RANT: Teachers, why are you so whiny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

then, i have parents writing me notes that say "have my son make me a birthday card at school today" or "my daughter came home with ketchup on her shirt, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE"-please. or they send their kid to school throwing up with a fever because they don't want to take a day off. sorry, but they aren't coming into my classroom like that. or i don't send enough homework, but what i do send never comes back. this is why we complain about parents.

Here's one from my experience -I'm long retired. One child brought her visiting cousin to school with her--why? Her mom and cousin's mom were going shopping that day!

I've seen this happen. It's mind boggling.

More than the one poster here think school is daycare.

NP. I think school is daycare. That's why we're homeschooling. But I can't even imagine someone sending a random cousin with them to school for the day. Why not bring your pet too, if you can't find a pet sitter? School is a joke but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in the teacher's face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

then, i have parents writing me notes that say "have my son make me a birthday card at school today" or "my daughter came home with ketchup on her shirt, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE"-please. or they send their kid to school throwing up with a fever because they don't want to take a day off. sorry, but they aren't coming into my classroom like that. or i don't send enough homework, but what i do send never comes back. this is why we complain about parents.

Here's one from my experience -I'm long retired. One child brought her visiting cousin to school with her--why? Her mom and cousin's mom were going shopping that day!

I've seen this happen. It's mind boggling.

More than the one poster here think school is daycare.

NP. I think school is daycare. That's why we're homeschooling. But I can't even imagine someone sending a random cousin with them to school for the day. Why not bring your pet too, if you can't find a pet sitter? School is a joke but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in the teacher's face.

http://www.wsbradio.com/news/national/teacher-finds-meowing-cat-student-backpack/6A03KSPrUw7fDndAqFtGLN/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

You're confused. The ridiculous decisions being made are a lot of what make the job difficult. People making decisions about teaching are not, and often never have been, teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

You're confused. The ridiculous decisions being made are a lot of what make the job difficult. People making decisions about teaching are not, and often never have been, teachers.

If you are speaking about NCLB/Common Core, what would you have the federal and state government do? We were/are not keeping up with other countries in education and there were scores of unequal schools all over the US with many children not achieving even rudimentary levels of education.

On other matters, teachers have delegated many tasks to others because of liability as pointed out and time. Do you want to go back to the one room schoolhouse? Waldorf I hear requires the main teacher to teach all subjects and stay with the same children year after year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

then, i have parents writing me notes that say "have my son make me a birthday card at school today" or "my daughter came home with ketchup on her shirt, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE"-please. or they send their kid to school throwing up with a fever because they don't want to take a day off. sorry, but they aren't coming into my classroom like that. or i don't send enough homework, but what i do send never comes back. this is why we complain about parents.

Here's one from my experience -I'm long retired. One child brought her visiting cousin to school with her--why? Her mom and cousin's mom were going shopping that day!

I've seen this happen. It's mind boggling.

More than the one poster here think school is daycare.

NP. I think school is daycare. That's why we're homeschooling. But I can't even imagine someone sending a random cousin with them to school for the day. Why not bring your pet too, if you can't find a pet sitter? School is a joke but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in the teacher's face.

http://www.wsbradio.com/news/national/teacher-finds-meowing-cat-student-backpack/6A03KSPrUw7fDndAqFtGLN/

Love that it wasn't even her cat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

You're confused. The ridiculous decisions being made are a lot of what make the job difficult. People making decisions about teaching are not, and often never have been, teachers.

If you are speaking about NCLB/Common Core, what would you have the federal and state government do? We were/are not keeping up with other countries in education and there were scores of unequal schools all over the US with many children not achieving even rudimentary levels of education.

On other matters, teachers have delegated many tasks to others because of liability as pointed out and time. Do you want to go back to the one room schoolhouse? Waldorf I hear requires the main teacher to teach all subjects and stay with the same children year after year.

Teachers need to have more input, and their concerns taken seriously.

[Anonymous]

I worked both in classrooms and in administration before law school and everything OP said is so effing true and also I knew every teacher would immediately attack her perspective as a nonteacher. When you’ve actually taught the next question is “oh only X years well you have no idea” etc. The only opinions that are valid to whiny teachers are ones in complete agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

You're confused. The ridiculous decisions being made are a lot of what make the job difficult. People making decisions about teaching are not, and often never have been, teachers.

If you are speaking about NCLB/Common Core, what would you have the federal and state government do? We were/are not keeping up with other countries in education and there were scores of unequal schools all over the US with many children not achieving even rudimentary levels of education.

On other matters, teachers have delegated many tasks to others because of liability as pointed out and time. Do you want to go back to the one room schoolhouse? Waldorf I hear requires the main teacher to teach all subjects and stay with the same children year after year.

Teachers need to have more input, and their concerns taken seriously.

Then they need to take on the responsibility and liability. Everyone wants to be heard, but with that comes responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are whiny because we have fake automony. From the outside , it looks like we can decide what happens in our classroom. On the inside, we are allowed to make very few decisions ourselves, but are always held accountable for our children. Decisions like which groups to pull, which lessons to teach when, how much time we can spend with a child, whether we can discipline a child look like they would be ours to make, but they frequently are decided by administration in our building and at the district level. We are the ones who must shoulder the consequences of these decisions even though we are not free to make them. Also, when we try to engage in problem solving about the issues we are presented with, we are usually told to just do whatever the administration says and be quiet. So from a paraeducators point of view, it probably looks like teachers have all sorts of control over the classrooms, but that is a false presumption.

This is so on point. It's a perception issue.

Except that teachers complain they have too much to do, so it's understandable that then other people are put in charge of decisions.

It's demoralizing when you want to teach child but you are powerless to make decisions about how to best educate them

[Anonymous]

Teachers have the responsibility--but not the authority.

They get the blame--but they don't get to make the decisions.

[Anonymous]

re: teachers as daycare, i've had parents drop their children off anywhere from an hour to four hours late for a six hour school day without so much as an explanation. oh, an errand to run? drop them off! sorry, but school is not free babysitting. as a teacher i am observed and rated for efficacy each year, so it matters how students learn and progress throughout the year. i would also assume you have at least some interest in your child learning, but it seems that isn't always the case. i have one student whose parents kept her out of school for six weeks because they were "angry with the school" and then were allowed to show up one day and just drop her off, no paperwork or discussion needed. i'm sorry, but that is educational neglect, and if it were up to me, i would call ACS on them.
i have a student who is supposed to be in a smaller, specialized setting who screams all day, hits, bites, scratches to draw blood-and i am told that i am not allowed to write a negative note home to her parents because "they know who their children are". instead, i'm supposed to put on a bandaid, jump back in with the other kids, and go get a tetanus shot in my own time. parents, this could be your child's class-i'm not allowed to say anything about the situation to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers have the responsibility--but not the authority.

They get the blame--but they don't get to make the decisions.

Yes... this.

[Anonymous]

OP sounds less like a sped parent with unreasonable expectations of public school teachers. Her kid works with paras, which is why she chose that as her sock identity.

[Anonymous]

Typo in PP. It should say:

OP sounds MORE like a sped parent with unreasonable expectations of public school teachers than a para. Her kid works with paras, which is why she chose that as her sock identity