Thinking good thoughts for school start up

[Ed Delabama]

Good morning to all-

Mary Stetler- You make some very good points.

Some kids- regardless of grade level- are unruly- and that's being kind- and have no behavioral self-control. Sometimes these kids can be "educated" by teachers into better behavior- sometimes not. Some kids have had no behavior control taught to them from whatever kind of home life they have- but these kids still deserve a chance at improvement. Yes, this is not easy to do. but it can be done- sometimes.

And I remember quite clearly when I was teaching in the elementary levels that some kids would come to school and would not know how to hold a book- had never seen a book before. It was not a school failure that caused these kids to start at such a disadvantage. But these "started way behind" kids can be helped.

And I cannot speak with strong enough terms how much I despise the "No Child Left Behind" effort. This misguided mess put so many kids- and schools- in very bad positions with no ways out. Too many things to discuss and cuss about that big, expensive, wrong-minded disaster.

Yes, some folks decide the effort and headaches are not worth staying in teaching. But some buck up and continue the good fight.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[Mary Stetler]

Good morning to all-

Mary Stetler- You make some very good points.

Some kids- regardless of grade level- are unruly- and that's being kind- and have no behavioral self-control. Sometimes these kids can be "educated" by teachers into better behavior- sometimes not. Some kids have had no behavior control taught to them from whatever kind of home life they have- but these kids still deserve a chance at improvement. Yes, this is not easy to do. but it can be done- sometimes.

And I remember quite clearly when I was teaching in the elementary levels that some kids would come to school and would not know how to hold a book- had never seen a book before. It was not a school failure that caused these kids to start at such a disadvantage. But these "started way behind" kids can be helped.

And I cannot speak with strong enough terms how much I dispose the "No Child Left Behind" effort. This misguided mess put so many kids- and schools- in very bad positions with no ways out. Too many things to discuss and cuss about that big, expensive, wrong-minded disaster.

Yes, some folks decide the effort and headaches are not worth staying in teaching. But some buck up and continue the good fight.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

Ed, My brother was a teacher practically his whole life who was so depressed after being retired from teaching in high school. I tried to tell him there are other opportunities to teach than just the public school system. He had the patience of a saint with kids but did not put up with nonsense and caused them to learn, and his students really appreciated him. He had an adopted daughter with learning disabilities who sometimes is difficult to be near even as an adult. His technique for control is very interesting even in general social situations. So, yes, I agree with you also.
I also wish the communities being served had more control of what goes on in the schools; from safety to curriculum to requiring parent involvement but if wishes were horses we'd all be kings.

 

[Mary Stetler]

There is a teacher on youtube that is a riot. She shows it is not always the school system at fault.

 

[Marie Miller]

I agree. You say it better than I do. I have friends who are/were teachers. My neighbor across the street quit teaching in disgust and started a house cleaning business. Unruly kids with no way to discipline who did not have the basics. Another said that federal requirements ie No child left behind makes a mess of what she wants to do for the kids.
On a brighter note, a teen waited on me at Dairy Queen the other day and could make change without a computer. Must have been in the gifted and talented program.

I was never an educator aside from coaching languages 1:1.
Take away Bank Mama, credit cards and cash apps. Make them understand the value of cash. You run out of it you need to find a way of get more and visiting grandparents is not a solution.
You get a raise - save it. It is money you did not have before. Set goals and do not make new phones a priority. Learn to look past the plate rim. Long range does not mean 30 days.
I got in the habit of running numbers on an annual basis. What does the $2 gas station coffee add up? Scary!