There is a crisis in U. S. schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Public school is trash. We homeschool with some neighbors and two are ES and HS teachers who quit. We pay them and I and another Dad are the assistants. My children have beautiful childhoods.

So you pay these teachers $60k or more plus health insurance and retirement? How is this a deal or easy for anyone else to pull off? Why would these teachers do this?

[Anonymous]

It’s all of the above. The gutting of public schools. The pandemic. Parents not parenting. Inclusion at all costs. Social passing. It’s not just poor schools. It’s not just minorities.

From an academic standpoint, we are seeing the effect of Lucy Caulkins and her bullshit. These kids CAN’T READ. They can’t do anything else, because they can’t read. They can’t write. It’s really bad.

[Anonymous]

Kids these days and their rock and roll music. Buncha hoodlums!

[Anonymous]

It's all the technology in schools. In my kids' middle school, kids are sitting there with their laptops out and cell phones on not paying the least bit of attention to the teacher. Take all tech out of schools and you will see vastly improved behavior. (I realize this is not likely to happen but technology in schools will soon be recognized for how detrimental it is.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you seeing these trends in your neighborhood schools? At home?

Do you know families experiencing these problems?

Can anything be done?

how much of this the effect of vaccines? zero is one answer, and another is one hundred percent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's all the technology in schools. In my kids' middle school, kids are sitting there with their laptops out and cell phones on not paying the least bit of attention to the teacher. Take all tech out of schools and you will see vastly improved behavior. (I realize this is not likely to happen but technology in schools will soon be recognized for how detrimental it is.)

I agree with this. Schools introduced technology before they even had a plan for limiting it, which was so backwards. Teachers can't compete with all the distractions.

[Anonymous]

Why are there so many kids (especially boys) with severe behavior problems these days? No, it’s not autism or developmental delays - my 2nd grade DS’s class has 4 boys with special behavioral charts, special “plans,” etc. and from the volunteering I’ve done in the classroom all 4 of them appear to be on grade level in terms of the work. One boy has such severe ADHD that he needs an aide to help him in pretty much all individual work. 2 boys have violent outbursts and one of them spits when he’s angry, and the other kid has a special “calming journal” and gets to leave the classroom to “take a walk” when he needs it. Yes there are also I would say 3 kids who are obviously behind academically in his class but they are sweet kids with no serious behavioral problems. I’m a Millennial who was in elementary school in the early and mid 90s and I don’t remember it being this bad in terms of kids with serious emotional regulation problems? The teachers and schools really seem to be trying as best they can but … seriously how did this all start? I really don’t think it was Covid because they went to K in fall of 2021 when schools were already open. They’re getting lots of phonics-based reading instruction. This is FCPS at an overall middle class ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need zero tolerance now.

Sorry, that is NOT an equitable approach. Not happening.

K. Enjoy your failing public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Education used to be the great equalizer. However, this is all part of the GOP plan to dismantle the Dept of Education and funnel federal education dollars to private, Christian schools. Covid accelerated their plan.

Until we value teachers and pay them more, we will not get out of this hole.

Seriously. It's not a hard concept. Why would anyone want to go into teaching given the terrible pay? Increase pay to attract bright kids.

[Anonymous]

On the right, you have folks who want to dismantle public education and make education for profit. Oh and the book banning and bashing teachers. On the left, you have the lowering of standards to make things equitable. It seems like the people making the decisions (all who have kids in private schools) really don't care about an educated populace. Ask yourselves why that's the case. George Carlin said it best: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/964648-but-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of restorative justice for all but the most minor issues. If parents won’t teach children consequences, then schools must. Children should not be shown that action have zero consequences!

Also, make elementary school enjoyable again. It should not be all about prepping for the test and pushing forward!

Consequences are an aspect of white supremacy.

And right here is why we have huge disciplinary issues.

My kid will be done in 2 years with K-12. Thank God.

PP. I don't agree with this statement I made. I'm just repeating an insane talking point made by progressives that is the heart of the US education system's sharp decline.

We are getting to the point where parody (eg, that progressives think discipline is racist or whatever) is at all constructive. There are always some loons saying something silly and some of them are in public education, but most people, including progressives, are fine with discipline and consequences. So just advocate for that and move on. The tide is turning. No need to rile folks up even is there is a kernel of truth to what you’re saying.

And you’d be shocked at how sophisticated Russian and Chinese actors are at sowing dissension, so be careful in responding to social media. Remember, in 2020, the Russians were behind one of the biggest fake BLM online operations and white supremacist net campaigns at the same time!

Do you work in public education? I do, and the predominate messaging by people at the district level is NOT discipline/consequences. It's all about restorative practices, unpacking our biases, having "courageous conversations" about disproportionality in discipline, examining how "whiteness" shows up in public education, etc. Maybe your argument is that these people aren't "progressives." Sure. But to equate this narrative (discipline/consequences are racist, etc.) to a few fringe loons or Russian/Chinese actors is just not accurate. I think only someone who hasn't stepped foot in a public school as an employee in the past few years could say something so inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Thank God for private schools. Soon anyone with means will run from this disaster further widening the gulf between the haves and the have nots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will add that as an elementary school teacher, I saw the breakdown in behavior at school take off with Trump’s election, the ballooning use of cell phones by kids, and all of the TV shows where people are publicly graded or shamed or told they don’t measure up. I started hearing elementary school kids say disgusting things to their peers and think that it was funny. It was alarming and sad to see.

Of course you did.

+1 it is true. We had to tell our kids over and over that the behavior and language they were hearing from Trump was inappropriate and they'd be in trouble if they behaved that way. Kids mirror what they see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are there so many kids (especially boys) with severe behavior problems these days? No, it’s not autism or developmental delays - my 2nd grade DS’s class has 4 boys with special behavioral charts, special “plans,” etc. and from the volunteering I’ve done in the classroom all 4 of them appear to be on grade level in terms of the work. One boy has such severe ADHD that he needs an aide to help him in pretty much all individual work. 2 boys have violent outbursts and one of them spits when he’s angry, and the other kid has a special “calming journal” and gets to leave the classroom to “take a walk” when he needs it. Yes there are also I would say 3 kids who are obviously behind academically in his class but they are sweet kids with no serious behavioral problems. I’m a Millennial who was in elementary school in the early and mid 90s and I don’t remember it being this bad in terms of kids with serious emotional regulation problems? The teachers and schools really seem to be trying as best they can but … seriously how did this all start? I really don’t think it was Covid because they went to K in fall of 2021 when schools were already open. They’re getting lots of phonics-based reading instruction. This is FCPS at an overall middle class ES.

I think when you (and I) were in school in the 90s, kids with behavioural problems were in sped classrooms and not allowed to do work at grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there so many kids (especially boys) with severe behavior problems these days? No, it’s not autism or developmental delays - my 2nd grade DS’s class has 4 boys with special behavioral charts, special “plans,” etc. and from the volunteering I’ve done in the classroom all 4 of them appear to be on grade level in terms of the work. One boy has such severe ADHD that he needs an aide to help him in pretty much all individual work. 2 boys have violent outbursts and one of them spits when he’s angry, and the other kid has a special “calming journal” and gets to leave the classroom to “take a walk” when he needs it. Yes there are also I would say 3 kids who are obviously behind academically in his class but they are sweet kids with no serious behavioral problems. I’m a Millennial who was in elementary school in the early and mid 90s and I don’t remember it being this bad in terms of kids with serious emotional regulation problems? The teachers and schools really seem to be trying as best they can but … seriously how did this all start? I really don’t think it was Covid because they went to K in fall of 2021 when schools were already open. They’re getting lots of phonics-based reading instruction. This is FCPS at an overall middle class ES.

I think when you (and I) were in school in the 90s, kids with behavioural problems were in sped classrooms and not allowed to do work at grade level.

+1