Why are public school kids in USA generally so badly behaved?
I did a teaching practice in México and it was like a vacation compared to what goes on in US schools. I have a Tefl certificate and I'm eventually going to go back to Mexico and teach there. I've subbed in schools in North Carolina and it's a nightmare. I'm not sure if it's the area, or if I'm just getting old and gray and times have changed. I went to school in Florida for most of my high school years and I NEVER treated a teacher, or even a sub, the way the kids treat teachers/subs in this area today. The kids are so uncooperative; I don't know why it's so hard to follow simple oral directions in English like, "Please don't talk while I take roll." They'll just laugh and scream or make smart comments, or get out of their seats... run around the room... or stand and scream in my face. Or they'll say, "Do you want me to take it for you..." after you asked everyone to sit down and be quiet. I mean, I asked, in simple English (the kids' native language) to sit in you seat and be quiet... I don't think I'm asking for a lot! I hope I don't offend anyone, but some of the kids have really unusual names and they're not pronounced the way they should be phonetically. I don't wanna give an example (because someone might recognize me!!), but you'll say it the way it makes sense... and they'll rudely snap, "It's (insert name here)" or laugh and scream and call you stupid and laugh, what an idiot. I'm getting old and gray... when I was a kid people named kids stuff like Heather or Kevin. If there's a discipline problem, a kid is repeatedly noncompliant, and you write them up/write a referral, then they'll snatch it out of your hand and curse and threaten you. If I try everything in my power and they still misbehave, as a last resort I'll call an administrator... and they'll either act put upon or just won't answer the damn phone. I'll go round the room and offer to help them with their work, but they just rudely blow off my offers for help or flat out refuse to do the work. I tell them I can't force them, but there are consequences and that they're not gonna pass if they don't do the work. I've handed out referrals, called parents, had conferences, nothing worked. I did the work I was supposed to do; it just didn't have any effect. My teachers I had were so ungrateful; they treated me like a problem but they didn't know how good they had it. I used to get in trouble for drawing pictures during class... even after I'd finished my work, I had a real gift for art... but it got squashed, I began to think I was a lousy artist because NO ONE ever encouraged me... they just made me feel guilty, like I'd been caught doing something dirty or perverted. Now I'm grown and everyone who sees my artwork says that I should have been an animator for Disney, but not it's too late. :'( Really, why couldn't my teachers have minded their own business?? Compare the way I was back then with the way kids are today... I certainly never cursed at, threatened a teacher, I never disrupted class, never got out of my seat... I just drew pictures... big friggin' deal. then I grow up and I get stuck with a classroom of kids who are bound and determined to give me a heart attack. I have realized that I NEVER want to have children, but IF i had children I would either send them to Catholic school or homeschool them. Hopefully, if I were to have kids, I would have moved abroad permanently. I got chewed out for doing a horrible job of managing the classroom. I defended myself. I think I've done a fabulous job. I was professional. Saint Francis would have smacked some of these damn kids a long time ago. The kids are by and large, a bunch of sadistic brats who delight in bullying, who go out of their way to get me fired or give me a heart attack. So what the hell is wrong with American public school kids?? You were not all sugar and spice and everything nice when you were their age just as you are not miss perfect now. I was THERE, you were not, but you know what went on? I certainly never cursed at a teacher, I never assaulted a teacher, I never destroyed property or a classroom. I drew pictures in class. That's the worst thing I ever did. I remember when a kid said something vulgar and all the other kids were shocked. Now it happens everyday and no disciplinary action is taken. José, es una pena que tantas personas tuvieran que dejar sus estudios :'( SÃ, lo he escuchado. Ostensiblemente tienen que asistir a la escuela hasta cierta edad (no me acuerdo) pero los autoridades hacen la vista gorda :( Pero sà he notado que allá en México se valoran más la educación. Te deseo mucho suerte y éxito. Ooops!!! Quise decir: MUCHA suerte. Lo tecleé mal... perdón "Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders." We certainly never cursed them, I never called anyone a fat bitch, etc. I would remember if we had... I'm getting old but I'm not ancient and I'm certainly not seanile! Catholic school: I know, right?? I went to a private school (Episcopalian, but close) and I have NEVER forgiven my parents for pulling me out of private school and dumping me in public school. My 3rd grade teacher had no clue... she thought we were all a buncha assembly line products. I went all my adult life never knowing I had a gift until someone in my Tefl course pointed it out. I don't know u. But u sound like a good caring teacher. I don't know why North Carolina is so awful. 2 real forms of power, and that is the grade and the parent Exactly... I wish my district would realize this, because subs have neither of these. All you can do is write down names and leave it for the "real" teacher. 1. They took spanking out of schools. 2. Kids have no respect of elders anymore 3. No fear of punishment 4. Bad parenting (not in all cases) 5. Schools afraid of lawsuits by parents if they disclipline the kids 6. Schools don't punish kids because if they did, they would not get money from NCLB law. 7. Teachers don't have administrators to 'back them up' anymore I just don't see WHY administrators let it be made public that they are running their schools this way. Amen to THAT!! I would love to paddle EVERY butt in the district. ESPECIALLY the administration.
Teaching - 4 Answers
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1 :
The easy answer to tell you why American kids are so badly behaved would be oh i have no clue. But i do know why i mainly think its cause of the parents punishments they give they when they treat other people (such as you a sub badly). Many times the punishment is something simple like oh no allowance or no cellphone no tv or computer. When I my country (soy originalmente de Mexico de parte de Morelia Mich. ) And over there it nothing like these punishments its usually hit your kids or making them hold 10 pounds of dictionaries . Usually Us kids are bad only some though beacause they dont at all value eduaction which is dumb (Has notado que En Mexico jovenes se retiren de la escula para trabajar) (Mi papa tuvo que hacer esto) so that is why I think us kids are so bad ...
2 :
Nothing is the matter with kids "these days" because nothing has changed these days. These exact complaints have been going on since the time of SOCRATES, and probably even before that. You were not all sugar and spice and everything nice when you were their age just as you are not miss perfect now. "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." - Socrates "What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" - Plato "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" - Hesiod "Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders." - Mary Schmich
3 :
Wow you are really all over the page there. Take a breath and relax. First if you don't want to have kids for personal reasons, more power to you, but if you don't want to because of the kids you teach, that is simple not a good reason. Being a parent to 1 or even 5 kids is not thing like being a teacher (I could go down the list of differences but it would take too long). Second, I never went to school in Mexico so I don't know how they compare to the schools here, they may be better. But I think it could have been very specific to the school in Mexico and very specific to the school in the US. I currently teach at a school in NYC and in one of the worst parts of the city, and every time I tell another teacher I teach there they are like "Really?" as if I told them I teach in the middle of a war zone. But even though my kids can be rowdy, they have never given me the kinds of trouble your kids give you. Third, you are a sub, again I don't know how they do things in Mexico but I do know for American kids sub means "sub-human" ie we can treat this person like a piece of crap because she is not a real teacher. Here the single most important piece of advice I can ever ever give any sub or student teacher, never let a student know you are a sub or student teacher, kids will ask "Are our sub?" The answer is "NO! I am you're teacher today until miss so-n-so gets back" They hear sub and they lose their minds. Fourth, the experience you had when you were young is part of the problem. The powers-that-be in Education only know how to do things in extremes. During your day it was strict, today it is not strict at all. I do blame parents, the absolute worst thing for me as a teacher is when I call a parent and they give me this attitude of "you fix it." This is 100% the worst thing for behavior because of a teacher we only have 2 real forms of power, and that is the grade and the parent. Once a child does not fear either of those things, there is nothing, NOTHING we can do to stop them. Sometimes peer pressure works (I like to do the "if you mess up, I am going to lower your buddies grade, but it is a real cruel thing to do, but then again I am a jerk). I would say Catholic schools are probably the best. Not so much because they are private per se but because all the parents have to pay AND none of the parents are super rich. In other words for the parents sending their kids is not cheap and that means they want to get the most out of it, so if I call up mommy and daddy they are going to listen to what I have to say because they aren't paying their hard earned money for little johnny to get "f's"
4 :
1. They took spanking out of schools. 2. Kids have no respect of elders anymore 3. No fear of punishment 4. Bad parenting (not in all cases) 5. Schools afraid of lawsuits by parents if they disclipline the kids 6. Schools don't punish kids because if they did, they would not get money from NCLB law. 7. Teachers don't have administrators to 'back them up' anymore I just don't see WHY administrators let it be made public that they are running their schools this way.
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