posted
First of Two, you hit the nail right on the head. Ove the last few decades, people have come to view anyone in authority as the enemy. I'm not sure why that is, but that's my perception, anyway. Parents very often refuse to believe that their little angels could have possibly committed a serious infraction. There are some notable exceptions, and I thank God for them, but those responsible parents are becoming the minority. The sad part is that when these cherubs (possibly) graduate, they will be operating under the assumption that mommy and daddy will still be there to bail them out of trouble and run interference for them. Heaven help them when they learn his isn't the case. Of course, that's when the parents will wonder, "Whatever went wrong with little Jimmy? Where did the educational system fail him?"
------------------ Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
posted
Well, shielding your child from everything could produce an upexpected side-effect; rebellion. In my case, I don't like my mother shielding me from everything. She did that from second grade to now, and I've hated it. If I see my mother at my school, I worry not because I'm in trouble, it's because she wants to make sure I am "shielded" from it. Back in the second grade, I was okay with it, but recently, it has become a circus. Thank God that she works though, or else I'd go nuts.
BTW, My Academic Decathlon team went from 28th place to 20th this year but El Camino Real still beat us. Too bad though that Simi Valley High beat them at State Competition...LOL...
------------------ "Life's a bitch, then you die" -USS Vanderbilt, Vanderbuilt Class starship
posted
FWIW, "Weird Al" Yankovic was shielded by his parents in his youth. His parents would check everything he read and censor anything they didn't like, and they lived across the street from his elementary school, so they would constantly monitor him. He went on to become the high school valedictorian and earned a degree in architecture from a top-notch university.
Of course, now he writes song parodies about food.
------------------ Frank's Home Page "I was walking out of a movie, and some people recognized me from They Might Be Giants. They said 'Are you John?' and I said '...Yeah.' and then they said 'We're glad to see you getting out.'" - John Linnell
[This message has been edited by The Shadow (edited April 22, 2000).]
posted
"The thought of summers free / and being home by four o'clock / sounded good to me / just what was I thinking?"
------------------ "Oh, it's an anti-anti-WTO song. It's essentially a pro-Starbucks song. I saw this picture of a guy sticking his foot through a plate-glass window in a Starbucks in Seattle, and he was wearing a Nike. Man, couldn't you just change your shoes?" -- M. Doughty
posted
Uh, Sol System, I mean no offense, but I wonder if you really know what being a teacher means in terms of time commitment.
First, contrary to popular belief, we usually don't get summers off. You see, if a teacher wants to keep his job, he is required by the state to take continuing education courses. Also, we're paid according to the number of units and degrees we possess. Therefore, we spend our summers taking classes to (hopefully) make us better teachers. I intend to start a master's degree program this summer, partially for my own edification and partly for the money. I haven't had a vacation since 1991, and I wouldn't exactly call my trip to Marine Corps OCS at Quantico MCCDC a holiday, so that doesn't count.
Second, we often work on special programs for the school district over the summer. We may not be in the classroom, but we are working. Hard.
Third, those of us who teach special academic events like myself spend the summer having summer meetings with our students and doing an ungodly amount of outside research, not to mention planning for the coming school year ahead. When do you think all of those copies get made? When do those lesson plans get written? Yep, on OUR TIME (UNPAID) over the summer. Some "vacation."
The old quip about the three reasons people enter teaching as a profession (June, July, and August) is outdated. We really don't get three months off. We work. Things have changed a lot over the past decade in terms of teachers' outside responsibilities. There may be exceptions, but what I've described above fits the mold for most California teachers.
Just thought I'd set the record straight.
Putting flak jacket on...
------------------ Everything in life I ever needed to know I learned from The Simpsons.
Does no one in this entire Forum ever listen to any good music?
For your edification, the entire song. Substitute Teacher, by They Might Be Giants.
quote: The thought of summers free And being home by four o'clock Sounded good to me Just what was I thinking? I'm the substitute now I'm the substitute now
Working's harder than teaching school had taught me Kids are different than five years ago
This school sure is far From where I want to be now When I got the call I thought it would be a snow day I'm the substitute now I'm the substitute now
Shuffling paper is how I broke my hand now Throwing snowballs is how I bruised my eye Kids are different than five years ago That's not so strange So quit staring at me
I'd swear that I'd never again try to inject a little levity into the Flameboard, but that would be a lie.
------------------ "Oh, it's an anti-anti-WTO song. It's essentially a pro-Starbucks song. I saw this picture of a guy sticking his foot through a plate-glass window in a Starbucks in Seattle, and he was wearing a Nike. Man, couldn't you just change your shoes?" -- M. Doughty
posted
Well, I know that my Aca Deca teacher and AP US History teacher works even after the regular semester ends. My history teacher goes to AP workshops and training courses and moonlights at Cal State University Northridge. My Aca Deca teacher is required to go to classes since she is also an English teacher, even though she stays on the campus for only 3 periods.
A side note: both my AP History teacher and my Aca Deca teacher are well off. My history teacher has a large income after 30 years of teaching and my Aca Deca teacher and her husband, also a teacher, have investments.
------------------ "Life's a bitch, then you die" -USS Vanderbilt, Vanderbuilt Class starship
[This message has been edited by Michael_T (edited April 23, 2000).]
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