News-Record.com

What's this... first hand testament from a student who survived the ordeal of the public zoo system?
But...but... Matt, we have been told by people who were "principal for a day" how wonderful their experiences were and how disciplined the gang memb...ahem...children were, thanks to Terry Grier and the GCS system at large.
Could these have been staged events?...hmmm

During some time between jobs, I did some subbing - Matthew the LTE writer is dead-on.

Lot's of kids are just asses .. not all. The question is, what do you do about them. I argue wholesale dismantling of the public school system is not the best answer for America.

JDR,

It's not necessary to dismantle the public school system. Get a school superintendent that will actually enforce discipline and a school board that will back him or her up on it. That will go a long way to improving things, We have a superintendent that is too busy inventing new programs to spend more money, and his programs usually are discarded after a few years because they don't work. He does not allow any discipline as we can't have students not getting an education now can we? When I was in school many years ago, bad actors like these were sent to reform school. Whatever happened to that?

Look at Charlotte. they had a disaster a few years ago, and got a superintendent and board that are doing something. The people of Charlotte are encouraged about the progress being made. They sure are pleased that they rejected Terry Grier, or they would be in worse shape than they were. Guilford County on the other hand...

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Some are aware of the war zone created by an inclement environment. To Sir With Love was a great film delving into many social issues of schools in the 60's, we have not left the scenario, we still live with the same issues, yet we still aspire to the fiction that all teachers are super human. We pay decent wages for a job that has only intrinsic rewards, pressure from all sides and little to no support.

I still labor under the disillusion of the To Sir With Love generation. Yet gangs, rampant drug dealing in our schools and a societal belief that no child left behind means we force all kids to learn the same material at the same pace in the same environment without safety valves. As long as principals jobs are held over their heads for reporting and dealing with the truth, as long as we pretend that all kids must achieve the same, as long as we believe that a teacher can teach anyone, anywhere with any atypical behavior we place real people on a pedestal they cannot hope to balance upon.

My first visit to a High School as a Board member was unscheduled, unsupervised and enlightening. I walked by a classroom with about 14 kids, heard the teacher and one of her students holding a dialogue at the top of their lungs using obscenities that could curl the toenails of a hardened gunnery sergeant. The narrative recorded at Smith pales by any comparison. The difference is a recording and race, but not the race issue you might think. The reality, the Smith incident is not an aberration, yet in our hypocrisy we hoist this incident high on the flag post as if we addressed the issue. Balderdash!

I believe very few teachers do not belong in a classroom, fortunately most of these are college professors, the rest just need better training, much better support and even more respect. Most teachers I still believe follow the creed of Captain, Oh my Captain.

Garth, I supported you wholeheartedly for your run for the board, hoping for great things. Have you found that with an 11 member board, getting changes made is next to impossible??? I imagine so. Best of luck to you and all our school teachers and principals. God bless you all. (and thank you God that I am retired)

Question. The student who recorded this incident with a cell phone...was he or she punished for having the cell phone on in class, or is that OK now?

I have always thought that monitors on the wall in all class rooms at all times would be a great idea.

Carol, the question posed is something that I pondered. The editorial referenced (and the other article on that same date) in this LTTE ponder things that I have blogged in previous LTTE.

JDR, I noted in general terms, experiences I had as a substitute teacher in the GCS. While for the most part I had rewarding experiences, there were some teachers whom I refused to be a substitute. I knew of the lack of discipline and control they held. This was either due to the ineffectiveness of the teacher and/or the quality of the student OR a combination of both. Regardless, with the pay that a sub receives, it was not worth it to me to go into those classes.

I also agree that dismantling the public school system is NOT the answer. ORR is on to something regarding a school board AND superintendent that will work on discipline. I strongly believe that a GCS reform type school for the habitual trouble making students may lead to less discipline problems. Assigned this for a semester, those students who are habitually causing trouble in the classroom may lead others to shape up before they are assigned this alternative learning environment!

I also believe that allowing a student to drop out of school in the 21st Century should NOT be allowed. In my parents generation, this was often (sadly) necessary. However, there is absolutely NO NEED whatsoever to allow a student to drop out of school.

Offering a GED over a High School Diploma is ridiculous. For a person 50+ years old, sure. For anyone UNDER 50, there should be NO OPTION of a GED. It should be either a HS Diploma or nothing!

A person of 50ish age could have dropped out of high school and obtained a job with little trouble. That job provided stability with an income where the person could raise a family and live fairly comfortability. However, that is not true today. Therefore, my comments above. Ponder this.

Shalom

Surely it is no surprise that when we eliminate or drastically cut from our schools opportunities for our children to participate in community-building and esteem-building activities the atmosphere deteriorates and discipline problems mount. Recent statewide research from Texas confirms what GCS found in its own study in 1997 -- students who participate in arts, athletics or music programs are better behaved, have better attendance, make better grades and don't drop out. We also know that kids first become involved in these activities in elementary and middle school. So why is the school system gutting these programs? Why aren't we dealing effectively with hardened discipline cases?

Garth,

Our school system reminds me more of the 1955 movie, Blackboard Jungle. Mr. Dadier had his challenges, dealing with Artie West and his gang of violent, unruly inner city juvenile delinquents. Of course, that was a time when we called things what they were. J.D.s were called J.D.s and they went to reform school when they were bad.

By the way, why was Dr. Fair teaching at Smith? She didn't seem to be emotionally fitted for such duty. It would seem that she felt that if she was kind and caring that she would receive it in return with appreciation from the students. We know from social styles studies that amiable people such as that go ballistic when their kindness and caring is disregarded and are pushed. Yes, their backup style is to do exactly what she did.

So, was she at Smith as a Mission Possible teacher?

"A great percentage of these children are rebellious, careless and have a rotten attitude."

I see the blame put on the school board, students, public schools, lack of extracurricular activities, etc., but no one, including the LTE author, has mentioned parents.

Perhaps many of these kids have parents who are rebellious, careless and have a rotten attitude.

Until parents actually parent and discipline their little hellions, no amount of programs, money, etc. will make a difference.

Daryl,

There is a place of GED's for the under 50 crowd. One of my very good friends is a genius, quite literally. He was bored out of his mind in public school, dropped at the age of 16, got his GED and went straight to college. He now has, at the age of 40, a Ph.D in physics and is a college professor. Had he not been allowed to get the GED who knows where he'd be now. So, in some cases, such as his, dropping out might be the most logical step to take.

ORR
I am told that we have limited the mission possible teachers to Language Arts and Math.

Dan said: "I see the blame put on the school board, students, public schools, lack of extracurricular activities, etc., but no one, including the LTE author, has mentioned parents."

Ding-Ding-Ding, we have a winner!

For the greater part, kids are products of their parents. Let the kids listen to hate filled, misogynistic, profanity laced music, live with no male role models, talk back to their mothers, boob out on video games and MTV, Watch movies full of profanity, stay up as late as they please, and/or have parents who don't know or pay attention to who their kids are associating with and you'll end up with undisciplined, impolite, disrespectful, foul mouthed and selfish teenagers.

Pack them 30+ to a classroom and their one upsmanship between each other creates chaos in what is supposed to be a learning environment.

Thanks Hugh, I was surprised such a fundamental factor in a child's upbringing was overlooked.

PS. Love your description of lousy parents.

Lots of good comments. Hugh hit the nail on the head. And God knows it's a challenging job but come on....

Here's my input. As Garth mentioned, we're doing kids today a disservice by expecting them all to learn at the same level.

Some kids just aren't college material. Not everyone is a genius. Some are smart, just not book-smart.

Schools should offer more skills as part of their curriculum. Kids should have the option of becoming apprentices while in school. We need plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, etc. And we don't have to go to mexico to get them.

nit, that is a principle (apprenticeships) that JDR has spoken of countless times in these blogs.

I only wish the dolts on the BOE would take heed and do the citizens of GC a favor for a change!

Shalom