Reply to DCPS teachers are quitting at an alarming rate, how can parents help?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]I agree with many of the previous posters. As a new DCPS high school teacher, a boy came into my classroom and began dragging a girl around by her hair. She picked up the trash can and hit him with it until he let her go. Though I was shouting for security, none came. The students all knew who the boy was and ID'd him to the VP, however his behavior was never addressed in any way. He was in school the next day like nothing happened. I pestered the VP to at least have a sit down with both the girl and the boy, but it never happened.

I have SO many stories like this. I gave up long ago on security or support from the admins. I lock my classroom door from the inside to keep my students safe. The students are so far behind and have so many troubles, it is exhausting. Not to mention many students are hungry and the (free and reduced) food they feed in the cafeteria is absolutely disgusting.

The school has a nice building, a beautiful closet full of whiteboard markers, new textbooks, and supplies for activities - all things my previous school didn't have- [b]but until basic needs are met, all those nice things are useless.[/b]  [/quote]

But basic needs are met.  The govt is providing housing, food, medical care, school supplies, school clothing, education, etc and so on to the majority of these students.  Even you point out the school is feeding them. They might not like the food and no it's no necessarily organic and preservative free but it is food which is a basic need.  So the basic needs of many students are already being met by the govt.  The govt can provide basics. It can not provide the quality you as a high SES parent expect for your own child.

[quote]
I guess I'll be a voice of dissension here--[b]I just want to say we should be careful not to stereotype all kids from lower SES backgrounds.  I grew up with many lower SES kids (many were bused in from the projects on the other side of town).  Not all of them fit the stereotype.[/b]  Some were quiet kids who did well in school despite their circumstances.  Many weren't doing super well academically; more like middling, but were not in trouble often and did not see this behavior in their own homes.

Yes, there was a significant minority of these kids in my schools--maybe 10-20%--who got in trouble fairly frequently.  Perhaps it's even higher in DC, and to some extent, it may even be a matter of survival given concentrated poverty, high crime rates, and trauma exposure in their neighborhoods (i.e., acting "tough" so that they won't be targeted by bullies).  However, let's be careful not to paint all of these kids with the same brush.[/quote]

You are right, not all of them fit the stereotype but the ones who don't are the exception, not the rule. The narrative we as high SES parents tell ourselves about the poor downtrodden kids who "just want to learn" is nothing more than that. A narrative to make us feel better. Most kids even in high SES schools don't care that much about learning.  School is just something their parents insist they must do and must do well, so they do it.  Leave it up to kids and they majority would prefer to be playing no matter what SES level they are.  It's the outlier kids who would choose to study instead.

[quote]Another former DCPS teacher, I am now in MCPS. The straw that broke the camel's back for me, happened when my second grader brought a steak knife to the school to stab a boy he didn't like. I called the the school security. Teachers in DCPS are forbidden from calling the police, instead the school security officer or the administration are the only ones who can call. The school that I worked at worked with the local police station and had specific officers that were assigned to the school. So, whenever the school called, only the officers who worked closely with the school were called. The administration and security guards also had these officers personal cell phone numbers. This ensures that this is never a record of 911 being dialed from the school number. IF 911 if called from a school number, the administration and those in the office have to report it and file an incident report with central office.

[b]I'm trying to imagine what would make a second grader feel so threatened that he would settle on stabbing someone as the best solution.  Just thinking about it is giving me chills.[/b][/quote]

Ugh, this is such a pretensions white high SES parent thing to say.  He must feel threatened to do something like this! Nah, the kid most probably saw or heard older kids use this as a solution when other kids have pissed them off or done something they don't like, so the 2nd grader decides if the older kids did it to solve their problem, then he will to.  
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