tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post3957572430398759197..comments2024-03-08T00:17:09.224-08:00Comments on The Daily Grind: Thoughts From A Near TeacherMr. McNamarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03062641578010808106noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-72741175014828585402008-03-19T14:51:00.000-07:002008-03-19T14:51:00.000-07:00“Do you really think the public school system can ...“Do you really think the public school system can be changed from the inside-out?”<BR/>There IS no public school system. American public schools are decentralized and locally controlled. There are as many systems as there are districts and there are great differences among schools within those districts. There are certain general traditions we follow in American schools, but they are far from systematized.<BR/>It is a waste of energy to think about fixing a system, from the inside or the outside, where no system exists. We CAN modify funding formats where they are in need. We CAN create and enforce systems of discipline, by creating a consensus among interested parties in the community. We CAN work from within to change attitudes within a school over time.<BR/>“Do parents today really know what it means to be a parent?”<BR/>Parents are no worse or better than they ever were and have about the same amount of influence over their kids as they ever did—which is a lot in some cases, some in most cases and little or none in the remaining cases.<BR/>To ask that question is to look for someone to blame—which people love to do (as witness the comments to this posting) but which accomplishes nothing but to create rifts where we need bridges.<BR/><BR/>I’m not sure where to begin with the entitlement/jail bit. It is disrespectful to everybody. It dehumanizes students—lumping them all together as “entitled” and suggesting they all see school as a prison. Such generalizations create hypothetical problems for which there are no solutions. There ARE solutions for real problems in real schools, and there are numerous examples of places where a few knowledgeable, hardworking individuals have completely redeemed unhealthy school situations.<BR/>On the other hand, poor administrators, disheartened teachers, disenfranchised students and detached parents, can turn any school into a hell.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-9640263877353550962008-03-19T09:34:00.000-07:002008-03-19T09:34:00.000-07:00Oh, sure. The employees of a public monopoly are g...Oh, sure. The employees of a public monopoly are going to revolt against those who pay their compensation. That isn't likely to happen. And the students revolt? I won't hold my breath.<BR/><BR/>Those who control the purse control the institution. If you want to get away from government intrusion into education, then don't take money from the government.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-27559622527735462402008-03-17T05:37:00.000-07:002008-03-17T05:37:00.000-07:00Re: "For public education to flourish, we must re...Re: "For public education to flourish, we must recognize when our students need more than an academic education"<BR/><BR/>Let's focus on the children getting an academic education FIRST. That needs to be taken care of first, before anything else.<BR/><BR/>I think it might be more productive to have the schools teach the children and the parents parent the children. <BR/><BR/>Many children, especially the bright ones, are ignored throughout the school day/year. The concept the school seems to have is that they are too busy with character education, self esteem, other non academic issues to actually involve themselves in having enough material and at a fast enough pace to effectively teach the bright kids.<BR/><BR/>JaneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-20142795579456361022008-03-16T04:58:00.000-07:002008-03-16T04:58:00.000-07:001) God forbid government ever gets involved in "li...1) God forbid government ever gets involved in "licensing" becoming a parent.<BR/><BR/>2) Teachers only before afraid of students when their authority to discipline and remove students is taken away from them. Without authority, how do you deal with a student like <A HREF="http://oldandrew.edublogs.org/2008/03/14/reladed-the-disruptive-girl/" REL="nofollow">this</A>?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04991158750621900799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-40105118642996805232008-03-16T04:33:00.000-07:002008-03-16T04:33:00.000-07:00I agree with your comment re: parenting. Ineffect...I agree with your comment re: parenting. Ineffectual parenting knows no boundaries w/r/t socioeconomic status. As a teacher at an independent school, I see many examples of neglect on the part of well-do-parents. I also agree w/r/t your comment re: the child-centered society in which we live. Parents are afraid of their children, and teachers are afraid of the students. <BR/><BR/>W/R/T the prison analogy: That's not how I see school. Perhaps that's how students see it, especially if they have been lavished with the idea that it's all about them. Students form an integral part of the process, but, it's not all about them. In other words, I don't teach per their demands; I teach what they need to know and be able to do.Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04357558156511744021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10132773.post-61368413975915421222008-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:002008-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:00Hi Mr. McNamar,Thanks for the engaging posts. Do y...Hi Mr. McNamar,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the engaging posts. Do you think you'll stay at your current school next year? Are you looking for someplace new? I teach in Western Massachusetts, probably not too far from where you are in Connecticut.<BR/><BR/>I am tagging you with a meme. Check it out on <A HREF="http://bgenglish.blogspot.com/2008/03/meme-passion-quilt.html" REL="nofollow">my blog</A>.<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/><BR/>Mr. B-GMr. B-Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00628569059610320379noreply@blogger.com