“Attack a Teacher Day:” Are we raising idiots?
As an avid news reader, I always think I have read the most outrageous story of the month and then another one pops up on my screen.
Here is the latest article that makes me think we’re raising a generation of kids with no sense, no impulse control and no boundaries. I also don’t understand why so many parents allow their young kids to be on Facebook. It is a larger arena for them to make dumb decisions.
I think adolescence has always been a time of dubious choices, but the web magnifies those bad decisions and creates audiences for them. What surprises me is that these students did not consider that the web also makes it easy to track such plots/jokes and the architects of them. Most kids I know in middle school are aware that the web offers little privacy and that one indiscreet message can end up being viewed by 100 people.
I am also surprised by the light suspensions that these girls earned; their actions strike me as deserving of more severe responses. I admire the restraint of the teachers quoted in this story. But then again, they have chosen to teach in middle schools so they understand this challenging age group better than most of us.
This kids-gone-wild story is out of Nevada:
Six girls have been arrested after students were invited on Facebook to take part in “Attack a Teacher Day” at two middle schools.
One girl was accused of inviting about 100 students on the social networking website to participate in the event Friday, and the other five were accused of responding with online threats against specific teachers, Carson Middle School Principal Dan Sadler said.
The Nevada Appeal in Carson City reported the girls were booked Wednesday at juvenile hall on a misdemeanor charge of communicating threats. Their names were not released.
While the students insisted it was a joke, Sadler noted they were arrested on the same day a suspended 17-year-old student in Omaha, Neb., fatally shot an assistant principal and wounded his principal before fleeing the campus and taking his own life.
“School shootings really happen. That’s why we took it seriously,” Sadler told The Associated Press on Friday. “It’s not OK, and it’s not funny in this day and age if you’re going to make a threat against a teacher.”
Five of the students attend Sadler’s school and the other attends Eagle Valley Middle School. Both schools are in Carson City.
Eighteen students accepted the invitation to participate in the attacks at the two schools, which had been set to take place from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday. A parent brought the posting to the attention of authorities, Sadler said.
Classes took place Friday without incident at both schools after students were earlier notified of the arrests and parents of the students who were arrested or accepted the invitations were contacted by authorities.
The 12- and 13-year-old students were arrested after allegedly posting threatening statements against six teachers at the two schools. One student used the word “die” before a teacher’s name, while others wrote that they would “attack” certain teachers, Sadler said.
No specifics, such as weapons or how the attacks would be carried out, were mentioned, said Carson City sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Rivera, the school district’s resource officer. “Even if the six girls meant it as a joke, there’s no way to know if the other students who accepted the invitation weren’t going to carry out the attacks in some fashion,” Rivera said. “The school shooting in Nebraska is just another thing that shows us you can’t take this kind of situation lightly.”
The girls were released to the custody of their parents after their arrests. They were suspended from school for between three and five days.
The Facebook posting was removed by the parent of the girl who sent out the invitation to join the attacks.
Sadler said the teachers targeted by the threatening comments were shocked by the arrests because the six girls were good students. Some held leadership positions while others had top grades.
“I would say their reaction was ‘Are you serious? Is this really happening?’” Sadler said. “The more they thought about it, they said they were not OK with it. This is kind of disheartening to an educator.”
Kathy Haas, a Carson Middle School teacher who taught two of the students who were arrested, said she was surprised because they seemed normal.
“It shows you just don’t know what’s going on in their minds,” she said. “I don’t understand their motivation. I don’t think they think about the consequences because they’re young. They’re pretty immature then.”
The arrests gave teachers at the schools a chance for classroom discussions about online communications with students, Haas added.
“It’s a teachable moment and hopefully it prevents it from happening in the future,” she said. “Most students know it was wrong. A lot of students said they knew about it (Facebook posting) and deleted it.”
Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said the case demonstrates the need for parents to monitor their children’s online activities.
“They made some pretty violent comments about some teachers, and this isn’t even close to a joke,” he said. “Children’s stresses are so great that they can act out on their frustrations. Parents need to monitor what their kids are doing on communication devices.”
– From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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252 comments Add your comment
TopSchool
January 8th, 2011
8:42 pm
I think the MEDIA adults are the “idiots” and the children are just modeling their behavior.
CW
January 8th, 2011
8:51 pm
Being suspended for 3-5 days is a joke. the should have been expeled for the rest of the year. As was said earlier, if one of the teachers fought back to defend theirself, they would have been fired. Its time these kids are held responsible for their actions and receive some real punisment.
TopSchool
January 8th, 2011
8:55 pm
@ Math Maestro
I do wish I could protect your ideal and tell you it is going to get better…
But, I have seen it get much worse.
File a “positive” GRIEVANCE in your school SYSTEM when you don’t agree…
Test the system…see how it works.
Disagree with your administrator about your evaluation…attempt to “do the right thing” if your administrator doesn’t…and see what happens.
I would like to see the “system” work too…
See what happens to you…if you as a teacher…split your classroom in half and segregate the child that do…and those that don’t.
Do this with your classroom…and you will be fired and lose your license to teach.
Yet the school systems are doing the same in middle and high schools…labeling students in groups and programs under the disguise of grouping according to ability.
As I said…I’ve not given up…
Everyday…they create another label to disguise the obvious.
Colored …becomes people of color.
Idiots are running most of the systems in place.
This is not negative…this is a positive…we know they are idiots.
That’s a good thing.
TopSchool
January 8th, 2011
9:03 pm
3-5 days suspension…
Look at what Beverly Hall did to an entire school system…and she is going to resign.
I think this is about as good as it gets.
Hall earned $344,331 in 2009, and received a performance bonus of $78,100.
And all she has to do is resign…
Seriously…our children are not stupid…they watch what happens to the adults.
If the adults can act as criminals and sociopaths… they are just modeling the same behavior.
Get REAL…
They watch all of this in the MEDIA and immolate it right back for you to see.
And the media has you blogging about it now…
WOW! Rocket SCIENCE!
still there
January 8th, 2011
9:22 pm
This is an exhausting blog. Yes, kids lie. I didn’t believe it until I was a career changer and went in to teaching. As a parent it was a stunning experience to see what actually goes on in the classroom. Kids, parents, and administrators expect the teacher to daily “entertain” the children so the kids will learn in the environment the child wants. The focus is on classroom management and CYA in case of lawsuits. But then we have to cover the standards too. Cameras in the classroom are not a solution because people will see what they want to see anyway. If administrators want a teacher out, then they will find excuses to make it happen. Most parents and children are cooperative and want to do well, but the 15% will do anything to disrupt a class to make themselves look good to peers. And yes, I blame it on Happy Meals and children’s church. We have catored to our children too much and have not taught young children to integrate into an adult world.
sandy
January 8th, 2011
9:33 pm
Not surprised! I bet if the teacher asked the students to do some research at home on their computers, 6 out of 10 of his/her students would claim that they “don’t have access to the internet!” This is what I hear on a daily basis when I assign a project that requires internet accessibility (at home).
short answers
January 8th, 2011
9:34 pm
yes, we are raising idiots. yes, cameras in every classroom (viewable by administrators or public safety officers) are a great idea (i have two in my classroom).
TruthHurts
January 8th, 2011
9:36 pm
We aren’t raising idiots. We aren’t raising anything. We plop them down in front of the TV for the Television to do it. Or send them to school for the teachers and their friends to do it. We stop raising our children back in the 60’s when we allowed prayer to be taken out of school. We stopped raising our children when we stopped spanking them and started killing them. We stopped raising our children when we stopped being responsible for them. So, America accept it. We are just living wiht out mass choices.
TopSchool
January 8th, 2011
9:38 pm
@ Math Maestro
“Just look at Mark Zuckerberg who created Facebook, and is a billionaire at the age of 26.
I’m sure Zuckerberg never intended FB to be a bullying or a threat-inducing forum. FB is still a very positive platform for old friends to stay connected, and learn something new everyday.”
The use of something for either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE is in the mind of the human.
A pencil can be used for positive…writing, creating art…etc.
It can also be used as a negative…taking out the eyes of a classmate.
In this world we live in…(as I used to teach First Graders…IF I ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE EVERYTHING IN THE CLASSROOM THAT COULD BE USED AS A WEAPON…we would be sitting on the floor with our hands tied behind our backs so I could teach.)
The MIND makes the weapon…shoots the gun…etc.
The HUMAN MIND in this SOCIETY must change or OUR SOCIETY is doomed to fail.
The foundations of the Nobel Prize were laid in 1895 when Alfred Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth for its establishment. Since 1901, the prize has honored men and women for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for work in peace.
Dynamite was made without the intentions of using it for war…
In 1888 Alfred’s brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes and a French newspaper erroneously published Alfred’s obituary. It condemned him for his invention of dynamite and is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. The obituary stated Le marchand de la mort est mort (”The merchant of death is dead”) and went on to say, “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.” Alfred was disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered. On 27 November 1895, at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his last will and testament and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes, to be awarded annually without distinction of nationality. He died of a stroke on 10 December 1896 at Sanremo, Italy. After taxes and bequests to individuals, Nobel’s will gave 31,225,000 Swedish kronor (equivalent to about 1.8 billion kronor or 250 million US dollars in 2008) to fund the prizes.
As with dynamite…many things in this world were created for good…FACEBOOK is one of millions of inventions…
It is the human mind that twists its use for bad…
In a teacher’s world…some inventions for maintaining excellence are the creation of a Georgia State PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN…
or an APS- GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE…
ALL WERE DESIGNED FOR GOOD…
The human mind can use these tools for bad, too…
On December 22nd, in the face of seemingly unanimous bipartisan support, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was killed at the last minute when a mystery Senator placed what’s called an anonymous hold on the bill. This bill had already been passed by the Senate earlier in December and by the House earlier that same day, but in the final vote on the reconciled bill, which is designed to protect government workers from being punished – as they usually are – for exposing illegality, waste and corruption – it was shut down by a lone anonymous hold.
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act is trying to bring back some order to the chaos in our CURRENT SYSTEMS…
Without this protection…people will not continue to speak out against the NEGATIVE actions in this world.
Silenced we will conform to the systemic problem.
Who is the mystery senator?
See more info…
http://www.wnyc.org/blowthewhistle/
When he died in 1896, Alfred Nobel left behind a nine million dollar endowment fund. The Nobel prize is awarded yearly to people whose work helps humanity.
Progressive Humanist
January 8th, 2011
9:40 pm
Are we raising idiots? Yes. That’s because they’re being raised BY idiots. 50% of the adults in this country read at an 8th grade level or below. About 75% deny evolution happened. My foreign exchange students, regardless of how academically advanced they are, always know more about science, math, and American history than American students do. And they usually read better in English and have better facility with the language than do the native speakers (and it’s their second or third language). The answer to your question is yes, absolutely, we are raising idiots.
Dekalb Teacher
January 8th, 2011
10:00 pm
I am a white teacher in a title 1 middle school in Dekalb County. I continuously read all of the war stories in the AJC blogs and if I didn’t know better, I would say our youth today will be the demise of the country tommorrow. Yes, there are a certain percent of students that will be totally disrespectful. Overall, I find that majority of the students are good children that happen to often be in bad circumstances. Most of them, while they may not bring in their homework most of the time, are concerned about their education. Often these students go home and may take on the role of the parent because their mother is at work trying to make a living. These children are not idiots. Most of them are respectful. Why don’t you all concentrate a little of your effort on them. Teaching is my life other than my family. If you all consider it to be a war zone, maybe you need to leave the profession. I am strict with my students, but they know that I am fair with them and care deeply about their success. They respond positively to that concern. Maybe some of you shoud look at your attitude toward them and maybe you will find that their attitude is often a reflection of your attitude and not always their parent’s attitude. You tell or show a student enough times that you think they are idiots, a bothersome part of your life, and all negative things, don’t expect them to respect you either.
Progressive Humanist
January 8th, 2011
10:07 pm
It’s become part of the American culture to reject expertise and embrace idiocy. Professors, scientists, economists, etc. are written off as “ivory tower elitists” and their advice is seen as being no more valid than bloggers and talking heads with absolutely no training in the specific field in question. So we have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans who will accept the opinion of a half term governor of a state with fewer people than Dekalb County who dropped out of 4 colleges before barely earning a bachelor’s degree in a facile discipline over the guidance of people who actually know things. We had a president with his finger on the red button who couldn’t even pronounce the name of the devastating weaponry he was in command of.
Too many Americans cannot discern fact from fiction, weigh evidence, or even apply logic sufficiently. Opinion is viewed as being more credible than fact as long as the person with the opinion yells loud enough, is heard by enough people, and that opinion, however ridiculous, is repeated by enough people. It’s as if subjective beliefs will somehow dictate reality, instead of people adjusting their beliefs based on what the evidence (and reality) suggest. This country will be in trouble if we as a people don’t begin to value knowledge, education, science, and reason once again.
U.S. Kids Have No Bounderies & World Intellectual Ranking has Plummeted
January 8th, 2011
10:07 pm
Parents place few or no boundaries on their kids. Every little deed that their unaccomplished kids perform is over praised and deemed earth shatteringly `wonderful!`. The next generation of backwards losers is being coddled without consequences for their obtuse actions and perpetrated on America.
American schools and parents are turning substantially below average kids. The substandard evaluations are based not only on past U.S. standards, but based on their low ranking across the board by the World’s standards.
Dr. John Trotter
January 8th, 2011
10:10 pm
Order is the first law of the universe but superintendents want only booger-eatin’ weasels as school administrators…because they can be controlled. Therefore, all discipline problems can be either totally ignored or swept under the proverbial rug. Then, these educational sluts (viz., gypsy superintendents) who stay on their jobs for an average of less than three years (note Cindy Loe) can fool the naive school board members into thinking that everything is just swell and swimmingly in the schools. Here comes bonus money!
You cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions. No exception to the Law of Learning. (c) MACE, January 8, 2011.
The Truth
January 8th, 2011
10:18 pm
In a word – yes. There’s no doubt in my mind that this generation will be the most useless in recorded history. Our school systems are irrevocably broken and most parents are too busy with careers to take care of the children they chose to bring into this world. This generation is hamstrung by laziness, apathy, and the lack of common sense. They are incapable of analyzing a situation and drawing their own conclusion. If there ever were a generation that could conceivably all the country to fail, it will be this group of useless individuals.
Happy Teacher
January 8th, 2011
10:19 pm
Very well said Dekalb Teacher…couldn’t agree with you more.
Cobb History Teacher
January 8th, 2011
10:29 pm
I believe most students may not always want to learn but most want to do right. I teach middle school and it’s difficult for students as they value their peers opinions over their teachers so decisions are often made based on what their friends would think is cool. Unfortunately teachers have been made to be the enemy or the buffoon in popular culture. Watch TV and most teachers are portrayed as incompetent, boring and even the enemy. There has been only one television show in recent memory (Ned’s Declassified) that portrays school a s a positive environment where teacher care about their students. Maybe a little more focus on the positives in education especially in children’s programming would help.
Saying that pop culture TV, movies, music etc. are partly to blame is not the blame game its reality. I for one would like to see producers and directors create programs that are more positive as we won’t ever get rid of TV as its part of our culture. Put pressure on producers and advertisers to create positive images in television and the movies. Eliminate poisons like reality TV, Gangsta rap, and other negative media and maybe we can reverse the trend
The Truth
January 8th, 2011
10:51 pm
It’s people like you that are contributing to the problem. We are a society of excuses living in a world where there are none. Take ownership and make a difference instead of an excuse!
zeke
January 8th, 2011
11:06 pm
They should be expelled and prosecuted! Then pu in prison for 12 for 15 years or longer!!!!!!
say what?
January 8th, 2011
11:12 pm
Idiots? Yep, and this is a learned behavior. Learned from home. From the time these kids come into the world we lack direct contact with them, we start pushing books and toys with sounds and colors in front of them, they push the correct color or sound, and we think that we have created a genius. without the control, the connections, and positive contact early on, these little girls are what we are producing. No empathy, no fear of consequences, no responsibility for their actions, just worried about wanting to do what they want to do when they want to do.
DCSS has made it even easier with this bogus month long attention to bullying, and the approval of the new bullying policy. If you hear 2 kids joking and one calls another “fat” or “silly”, a referral for bullying is to be submitted, if not you could lose your job. We have taken the teachable moment out of the equation, taken responsibilty for everything and placed it with the teachers, who are already busy. When do kids learn to process and reflect on what they have done? They don’t.They post about killing and attacking adults, and then cannot understand that you cannot do that.
We are the idiots more so than them.
Northview (Ex)Teacher
January 8th, 2011
11:47 pm
Do you all see any connection between this type of behavior and what happened in AZ? I’m far away, so I would love to know what those of you on the ground think.
Reality Check
January 9th, 2011
12:11 am
Based on my observations, it appears that in the last twenty years we have begun worshipping our children. I think it probably started with divorced parents who felt they had to compete for their child’s love and tried to buy their love with gifts. Then you have parents who feel guilty for being away from the children while working. These parents will also try to buy their love. The next group of parents were raised in daycare. I was lucky–my Mother stayed home with us until we were all in school. I learned how to be a parent from her. I also was lucky enough to stay home with my two sons until the youngest started kindergarten (they hadn’t invented pre-K at that time). I wouldn’t trade that time with them for a million dollars. All of the guilt makes parents make excuses for their children or blame everyone else’s children or turn their children into arrogant, obnoxious brats. By not teaching them to be accountable for their actions or that everybodyis not going to love them like their Mama does, we are setting them up for failure as adults. How many children in their late 20’s to 30’s are still living with their parents?
Jan B
January 9th, 2011
12:14 am
It is my own personal opinion that the problems started way back when officials started listening to the crap spread by one Dr. Spock in the early 1950’s. Can’t spank our kids cuz it’ll harm their little psyceee’s? Didn’t know it was located beneath their diaper! I have heard that a child’s personality is pretty much formed by age 5, so I suggest that any parent (male and female) be required to take parenting classes B4 they are allowed to take the child out of the hospital! And when the child misbehaves jail the parents one at a time! Maybe they’ll take their job more seriously if they know they will be sent to jail ALONG WITH their little monsters!!!! Make the parents do those city and county jobs cities can’t afford to pay for anymore; like cleaning the streets, public toilets, and picking up garbage – preferably on a very hot day! Or if they live in a northern clime – shovel snow till they can’t bend over to pick up their favorite fork. Parents, are you getting the hint? You gave birth to them, they are YOUR responsibility!!!!!! If you don’t want to be a parent keep your legs crossed in the first place, barring that give them up early to those who will pay attention to the responsibility!
Ron Hyatt
January 9th, 2011
1:50 am
each and every one of your little crotchfruit needs to be incarcerated now, so I can enjoy a safe and free life.
Progressive Humanist
January 9th, 2011
2:43 am
Jan B- I think I’d recommend a parenting class for you. The problem with Dr. Spock’s advice was not that he advocated refraining from hitting children (we have neurological evidence today that supports that position), but that he suggested letting infants and toddlers cry themselves out without the parent responding to the crying. He taught parents to essentially ignore the natural cries of their babies to “teach” them to be good. This caused attachment problems with a whole generation of children (he sold more books than any other book except the bible, which has its own serious shortcomings in child rearing advice). Children with attachment deficits during the first two years of life are very likely to suffer from a host of serious problems their entire lives- behavioral, emotional, social, intellectual, developmental, cognitive, in school, in relationships, with crimes, etc. Studies from orphanages in eastern Europe after the Red Curtain fell provided much evidence for this disorder. This was likely a contributing factor to the generation in the 70’s and 80’s who divorced more than half the time. We have better science now. We should use it. But Americans don’t believe in science because it would make it harder to maintain their religious fantasies. At a time when humanity could be making real progress we’re trying our best to enter into another Dark Age.
Sara
January 9th, 2011
3:35 am
@schlmarm — OMG! I have to say that as someone who has a kid who will enter a public school kindergarten in the fall, I’m terrified. Truly, honestly, completely, and absolutely Terrified. As a stay at home mom, I try to stay up to date on kid/parenting issues, but I’m sure I do not know even a fraction of what goes on inside schools. I do know that I see a lack of respect for adult authority in kids today. I have been saying for years now that the problem with kids and public schools in this country is NOT a teacher problem. It is 150% a PARENTING PROBLEM. It’s just not PC to say that. Can you imagine how it would go over if Obama (or any other president) gave parents a verbal tongue lashing. For those of us with very young children, it’s very scary to se what is happening.
northatlantateacher
January 9th, 2011
7:30 am
Progressive Humanist: I like you!
To the original question – sadly the things I see and hear everyday from our parents makes me think yes. There are wonderful exceptions but the overall picture is fairly bleak. I hesistate to label any of my students “idiots” but it’s not hard to look at the actions of parents in this manner.
Jack
January 9th, 2011
7:36 am
Civil behavior is worn as a very thin mask in the first place. Our children with impressionable minds are relentlessly bombarded by media and real-life scenes that constantly test their sense of responsibility: which is in short supply apparently because idiot children are being raised(?) by idiot parents.
sharecropper
January 9th, 2011
7:38 am
If the question is, “Is Georgia raising idiots,” the answer is simple: of course. Georgia’s public school reputation has always been dreadful, and under the increasing sway of the right wing, gets worse every year. Better, says the right, to educate white kids in private schools and let the devil take the hindmost.
Lee
January 9th, 2011
8:04 am
Random thoughts:
Sorta ironic when students were using Facebook to threaten and bully fellow students, you were all saying “the school has no authority to discipline students for something that happens outside of school” but when they use Facebook outside of school to threaten a teacher, y’all are saying that a three day suspension is not enough. @Larry Major had it right, they made a threat and the police charged them, at this point, it doesn’t really involve the school.
Parenting class? And who exactly is going to teach “parenting class”? The government? The same politicians and educrats who drove public education into the ditch? I think not.
Years ago, we had not-worth-a-crap parents and students who were brats [to put it mildly], but yet, they were able to maintain discipline in the schools. Back then, if you acted up in class, you got your butt tore up. By the end of the first grade, even the dullards realized that they had to behave. Today, they get to move their clothespin from the green light to the yellow light.
Since the 60’s, they have transformed our schools into one big politically correct sociology experiment. We are now reaping the results.
Teacher for Life
January 9th, 2011
8:33 am
Some children can be saved with intervention by a caring teacher. A parent must stay involved with their child’s school and teacher. My nephew has been attacked at a middle school twice by a child larger than him. He’s been choked and kicked. Once again, school authorities took it nowhere. I told his parents file charges. As teachers, it is our job to teach your children and to maintain order in the classroom. I still love teaching and I love kids. However, there is no way on earth that a child will run me.
Our administrators try to play games. They stack discipline problems in the classrooms of us so called trouble makers. After 28 years, I just deal. I will call parents, write, conference and document. If a child threatens physical harm against me, it’s called 911. If a child trys to put their hands on me, it’s called self-defense.
If a child is disrupting my class to the point where the other kids can’t learn, ain’t that much coddling in the world. They will be removed by any means necessary. They need an alternative setting. We don’t have time for children who can’t behave. We have to teach.
Student 1
January 9th, 2011
8:42 am
honestly, as a student, i agree with whatever is being said here. but there are some of you that lump us into 2 catagories. bad, or badder. I take offense to this. I know that in my high school there are some 100 kids or so that have never had a discipline recored, myself among them.
to the point. corporal punishment, anyone?
To Late to raise idiots
January 9th, 2011
8:55 am
We’re to late in raising idiots, theiry already here, and doing well in Washington DC!!!!!
chemteacher101
January 9th, 2011
9:14 am
the teachers should contact the authorities themselves and threaten to have the students arrested for the terroristic threats they made. They have the proof and I’m sure a subpoena would get them the initial Facebook post. Seeing how nothing is truly deleted in cyber space it could be retrieved by a technician.
Nerd Furgeson
January 9th, 2011
9:47 am
Are we raising idiots? Yes.
Nerd Furgeson
January 9th, 2011
9:49 am
An ignorant population keeps those in power, in power. So don’t expect anything from our “leaders” any time soon.
Marget
January 9th, 2011
10:13 am
When we have public figures putting out ads with crosshairs on political enemies, how can we be surprised when our children think it’s ok to do something similar? The adults said they didn’t mean it to be a call to violence either…children learn from their elders.
catlady
January 9th, 2011
10:51 am
Marget–It’s all part and parcel of the same mind set. Talk about entitlements! We have “leaders” believing they are “entitled” to put crosshairs on someone they perceive as an opponent. THAT is the ULTIMATE ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY! Yet Sarah and posse will deny it it with their fingers on the triggers.
Gwinnett Teacher
January 9th, 2011
10:58 am
I’m in my 12th year of teaching and I’ve seen some crazy things go on in schools/classrooms. I’ve also seen some wonderful things. I’ve seen the most popular girl in school befriend an autistic student in my class and agree to be his student buddy. I’ve seen students who had very little themselves raise thousands of dollars for those who had even less. I’ve seen students who work their hardest and try their hardest every day. Sadly, I’ve seen less of this than I have of selfish students who want to do the very least and expect the very most. Their parents are amazed that they won’t do their homework, yet refuse to take away the TV, electronics, and phones. I’ve seen parents claim they never knew their child’s grade in my class despite the fact that I email them home every other week AND our county provides a parent portal where they can go everyday. “I don’t have time” is the excuse I’ve been given. Wonder how much time they spent playing farmville? The expectations of hard work and success in school comes from the home. Without that, it is an uphill battle to get students to want to learn and want to do their best.
I’d also like to clear up one misunderstanding that I keep seeing in many of these posts. Teachers in GA are NOT unionized. That may be the situation in some city school districts, but as a whole, teachers in the state are not unionized. In GA, PAGE and GAE are available to teachers as a way to lobby for better decisions in education and to provide legal help when needed; however, neither group has the power to fight for higher wages, better benefits, or anything else for teachers. Neither of these groups is a “union” in the way you see in NY, NJ, and other northern states. Do you really think that GA would be issuing furlough days every year if teachers had a union to fight back? Do you think that teachers who were downsized out of a job because of budget cuts would be considered “fired” if there was a union to fight for a change? Feel free to blame unions for the problems in unionized states, but there are no unions here.
ScienceTeacher671
January 9th, 2011
11:03 am
Speaking of targets, the Democratic Leadership Committee had a target on that district before Sarah Palin did.
Check it out: http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=253055&kaid=127&subid=171
There’s enough blame to go around for the left and the right; I don’t think that pointing fingers at one side or the other is productive.
MsCrabtree
January 9th, 2011
11:08 am
The answer to the question at hand can be answered simply: the inappropriate behaviors we see at school are those that are permitted at home, ignored (state of denial) at home, or modeled at home by adults. End of story.
Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta
January 9th, 2011
11:20 am
Maureen,
Why didn’t the NV school system come down harder on these students? Were they afraid of lawsuits, a perennial phobia of school boards, if the system imposed a more serious consequence such as removal of these students from their home schools for the remainder of their time in middle school?
JAT
January 9th, 2011
11:57 am
A little off topic, but…I was watching re-runs of the Women of Cell Block 6 on TNT yesterday. Most of the women featured were in their early to mid 20’s, had children being raised by grandparents, were in for drug charges, and were repeat offenders.
Some had graduated high school, but most had not.
The attitudes of the women were almost comical. Some were “whining” about how the police officer(s) were talking to them and treating them. I was thinking “this isn’t high school sweetie” where a teacher could get in trouble for not asking a student “nicely” to spit out his/her gum.
Our schools, admin.’s and parents coddle and are too lienient with kids and they get these nasty little attitudes.
The women featured couldn’t believe that their behavior/choices had landed them in jail. So unfair…whaa!
It parallels what’s going on in the schools..teachers are mean and expect too much…how dare you expect me to suffer any consequences.
JAT
January 9th, 2011
12:08 pm
Actually, I think the show was on TLC…
Inman Park Boy
January 9th, 2011
12:13 pm
If you suspend a kid these days for anything short of mayhem the parents are likely to taken the school system to court. Having worked in both public and private schools since 1971, I can tell you that parents today look upon the school-parent relationship not as a joint enterprise to educate a child but as an adversarial relationship where their duty is to serve as Defense Attorney and challenge every .single thing the school tries to do. Parents are the idiots, not the schools.
Dekalb Teacher
January 9th, 2011
12:25 pm
I’ve seen many of these comments blaming the way children are raised. My question is this: Are you all parents also? Since you seem to be blaming parents for everything, it seems to me that you must be blaming all parents except yourselves. Are you all the perfect parents, blaming all of the other parents for all these students that as one of the readers said “are worthless”? I guess all of the students except your own children are being raised wrong. The way most of you sound, all of this generation are terrible, disrespectful, sorry excuses for humanity. I disagree. The same things seem to be said about every youthful generation. Rock and roll was going to ruin our generation when it came out because much of it seemed to glorify drugs and protests. Now rap is going to ruin this generation. It never will end. Face it, this generation has some problems just like ours did. However, they are still good kids with good hearts overall. Let’s get real.
Top School
January 9th, 2011
12:34 pm
@Gwinnett Teacher SAID:
I’d also like to clear up one misunderstanding that I keep seeing in many of these posts. Teachers in GA are NOT unionized. That may be the situation in some city school districts, but as a whole, teachers in the state are not unionized. In GA, PAGE and GAE are available to teachers as a way to lobby for better decisions in education and to provide legal help when needed; however, neither group has the power to fight for higher wages, better benefits, or anything else for teachers. Neither of these groups is a “union” in the way you see in NY, NJ, and other northern states. Do you really think that GA would be issuing furlough days every year if teachers had a union to fight back? Do you think that teachers who were downsized out of a job because of budget cuts would be considered “fired” if there was a union to fight for a change? Feel free to blame unions for the problems in unionized states, but there are no unions here.
YES…you are exactly right…
Right to hire …Right to FIRE…Right to RETALIATE…
Right Harass…Right to Humiliate…
http://www.TopPublicSchoolCorruptionAtlanta.com
The system can basically do whatever they would like to do…as long as they do not break a law…
There are no UNIONS IN THE SOUTH…
and NO REAL due process…or greivance procedures that will work.
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act is a threat to the SOUTHERN ways of “doing it”
here in the south. see: http://www.wnyc.org/blowthewhistle/
Top School
January 9th, 2011
12:58 pm
The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was killed at the last minute when a mystery Senator placed what’s called an anonymous hold on the bill.
Call, write, email Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss and ask him “did you kill this bill?”
The final vote on the reconciled bill has been delayed . The bill is designed to protect government workers from being punished – as they usually are – for exposing illegality, waste and corruption – it was shut down by a lone anonymous hold.
How would you expect any ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOL employee to step forward and tell what they know…when the systems in place to protect them do not exist. There is not a UNION…AND the employment laws do not protect the employees from retaliation.
You can CALL 911- for help…but with an education issue they will tell you to contact the School Detectives. And your issue will quickly be swept under the rug…in an effort to control damage to our PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Top School
January 9th, 2011
1:04 pm
The reason PRIVATE SCHOOLS work is because the PARENTS can’t control what they do.
If your child causes a problem…YOU ARE OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD LOOP…
If your child can’t keep up with the curriculum …YOU HIRE A TUTOR….
NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS…with active parent participation…WANT TO RUN THEIR SCHOOLS LIKE THEY ARE private schools. This is the problem…
No need to have ADMINISTRATION… the IN THE LOOP …PARENTS are the ADMINISTRATION.
So take on some problem children…and let the PTA HANDLE IT in the PUBLIC/PRIVATE SYSTEM…
Top School
January 9th, 2011
1:12 pm
It takes a village…and if you think your tribe is the “elite” one that has the TOP SCHOOL in the neighborhood…take some of the PROBLEM CHILDREN from the neighboring village and do some CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK right here in the GOOD OLE USA.