Wealth gap swallows up American dream

[Guest Evil_Labs]

Indeed, I know of a principal who notes that parent-teacher conferences are a pain not because of talking to the parents so much, but for the fact that there are parents who will bring lawyers with them to the conferences. So it's not just wages or the hours; it's the students and parents that make it a tough job, too. This is why I'm trying to get a graduate degree and stay in universities for the rest of my life.

[Guest echtrae]

Lawyers to the parent teacher conferences? I'm stunned.

I wonder what they plan to accomplish with that tactic.

[StoryJunkie]

don't stand

dont stand so

dont stand so close to me....

[EveKnight75]

Hmm... I'm perverted enough to be completely OK with the comcept that one of my own teachers may be lurking around here.

I'm majoring in English, but my main goal is to become a lawyer. Besides, that's a great way to get into law school. Fortunately, my university prefers to assign 4 papers and 2 exams per year in the English department, so I don't get swamped down. No, it's the amount of reading that gets to the students, but I don't mind it at all.

By the way, if you're a lawyer and a parent, does it piss off the teachers and principal if you can't help but have legal knowledge?

[foeofthelance]

My mother's a teacher, and has read my stories. If her kids (8th grade) found out, they'd be shocked. Then again, they try to come up and bad mouth her to me. ::Sigh:: We did we do away with corporal punishment? At least it would keep them quiet...

As for talking about what's wrong with the system, probably easier to list whats right, then make assumptions based off of that. Everything is a factor from race, to economical situation, to languages, to lack of funding, to poor districting, to... yeah, you get the picture.

So how to fix it? Well, start with uniforms, work your way past "seperate but equal" (Please, no flames!), reinstate some good ol' time traditions (willow might be hard to find. Oak or maple is probably less forgiving anyway...) and you just might be getting started down the right track.

[Guest echtrae]

From the descriptions that I've heard, uniforms wouldn't solve the clothing problem unless they were supplied by the school. Otherwise the rich kids will still have nicer uniforms than the poor kids.

Besides, I have enough issues with how militarized the schools have already become. Putting all of the kids into uniforms certainly wouldn't resolve that concern for me.

[Guest Adara]

I think schools, and teachers shouldn't be put in the role of parents away from home. The bigger issue is not the way schools handle kids but how parents are leaving the disciplining to the school system.

So much stress is placed on the school system to keep kids out of drugs, to keep kids from going into a life of crime, to teach kids how to interact successfully with their fellow man. A teacher is suppose help our kids learn and explore what makes this world tick, not rear them.

I find parents are expecting more from everyone who interacts with their children except themselves. If parents took a bit more responsibility to put some constructive discipline into their children, everyone would be better off.

I'm sure teachers would not only be somewhat satisfied, but they may just very well think that the low wage and hard work is worth it.

Not to mention the schools districts would have to spend less money on bloody security and preventive measures and more on supplies and nutrition.

[StoryJunkie]

Deodorant give out on you?  

very funny ha ha

That's what I get for not quoting someone. Echtrae earlier said the teacher/student thing reminded him of Roxanne by Sting, but it was actually Don't Stand So Close To Me by Sting. I guess the point was lost...

But Niki, Big Sam aren't the only teacher-y types here.

EveKnight is, and my dad was, and now, *pish* reddragon's mom is. wtf?

(my only experience with teaching was teaching Ukrainian dance for a couple years once a week during the school months, and it paid better than babysitting or waitressing.)

edit: if we count Soulie as a teacher, then the ratio is absolutely mind-boggling.

Okay, okay, I finally read the article, and it seems like a localized area, Naples, which, I suppose, like 1/2 of Florida will one day be underwater if Antarctica and Greenland melt. I saw the same thing happen in my town (although not nearly in size the same, but I suppose a microcosm of that phenomena due to the pine beetle infestation) Rising prices after a disaster like that hurricane, and the war going on (affecting the price of copper, let me tell you, we put in this geo-thermal system, and the owner decided to put copper instead of pex for plumbing, and let me tell you, the fittings for the pipe, which fit into two or three small boxes that my husband could tuck under his arm was worth over $3000. (cdn) before mark-up!)

I'm telling you, copper and steel prices have gone up with the conflict, and even worse when the hurricane took out those drilling rigs in the Gulf. We felt it all the way up here, and are still feeling it. It's not just people's wages, it's the wages of war, the price of disaster!

[Guest Big Samurai]

A war which, I might add, has now lasted longer than WWII and cost almost as much. It's sad. That's neither here nor there, though.

SJ is right, though. There's a lot of teachers here! Suddenly, I feel strangely at home, heh.

[Guest echtrae]

Echtrae earlier said the teacher/student thing reminded him of Roxanne by Sting, but it was actually Don't Stand So Close To Me by Sting.  I guess the point was lost...

I got the point SJ. Thank you. I knew it was a Police song, and a popular one, but I couldn't remember which one it was. Roxanne was the one about the girl selling herself.

[foeofthelance]

Uniforms not handed out by the school aren't uniforms, merely highly expensive, preselected fashion choices inflicted upon kids. As for the schools being more military like...well, that might not be such a bad thing. I'm not talking about standardizing paramilitary ops as a second year course (though gun control/use on the other hand...) but think about what the military is. A highly focused, dedicated and trained force which emphasizes cooperation, teamwork, and self confidence all at the same time. So remodeling school infrastructures to mimic some of the more successful training regimens used by the military doesn't sound so bad to me.

Samurai, just curious, does the count for inflation? Or does today's cost equal the same amount paid in the 1940s?

[Guest echtrae]

You make a good point, the military helped straighten out my life. Helped me find a focus for my energies.

Unfortunately, what a military organization doesn't do, is encourage individuality or freedom of thought. If the focus is to create automatons, then a militarization of the schools would succeed very well in that goal.

The problem that I see with that path is the loss of the individual. The ability of people to question their superiors, or better yet, to question their government.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Can we NOT give our government any ideas please... yeesh...

Though, it would be stupid to think they haven't already.

[Guest echtrae]

I figured they already had thought of it, seeing as how they have military recruiters hanging out at the schools. From what I understand, many schools even provide the military apptitude test as a "career placement" test. I'm wondering what career they would happen to have in mind for these school kids.

[Guest Big Samurai]

Ah, right, the lovely ASVAB test! That's the one that told me to be either a ship captain (ahoy!) or a farmer. Right. Double-yoo-tee-eff, mate.

[EveKnight75]

But Niki, Big Sam aren't the only teacher-y types here.

EveKnight is, and my dad was, and now, *pish* reddragon's mom is.  wtf?

(my only experience with teaching was teaching Ukrainian dance for a couple years once a week during the school months, and it paid better than babysitting or waitressing.)

I never said I was a teacher or planning to become a teacher. I said I'm an English major planning on becoming a lawyer. The closest I plan on becoming a professional teacher would probably be teaching as a professor at some university or college in the far-flung future.

I have been a math and English tutor since I was 12, but I haven't done that since starting university last year, unless you count helping ESL students understand questions in English and beta-ing/giving writing advice to those who ask for it, to other members of fanfictions sites.

Wait a minute... I guess that does make me a teacher of sorts. I just don't get paid for it. Oh well, I like helping others in whichever way I can.

I had to wear a uniform in junior high and high school, and I don't think they really help when it comes to battling peer pressure and visible poverty issues. The difference in the quality of clothing still stood out, and there were still popularity/blending-in issues.

I do approve of some of the things the military can teach you, but replacing regular school with military-style school isn't something that I can approve of at this point.

I also agree that parents put too much pressure on teachers to have the schools teach their kids everything. There are some things that a school ought to help teach, such as social interaction amongst peers, and the wider range of info on STDs and contraception (you can't expect your parents to know everything about that) . However, things like basic social manners and "the talk" should be a parent's responsibility.

I'm not surprised at the number of teachers on this site either. Many teachers tend to be writers and debaters by nature, from what I've seen.

[Oishiichan]

I happen to be a parent of 12 and 7 year old... They learned most of the horrible language and manners they have from other kids at school, and let me tell you it is no picknick getting them to stop either.

Both my children attend an on post military school they have had to wear uniforms and gotten to attend military schools that didn't have them. Uniforms don't solve anything, however no one is allowed to advertise with their clothing, no name brand tags or anything of the sort. Basic jeans, shirts, sweaters, skirts, coast, and materials. Their clothing is still heavily restricted about the only thing that makes any kid stand out is their shoes. As for military schools being bad, I discovered they were a lot better for my kids, they have more qualified teachers, the classrooms are smaller, they have better programs for children with disabilities, they have tutor programs which a large majority of public schoosl do not have and if they do you usually have to pay for it. As for mindless drones, I have sat through the classes my kids take and I haven't seen that at all. IF anything they encourage to kids to think for themselves.

[StoryJunkie]

Or Catholic school.

I was one of them girls the fan-fics talk about, and I kid you not, the skirts were incredibly short. (grade 11 & 12 only) I can only imagine several nuns were turning over in their graves everyday...anyway, I've heard that even in non-segregated public schools where uniforms are adopted, marks go up.