Comments on: The Few and the Many http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/15/the-few-and-the-many/ Closing the Achievement Gap: Teaching Content Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:25:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: TH http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/15/the-few-and-the-many/#comment-4676 TH Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:04:09 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1203#comment-4676 I believe too many parents are in denial about their children's behavior. I do not agree this room is where this child should be but I also acknowledge children are allowed to become monsters in light of "self esteem". I think children need to be taught real world consequences. Making this child buy new tires with his own money or writing an essay on how to apologize in different ways and in different cultures, will not only give this young man a lesson to learn but also a new appreciation of what it means to take responsibility for his own actions. Parents should be required to sit in the classroom(s) with their ill-behaved children for a whole day. Children who are taught to acknowledge their disruptive behavior and are accountable for it will benefit by lessening the overcrowding of REAL Jail cells. Parents, Please stop excusing your children and start teaching them real life consequences. Teach them when they are young so when they are older they can make sound wise decisions. I believe too many parents are in denial about their children’s behavior. I do not agree this room is where this child should be but I also acknowledge children are allowed to become monsters in light of “self esteem”. I think children need to be taught real world consequences. Making this child buy new tires with his own money or writing an essay on how to apologize in different ways and in different cultures, will not only give this young man a lesson to learn but also a new appreciation of what it means to take responsibility for his own actions. Parents should be required to sit in the classroom(s) with their ill-behaved children for a whole day. Children who are taught to acknowledge their disruptive behavior and are accountable for it will benefit by lessening the overcrowding of REAL Jail cells. Parents, Please stop excusing your children and start teaching them real life consequences. Teach them when they are young so when they are older they can make sound wise decisions.

]]> By: Terri Liska http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/15/the-few-and-the-many/#comment-4675 Terri Liska Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:28:40 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1203#comment-4675 So what do we do? I see the behavior problems in classrooms becoming more and more like you said: like "the kiddies" are having more and more of the control (plus, the teachers are just very tired and they can only do so much with one teacher to anywhere from 15 to 30 students in one classroom, and most of the time with no assistant). So my question is...what can we do? (It is refreshing to see that there are folks out there who are seeing the problem with discipline as well as the fact that students are receiving more control and teachers being blamed some of the time...this is one among several reasons we are seeing a very high teacher turnover, I believe). So what do we do? I see the behavior problems in classrooms becoming more and more like you said: like “the kiddies” are having more and more of the control (plus, the teachers are just very tired and they can only do so much with one teacher to anywhere from 15 to 30 students in one classroom, and most of the time with no assistant). So my question is…what can we do? (It is refreshing to see that there are folks out there who are seeing the problem with discipline as well as the fact that students are receiving more control and teachers being blamed some of the time…this is one among several reasons we are seeing a very high teacher turnover, I believe).

]]> By: Tom Burkard http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/15/the-few-and-the-many/#comment-4673 Tom Burkard Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:18:26 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1203#comment-4673 I don't doubt that Britain's Children's Rights Alliance is run by well-meaning people, but the effect of people with their mindset is pure evil. What follows is an excerpt from an outstanding science teacher from the north of England: "The most disturbing recent development to me is the wholesale handing over of power to the kiddies, who not only have the ability to destroy observed lessons at will, but are also interviewed regarding the appointment of new teachers and the promotion of existing ones. Ours also have a direct line to the Principal himself and have been told in no uncertain terms that if they report dissatisfaction with a teacher and if that teacher does not subsequently improve, then that teacher will be replaced. "Unfortunately, we're between a rock and a hard place. A lot of teachers should be bloody replaced, and one of the reasons we're all being subjected to such absurd pressure is that state education is riddled with talentless freeloaders who could barely scrape a living in any other walk of life. Even so, I've yet to meet a single parent or person outside of education who believes that children should even think they might wield power over the lives of their teachers. Most just seem to sympathise with our lot, and tend easily towards reminiscence about the cane." I don’t doubt that Britain’s Children’s Rights Alliance is run by well-meaning people, but the effect of people with their mindset is pure evil. What follows is an excerpt from an outstanding science teacher from the north of England:

“The most disturbing recent development to me is the wholesale handing over of power to the kiddies, who not only have the ability to destroy observed lessons at will, but are also interviewed regarding the appointment of new teachers and the promotion of existing ones. Ours also have a direct line to the Principal himself and have been told in no uncertain terms that if they report dissatisfaction with a teacher and if that teacher does not subsequently improve, then that teacher will be replaced.

“Unfortunately, we’re between a rock and a hard place. A lot of teachers should be bloody replaced, and one of the reasons we’re all being subjected to such absurd pressure is that state education is riddled with talentless freeloaders who could barely scrape a living in any other walk of life. Even so, I’ve yet to meet a single parent or person outside of education who believes that children should even think they might wield power over the lives of their teachers. Most just seem to sympathise with our lot, and tend easily towards reminiscence about the cane.”

]]> By: FeFe http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/15/the-few-and-the-many/#comment-4664 FeFe Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:57:47 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1203#comment-4664 Thank you for helping us to recognize you are a disruptive student. We will begin your training for the juvenile justice system. Please report to your cell. Thank you for helping us to recognize you are a disruptive student. We will begin your training for the juvenile justice system. Please report to your cell.

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