Why do some teachers or admins think the worst of students?

[Anonymous]

My child is a honest and hardworking kid - doesn't skip class, turns in work, is a quiet kid in class. But I feel like teachers and admins treat all the students like they are delinquents and lying all the time. Is it DC's school or just the culture of many schools these days? I don't remember teachers being so suspicious these days. DC is not white but I don't think it's racial stereotyping because other parents have complained to us about similar incidents.

One example is child was eating a snack that is the same as the snack that teachers were getting that day. Teacher accused them of taking the snack from the teacher pile. I literally packed that snack myself. I mean it was from Costco. Do they really think the only people who go to Costco are teachers? Another example is DC got yelled at for going to the bathroom in a different part of the building from their class. That bathroom is the cleanest and they were grossed out by the condition of the bathroom closer to the class. They got accused of skipping class while coming out of the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

The bathroom situation is dangerous. I send students to the bathroom closest to our room. If they decided on their own to go to another bathroom, that’s a safety issue. Teachers need to know where students are at all times. We are responsible for them.

[Anonymous]

The bad students can fight in the classroom, cuss the teacher out, assault peers and the teacher. Repercussions? Admin will make up stories about how it's all the teachers fault. This is a way that they destabilize the classroom and blame/fire new teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bad students can fight in the classroom, cuss the teacher out, assault peers and the teacher. Repercussions? Admin will make up stories about how it's all the teachers fault. This is a way that they destabilize the classroom and blame/fire new teachers.

One time a counselor showed up to a ES classroom and was telling students "you are in X grade, you are telling me you don't know how to do Z you should know how to do Z" looking at the teacher the whole time as if the teacher's fault they don't know and this was in the beginning of the school year with a new teacher. Some tensions definitely between those two adults, teacher left after 2 years and unfortunately counselor still there.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you bring up an amazing problem. The issue is it's sort of pervasive, but also highly variable. But I absolutely can see the kind of paranoia mixed with sloppiness playing out in the scenarios you described. I don't know what the answer is. I think these problems you describe is what the antiracism audit and action plan is SUPPOSED to reverse and remediate, but given what I've seen of that thus far, I'm not confident it will do that.

[Anonymous]

Well, people, as a whole, lie *all* the time. Kids are not the exception. My kids, your kids, loud kids, quiet kids...all kids lie at some point or another. So if you are faced with 100 kids every day, the odds that at least one of them lies to you during that day is pretty good. Imagine being around 1000 teenagers, just any teenagers who happen to live in the vicinity of the building, and seeing one of them with the same snack that was intended for the adults. Is it so bizarre to make the assumption that one of the teenagers stole the snack?

Now I would *never* yell at a kid for eating a suspicious snack or going to the wrong bathroom. I wouldn't even say anything. When teachers get snacks during teacher appreciation week, I bring the kids some candy because I have a bleeding heart and think it's sad for them to see others enjoying treats and not getting any. But asking teachers to constantly give students the benefit of the doubt when they are faced with the issues they are faced with is maybe asking a bit too much. I do feel bad for your kid, but teach him that it's not personal and sometimes people have their own issues they're dealing with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is a honest and hardworking kid - doesn't skip class, turns in work, is a quiet kid in class. But I feel like teachers and admins treat all the students like they are delinquents and lying all the time. Is it DC's school or just the culture of many schools these days? I don't remember teachers being so suspicious these days. DC is not white but I don't think it's racial stereotyping because other parents have complained to us about similar incidents.

One example is child was eating a snack that is the same as the snack that teachers were getting that day. Teacher accused them of taking the snack from the teacher pile. I literally packed that snack myself. I mean it was from Costco. Do they really think the only people who go to Costco are teachers? Another example is DC got yelled at for going to the bathroom in a different part of the building from their class. That bathroom is the cleanest and they were grossed out by the condition of the bathroom closer to the class. They got accused of skipping class while coming out of the bathroom.

There’s an article about two reasons one becomes a teacher. One of those reasons is they are bullies and teaching gives them the opportunity to bully.

PP here and while I think there are far more reasons someone chooses to be a teacher, I definitely believe that some choose it because they're power trip type people. Most people like that would choose police officer, I'd think, but maybe if they are physically weaker and can't manhandle adults they will go with teacher. But I do think that a lot of the mean teachers aren't natural-born bullies, they are more people who are spread thin with expectations in their personal and professional lives (expectations like 'if a kid throws a chair, just build a relationship with him to fix it!') and haven't managed to cope with it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, people, as a whole, lie *all* the time. Kids are not the exception. My kids, your kids, loud kids, quiet kids...all kids lie at some point or another. So if you are faced with 100 kids every day, the odds that at least one of them lies to you during that day is pretty good. Imagine being around 1000 teenagers, just any teenagers who happen to live in the vicinity of the building, and seeing one of them with the same snack that was intended for the adults. Is it so bizarre to make the assumption that one of the teenagers stole the snack?

Now I would *never* yell at a kid for eating a suspicious snack or going to the wrong bathroom. I wouldn't even say anything. When teachers get snacks during teacher appreciation week, I bring the kids some candy because I have a bleeding heart and think it's sad for them to see others enjoying treats and not getting any. But asking teachers to constantly give students the benefit of the doubt when they are faced with the issues they are faced with is maybe asking a bit too much. I do feel bad for your kid, but teach him that it's not personal and sometimes people have their own issues they're dealing with.

That's not the lesson I'd teach my kid. The lesson I'd teach them is that even adults can be wrong and I would hope that the adults in question would be mature and vulnerable enough to admit they are wrong and apologize to a kid they falsely accused of doing something they didn't do.

That would be a truly "restorative practice," which is what MCPS touts it does.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of teachers are just jaded and see the worst in kids now.

In some ways, I can't blame them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is a honest and hardworking kid - doesn't skip class, turns in work, is a quiet kid in class. But I feel like teachers and admins treat all the students like they are delinquents and lying all the time. Is it DC's school or just the culture of many schools these days? I don't remember teachers being so suspicious these days. DC is not white but I don't think it's racial stereotyping because other parents have complained to us about similar incidents.

One example is child was eating a snack that is the same as the snack that teachers were getting that day. Teacher accused them of taking the snack from the teacher pile. I literally packed that snack myself. I mean it was from Costco. Do they really think the only people who go to Costco are teachers? Another example is DC got yelled at for going to the bathroom in a different part of the building from their class. That bathroom is the cleanest and they were grossed out by the condition of the bathroom closer to the class. They got accused of skipping class while coming out of the bathroom.

There’s an article about two reasons one becomes a teacher. One of those reasons is they are bullies and teaching gives them the opportunity to bully.

PP here and while I think there are far more reasons someone chooses to be a teacher, I definitely believe that some choose it because they're power trip type people. Most people like that would choose police officer, I'd think, but maybe if they are physically weaker and can't manhandle adults they will go with teacher. But I do think that a lot of the mean teachers aren't natural-born bullies, they are more people who are spread thin with expectations in their personal and professional lives (expectations like 'if a kid throws a chair, just build a relationship with him to fix it!') and haven't managed to cope with it well.

I’m a hard-working, supportive, and encouraging teacher. I’ve devoted my adult life to my schools and my students, often at the expense of my own kids. I am married to a police officer who chose the profession because he watched a police officer save a life when he was a child. We are both in it for the right reasons.

We are both spread very thin because of shortages in our fields, so work is almost always very stressful. Still, we come and do the jobs to the best of our abilities.

We are both abused, insulted, and belittled every week at our jobs in return. We’re both counting down to retirement.

I don’t think many people with good, honorable intentions are going to pick these professions much longer. The treatment weighs on you after a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is a honest and hardworking kid - doesn't skip class, turns in work, is a quiet kid in class. But I feel like teachers and admins treat all the students like they are delinquents and lying all the time. Is it DC's school or just the culture of many schools these days? I don't remember teachers being so suspicious these days. DC is not white but I don't think it's racial stereotyping because other parents have complained to us about similar incidents.

One example is child was eating a snack that is the same as the snack that teachers were getting that day. Teacher accused them of taking the snack from the teacher pile. I literally packed that snack myself. I mean it was from Costco. Do they really think the only people who go to Costco are teachers? Another example is DC got yelled at for going to the bathroom in a different part of the building from their class. That bathroom is the cleanest and they were grossed out by the condition of the bathroom closer to the class. They got accused of skipping class while coming out of the bathroom.

There’s an article about two reasons one becomes a teacher. One of those reasons is they are bullies and teaching gives them the opportunity to bully.

PP here and while I think there are far more reasons someone chooses to be a teacher, I definitely believe that some choose it because they're power trip type people. Most people like that would choose police officer, I'd think, but maybe if they are physically weaker and can't manhandle adults they will go with teacher. But I do think that a lot of the mean teachers aren't natural-born bullies, they are more people who are spread thin with expectations in their personal and professional lives (expectations like 'if a kid throws a chair, just build a relationship with him to fix it!') and haven't managed to cope with it well.

I’m a hard-working, supportive, and encouraging teacher. I’ve devoted my adult life to my schools and my students, often at the expense of my own kids. I am married to a police officer who chose the profession because he watched a police officer save a life when he was a child. We are both in it for the right reasons.

We are both spread very thin because of shortages in our fields, so work is almost always very stressful. Still, we come and do the jobs to the best of our abilities.

We are both abused, insulted, and belittled every week at our jobs in return. We’re both counting down to retirement.

I don’t think many people with good, honorable intentions are going to pick these professions much longer. The treatment weighs on you after a while.

+1.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had dealings with two different mcps schools now and how teachers behave seems to reflect the leadership of the school. One school is filled with jaded indifferent yelling teachers who frankly don’t seem very bright. The parents are also not involved.

The other school is filled with positive helpful welcoming teachers who parents rush to help and contribute when possible.

So, OP, it unfortunately sounds like your DC is at the first type of school. It sucks, I know. I make sure my kids know that even though teachers are authority figures, they are people who make mistakes just like everyone else.