tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post2921732019886423500..comments2023-08-21T02:29:21.326-05:00Comments on St. Louis Activist Hub: Is there something wrong with our schools?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-56447652617636014282010-06-11T01:11:38.328-05:002010-06-11T01:11:38.328-05:00I am an urban teacher and you nailed it. Congratul...I am an urban teacher and you nailed it. Congratulations! I only have one minor disagreement - this is NOT exclusive to black kids, but to kids who live in poverty and high crime areas. They aren't all black. In fact, more and more of them are Hispanic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-26354965363220942782010-06-10T17:51:34.843-05:002010-06-10T17:51:34.843-05:00Brenda your husband has discovered that one admini...Brenda your husband has discovered that one administration performs in a sub par manner. I have no reason to doubt that. I very much doubt that all or even most administrations have performed poorly for the last twenty years. Those who attack our school systems claim that we have bad administrations or bad teachers.<br /><br />Lets begin with bad teachers. May we use your husband as one example. Your husband left a high prestige and highly paid profession to teach. I suspect he did so because of a sincere desire to contribute. Teachers do not pursue their profession because they are greedy.Yet listen to GW and even Obama "we are going to hold teachers accountable.We are going to force them to be transferred and treated in any manner that the administration feels will better serve the mission." It is so easy to blame the teachers and so damned illogical. <br /><br />Now lets address the admin.These managers come from a background which leads me to believe they thought out this industry for the same reason as your husband. Have they become jaded? No doubt some have but universally?<br /><br />No the universal aspect is the children. No matter how dedicated the teacher he cannot educate a person who is preparing for a life as a felon and an early death. The teacher cannot educate the child who's parents are in prison and is being raised by his grandmother, who also works and leaves him in the care of teenagers.Often the teenagers introduce him to drugs.The teacher cannot teach a child who's mother is so indigent that she moves at least once every six months to avoid paying rent in arrears. The teacher cannot even teach the child who grew up eating paint chips.<br /><br />To judge the schools as failing without addressing the other factors that affect children is unfair to educators.markmagashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14654537574252198576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4924392915564296358.post-61261676995158389982010-06-09T17:15:08.357-05:002010-06-09T17:15:08.357-05:00Well, while I understand your logic, basic experie...Well, while I understand your logic, basic experience with the system can teach you otherwise. My husband just made a career change from law to teaching. He has met more people in administration that want to do the opposite of educate and empower than those that want to help. It seems in our experience that the administrations of the schools, public in this case are at the route of the problem.Brenda in the Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08891475916992633141noreply@blogger.com