teaching (making $30k more from home 3 days a week). She begs me to come join her almost weekly. It’s getting more and more tempting.

DP. Can you elaborate? What company is she working for? Sounds great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

The primary problems I see among the kids in my neighborhood and the ones on my children's sports teams are almost all related to poor parenting. These kids are held accountable for nothing, their parents jump in to rescue them from any adversity, and the kids are showered with things rather than given structure. Speaking to the parents at practice or in the neighborhood, I am disgusted to hear them blame others for everything their kids do. The kids aren't expected to take any responsibility for a single thing. The parents especially seem to vilify teachers and schools, which is wrong. Parents need to look in the mirror and directly at their children when evaluating whom is to blame for kids' bad behavior.

I watch my neighbor children intentionally litter their snack wrappers, and their parents excuse it, saying they didn't know to throw away their trash. If your 12-year-old doesn't know to throw away their trash, that's a reflection of your poor parenting.

The way my children's teammates speak to the coach and to their own parents is appalling. If your 10-year-old completely ignores adults speaking to them, that's a reflection of your poor parenting. If your 10-year-old can't even listen to the coach's directions for 3 minutes without rudely interrupting him or bouncing a ball against the wall while the coach is talking, that's a reflection on you as a parent (Before anyone jumps on me and says that some kids are not neutotypical, I am aware of that, but when 50% of the team acts this way, I'm sure it is not all because of neurodivergence.)

When my kids have invited their classmates to a birthday party, I have encountered kids (ages 8+) who have broken all the plastic forks before cake time, parents who have sent demanding lists of foods, music, and activities that their children like or do not like, kids who have thrown temper tantrums when I tell them they may not go through our personal items, and parents who just stand there watching their kids destroy other people's property.


If the above are the types of behaviors schools are encountering from both students and parents, no wonder the teachers are burning out! They must feel so discouraged and frustrated! I know I am, and I only have to deal with this nonsense a few hours per week!

Thank you for this. I am a teacher and 100 percent agree.

Maybe the public schools need to require parents go to "parenting school" for X hours before allowing their children to enter public school each year???? Has this always been a conflict b/t parents and teachers -- that kids are not sufficiently disciplined at home? I really don't know. I went to Catholic school for most of my K-12 schooling and we were taught manners like holding the door for others and standing up to say "good morning, Mrs.... " when someone walked into the room. In the rural states, the teachers are generally respected as part of the "more educated" people in the community. So, maybe there's less respect for school itself, and teachers in general, in an area where parents don't necessarily look up to or regard teachers as better than themselves.

While helping recently with my son's sport team practice, I did a little keeping of statistics.

1. I said good morning to each of the 24 children separately, using their names as well. Of the 24 children, all fifth grade students, three children said good morning back. That is three out of 24! The rest just looked at me.

2. As I was handing out snacks, the same three children who said good morning all said "Thank you," plus one other child as well. Twenty of the 24 children just took the snack and said nothing to me.

3. When the families left, fewer than half of the parents said a word to the coach or me. The rest just collected their children and left.


It seems that reciprocating greetings is a common courtesy that is no longer being taught by parents. That is unfortunate.

It seems that using appropriate manners, such as thanking someone when they hand you a treat, is also no longer taught by parents.


As a parent myself, I am disgusted by the behavior of several of my children's peers. The lack of respect for others, complete disregard for common courtesy, and lack of empathy I see among other children is horrific. I hate that my children are surrounded by rudeness and disrespect, but I also resent that these children are being raised in homes in which this is the norm, so that means their parents also act that way.

NP. I have a kid with ASD and attention issues and he doesn't say greetings, sometimes says thank you. What I have heard is that post-pandemic, 50% of children don't say greetings and have attentional issues.

I don't know how teachers do it. I appreciate them, good ones and bad ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I've witnessed kids are behaving better this year than at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, when middle school students and 9th graders seemed particularly feral. It's just going to take some time given the disruption to learning and development. Parents can't expect teachers to be miracle workers nor can teachers expect parents to have fully compensated for the disruption forced upon them by the public schools. What the teachers can and should do is push back against the refusal of school administrators to discipline students or the imposition of oppressive training and ongoing reporting requirements that interferes with their ability to function effectively in a classroom.

The primary problems I see among the kids in my neighborhood and the ones on my children's sports teams are almost all related to poor parenting. These kids are held accountable for nothing, their parents jump in to rescue them from any adversity, and the kids are showered with things rather than given structure. Speaking to the parents at practice or in the neighborhood, I am disgusted to hear them blame others for everything their kids do. The kids aren't expected to take any responsibility for a single thing. The parents especially seem to vilify teachers and schools, which is wrong. Parents need to look in the mirror and directly at their children when evaluating whom is to blame for kids' bad behavior.

I watch my neighbor children intentionally litter their snack wrappers, and their parents excuse it, saying they didn't know to throw away their trash. If your 12-year-old doesn't know to throw away their trash, that's a reflection of your poor parenting.

The way my children's teammates speak to the coach and to their own parents is appalling. If your 10-year-old completely ignores adults speaking to them, that's a reflection of your poor parenting. If your 10-year-old can't even listen to the coach's directions for 3 minutes without rudely interrupting him or bouncing a ball against the wall while the coach is talking, that's a reflection on you as a parent (Before anyone jumps on me and says that some kids are not neutotypical, I am aware of that, but when 50% of the team acts this way, I'm sure it is not all because of neurodivergence.)

When my kids have invited their classmates to a birthday party, I have encountered kids (ages 8+) who have broken all the plastic forks before cake time, parents who have sent demanding lists of foods, music, and activities that their children like or do not like, kids who have thrown temper tantrums when I tell them they may not go through our personal items, and parents who just stand there watching their kids destroy other people's property.


If the above are the types of behaviors schools are encountering from both students and parents, no wonder the teachers are burning out! They must feel so discouraged and frustrated! I know I am, and I only have to deal with this nonsense a few hours per week!

Thank you for this. I am a teacher and 100 percent agree.

Maybe the public schools need to require parents go to "parenting school" for X hours before allowing their children to enter public school each year???? Has this always been a conflict b/t parents and teachers -- that kids are not sufficiently disciplined at home? I really don't know. I went to Catholic school for most of my K-12 schooling and we were taught manners like holding the door for others and standing up to say "good morning, Mrs.... " when someone walked into the room. In the rural states, the teachers are generally respected as part of the "more educated" people in the community. So, maybe there's less respect for school itself, and teachers in general, in an area where parents don't necessarily look up to or regard teachers as better than themselves.

While helping recently with my son's sport team practice, I did a little keeping of statistics.

1. I said good morning to each of the 24 children separately, using their names as well. Of the 24 children, all fifth grade students, three children said good morning back. That is three out of 24! The rest just looked at me.

2. As I was handing out snacks, the same three children who said good morning all said "Thank you," plus one other child as well. Twenty of the 24 children just took the snack and said nothing to me.

3. When the families left, fewer than half of the parents said a word to the coach or me. The rest just collected their children and left.


It seems that reciprocating greetings is a common courtesy that is no longer being taught by parents. That is unfortunate.

It seems that using appropriate manners, such as thanking someone when they hand you a treat, is also no longer taught by parents.


As a parent myself, I am disgusted by the behavior of several of my children's peers. The lack of respect for others, complete disregard for common courtesy, and lack of empathy I see among other children is horrific. I hate that my children are surrounded by rudeness and disrespect, but I also resent that these children are being raised in homes in which this is the norm, so that means their parents also act that way.

As a parent deciding between our neighborhood ES in FFX County and Catholic school - this post just pushed me closer to choosing Catholic. It will be the same Catholic school I attended as a kid and while I disagree with some of the Church’s teachings, what Catholic schools excel in is character education. When a teacher or other adult entered a classroom, the ENTIRE class was taught to stand up, push in their chair and say “Good morning Mrs / Miss / Sister / Father” - and we were to remain standing until told we may sit back down! It sounds a little draconian writing it out, but it was totally normal and just the culture of the school to respect teachers and adults. Kids who didn’t abide were given a few chances to fall in line but otherwise we’re kicked out if they didn’t. I don’t have a single memory of class disrupted by another student - it just wasn’t done and wasn’t accepted. The other parents who choose to send their kids to Catholic school very likely have the same values - which matters a lot.

Exactly. I don’t understand why so many parents settle for public when they clearly don’t have to.