Sunday, February 14, 2010

An Apple For The Teacher?

Or more like a headache?

I have met and come to know many public school teachers throughout my life. Many of my relatives on my mother's side of the family chose teaching and law as their careers. Mustang, a good blog friend and personal friend, also spent years teaching students in government schools in addition to his many years of military service.

The stories they tell are sometimes near unbelievable.

Here is an interesting article from the Indy Star about being a dean in an inner-city school.

Michael Robinson held up his hand and asked the speed-talking Manual High School student standing before him to hold on for a few seconds.

Then he bowed his head.

Give me the strength to change what I can and the patience to accept what I cannot," he said. "Amen."

He then looked up, sighed and smiled.

"How can I help you?"

The student, a freshman named Dakota, spent the next few minutes complaining in rapid-fire fashion about a teacher who had confiscated her hoodie. Along the way, she denied she had been smoking, despite the heavy cigarette odor surrounding her, and talked conspiratorially about a teacher who is "out to get me."

This is how it starts, this is pretty much how it ends. Only the names have been changed in this fast ride and glimpse through the world of a public school educator.

I will be surprised if someone doesn't complain about the dean praying on school property. But maybe if the secular progressives (who are so against a school mentioning anything that remotely sounds like a Judeo-Christian deity) were to sit in the seats of one of these people, they might soon be found at the nearest church..... seeking some kind of spiritual awakening.

Point is, they don't have it too easy and this article is only about one. There are so many others who deal with this kind of a day, everyday.

Give this a read, when you get a moment.


19 comments:

Ameloque said...

Hi LAS !

/// Citing partisan rancor in Congress, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a Democrat, said today he will not seek a third term this year, opening up a potentially huge battleground in the conservative Hoosier State, The Indianapolis Star is reporting. ///

http://tinyurl.com/yd2n4ec

Nice start to the week, eh ? (grin)

Best,
L'Amerloque

Anonymous said...

Yeah L'Amerioque, he will be back. He is just avoiding the good citizens of the Hoosier state handing him his "pink slip".

Sunsett, this is an article that points out why our country has been going downhill for the last 40 years!
My brother is a Principal at a high school north of us, in a medium sized town. My sister is a retired elementary teacher, and the horror stories over the years have been non-stop. With parents running to save their kids from paying a price for wrong doing while it's still a lesson learned, no harm no foul, they instead become consummate con artists working to cheat the system. No wonder they grow up expecting entitlements and with no work ethic or moral values!

Progressives have to remove God from their lives so government can become the God and power over them can be assured. This is why the far left is totally against anyone having to demonstrate accountability... it just doesn't provide "social justice" for someone to pay for hurting other human beings.

Excellent article and commentary!

HAM

Ameloque said...

Hi LAS !


The situation is much the same in the public educational system here in France.


In the private school sector, it's a markedly different story, however. When Mademeoiselle Amerloque the (recently qualified) Teacher enters her classroom, all the students rise and say "Bonjour, Madame Amerloque !"


Mademeoiselle Amerloque says that there are no real disciplinary problems, since disruptive students are asked to leave the institution. "Asked" is a euphemism, of course. (grin)


No drugs and no violence. No cellphones allowed on the premises. All students and parents must sign a "Charter" at the beginning of every school year specifying how they can behave, including obligations.


The school must be doing something right. Great exam / baccalaureat results, too.


Sounds like, say, forty or fifty years ago …(grin) … the pay is a bit less but the chances of a) staying alive and b) doing the job one likes to do are immeasurably increased.


Best,
L'Amerloque

Rocket said...

Hi Amerloque

"In the private school sector, it's a markedly different story, however. When Mademeoiselle Amerloque the (recently qualified) Teacher enters her classroom, all the students rise and say "Bonjour, Madame Amerloque !"

Great to hear about politeness! "Identité nationale" anyone!

That's very nice but you have to admit that Europe is still going to hell in a basket and "la reprise" may never happen. Hi Euro. Hi Greece!!! Liar!!!

Hi Greece Spain Portugal and to a lesser degree France.

We are being eaten alive by China and that my friend is the reality of our lives!!! As the French fight to protect their outdated entitlements.

Anonymous said...

Rocket, check the statistics. The only nation with a worse education system than the United States is Zimbabwe.

LA ... Chuck has an interesting (related) article today. Take a look.

Mustang out

Rocket said...

Rocket in!

"Mademeoiselle Amerloque"

ru ok Amerloque? chuckle.

Mustang

"Rocket, check the statistics. The only nation with a worse education system than the United States is Zimbabwe."

Seriously doubt it. Links please.

Rocket out!

LA Sunset said...

Amerloque and HAM,

I like Evan Bayh. At the time I first supported him, he was his own man. He did not bow to party politics, he did not allow others to arm twist him into doing what was not in the state's best interests.

But I cannot forgive his votes for the bailout, the stimulus, and the sorry excuse for a healthcare bill.

LA Sunset said...

Rocket,

I think Mustang was making an attempt at humor in his statement, hyperbole more or less. But here is a link that you may want to review before you draw any overblown conclusions on the America education system.

It is pitiful, especially when we are supposed to be a world leader in technology innovation. Schools are very different from when we went.

Chuck said...

18th, I can't say I am surprised. We were at one time a world leader. Sad thing is we may look at these as the good old days eventually. With PC taking over our schools, a mad rush to dumb down education, and the fact that a fair amount of the students are unable to speak English, things are not going to get better any time soon.

A.C. McCloud said...

What's the prevailing wisdom on where Bayh is going next? Is it home to spend more time w/the kids, or is he gonna challenge Obama (or Biden)?

LA Sunset said...

//With PC taking over our schools, a mad rush to dumb down education, and the fact that a fair amount of the students are unable to speak English, things are not going to get better any time soon.//

We have to get Johnny and Pedro to believe in themselves, even if they can't read or perform basic math skills.

LA Sunset said...

//What's the prevailing wisdom on where Bayh is going next?//

Not sure. I have been so busy, I cannot even listen to the talking heads right now. I didn't even have time to put up a half-assed post today. Will let you know if I get any info on this.

Ameloque said...

Hi Rocket !


----- "Mademoiselle Amerloque"

ru ok Amerloque? chuckle. -----


Amerloque is fine, thanks. He's wondering about Rocket, though. (wide grin)


Mr. and Mrs. Amerloque are married. In French, that turns out to be Monsieur and Madame Amerloque.


They have children. Among their children is an unmarried female who has recently been certified for teaching.


In America - at least in the America Amerloque once knew and loved decades ago - she would have been addressed as "Miss" if unmarried, no matter what her age. Nowadays, of course, in America, females generally want to be addressed as "Ms", and are - at least, below a certain age level.


In French private schools, female teachers specifically state exactly how they are to be addressed by students. Since there is no precise equivalent for "Ms" in France, the default term of address is "Madame".


However, when describing his family, Amerloque refers to this unmarried female child as "Mademoiselle", while his spouse is referred to as "Madame" !


QED


---- "In the private school sector, it's a markedly different story, however. When Mademoiselle Amerloque the (recently qualified) Teacher enters her classroom, all the students rise and say "Bonjour, Madame Amerloque !"


Great to hear about politeness! "Identité nationale" anyone! ----


Actually, quite a few students - say 30-35% of a given class- , are nonwhite "scholarship students" from the projects. Their school fees are paid by the Departmental General Council (Conseil General). Of course their parents' regrettable lack of French culture and language has impacted them, and they are inevitably at the bottom of the class. Overall they lack thinking/reasoning skills, language ability, and, in a word, general culture. It is relatively catastrophic. (sigh)


By the way, Mademoiselle Amerloque teaches French and Latin. At the national norm of 18 class hours per week.


In this institution, if a student does not rise and/or does not correctly address the teacher, he/ she is sent to detention on the spot.



Best,
L'Amerloque

Ameloque said...

Hi Rocket !

/// We are being eaten alive by China and that my friend is the reality of our lives!!! As the French fight to protect their outdated entitlements. ///

Amerloque is on the very same page as Rocket (with the possible exception of medical care ...)

Best,
L'Amerloque

Anonymous said...

Sunsett, I too, like you supported Evan Bayh for many years. And I as well find it hard to forgive his pandering to a leftista agenda via his votes against the well being of Hoosiers. It seems he got caught up with the "Hopey-Changy Thingy". It doesn't change the fact that the Cap and Tax, Porkulus and Obozo Care we definately NOT in the interest of Hoosiers and he shut off his phone lines like the rest of the herd trying to jam this junk down our throats.

HAM

Rocket said...

Hi Amerloque

----- "Mademoiselle Amerloque"

After correction. I was joking about your initial writing of the word Mademoiselle which you intitially spelled "Mademeoiselle"

Yes, we spend our time in France either correcting or getting corrected for spelling errors.

see initial spelling

"In the private school sector, it's a markedly different story, however. When Mademeoiselle Amerloque the (recently qualified) Teacher enters her classroom, all the students rise and say "Bonjour, Madame Amerloque !"

Ameloque said...

Hi Rocket !

/// I was joking about your initial writing ///

Amerloque thought so, actually, but his muse hit him on the head and he simply had to keep writing from the benefit of those outside France (grin). Lousy spelling checker, too. Plus it's brass monkey weather ...

Best,
L'Amerloque

Ameloque said...

Hi Rocket !

re China:

Amerloque posted this on a UK blog a few weeks ago …


/// It should be emphasized that O'Bumbles in handing the moon to China, by stopping the budget for future moon landings.



Africa and its resources will belong to the Chinese soon, too, what with all the contracts and development progams being signed with each country in Africa. In one, for example China is building ... 1000 schools. Now.



As an American abroad, watching the expansion of the Chinese, I am very, very worried.



Wake up America ! Wake up Great Britain ! ///


Best,
L'Amerloque

Rocket said...

The future is here already!

http://tinyurl.com/yjsxy5f