Comments on: Why Teachers Quit

By: Jose

Jose — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:06:23 +0000

Bull! Teachers leave because they get tired of sending Johnny to detention and he keeps coming back. Lets face it some kids don’t need to be in school. To hell with NCLB!

By: teacher

teacher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:50:49 +0000

Excuse me. A PROGRAM that teaches effective classroom management while simultaneously teaching kids social skills? Teachers cannot even utter corrective feedback to students without being interrupted by a chorus of “what did I do?” Students today have been taught by their elders that it is more valuable to openly challenge authority figures, i.e., their teachers, rather than passively accept criticism. The absence of wisdom in this strategy dictates that students cannot actively process constructive criticism, that sitting silently absorbing teacher feedback amounts to passivity and weakness. Where are parents in this dialogue? We live in a litigious age, where a teacher can be disciplined simply for pointing a finger in the general direction of a student’s face, yet a student would pretty much have to be caught on video beating a teacher with a baseball bat to receive an in-school detention. We live in an age in which teachers are blamed when students don’t do their homework, but who is at home with the students? The teachers? We live in an age in which arrogant and ignorant administrators and politicians (Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Klein) believe that teacher tenure should be based on test scores. They claim that it is only one barometer, yet they consistently fail to specify what other measures they would take. Meanwhile, under their proposed guidelines, how would teachers obtain tenure when they work with the lowest-performing students, with the mentally retarded, with the severely learning disabled — where high test scores are difficult and/or unlikely and/or nearly impossible? Or with kids whose parents just don’t give a damn? All this talk about raising the achievement levels of all students ignores the statistical reality that all things in nature fall on a bell curve – wherever the average happens to be, there will always be outliers on either side of the curve because of the inevitable nature of the standard deviation. Municipalities all over the country are telling their citizens that the cause of the economic downturn is that teachers refuse to accept pay cuts. How much less would the public like teachers to be paid? Most teachers cannot even afford to purchase homes in the cities and towns that employ them. So give teachers a break.

Banks nearly destroyed the world economy, yet they received billions in government bailouts. So what’s the solution? Let’s fire all the teachers! Or perhaps a small percentage of those bank bailouts should be redirected toward the public schools, paying teachers a decent wage, and giving teachers and schools the relief and support they deserve. Do you hear me, President Obama?

By: CorinneGregory

CorinneGregory — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:30:32 +0000

Terrific article with one piece missing: WHY is it so much harder these days to manage classroom behavior? Because too many kids are coming into the school system lacking the essential social skills and character traits that set them up to participate effectively in a classroom environment.

Even the best classroom management techniques and programs can’t be as effective as THEY should be if you have kids who do not understand that their job is to sit quietly, pay attention, be respectful and listen to your teacher and peers, and actually DO your work – your BEST work – completely and on time.

It’s a perfect storm: kids who don’t know how to behave and teachers who too frequently aren’t taught how to control them. No wonder teachers say they spend more time on classroom management and discipline than they do on teaching!

Programs that simultaneously work on both side — give teachers a framework for management at the same time they teach kids these essential skills — are proven to do best. Increased time on task for students, more time for teaching for the instructors. As a result, better grades, too! It’s not fair for teachers to bear the brunt of the “you must manage equation” because it assumes that the kids are willing participants in the process.

Interested in more, you can check out http://www.socialsmarts.com

By: askcherlock

askcherlock — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:38:52 +0000

The best teachers are those who have a true calling for it. My degree is in secondary Ed. I taught high school English for awhile, but at the time I looked like I was a student. I wanted to “save” inner city schools where they lacked proper materials and attention. But I was unprepared for the hostility, aggresive behavior and drugs. It was culture shock. I left and went into social work where I belonged.

By: Jacoline Loewen

Jacoline Loewen — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:22:33 +0000

Excellent article and spot on. My son likes the teachers who can manage the students who are disrupting the class. He likes toughness but consistency. Surely this could be taught – at least role played?

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Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:58:59 +0000

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