<p>Freedom–I don’t buy that the GEoffrey Canadas of the world are the answer, either. His school has a wealth of private resources that other schools don’t. And they get rid of the kids who don’t “work out”. They “fired” a whole grade level one year. Regular public schools can’t do that.</p>
<p>None of which excuses this particular teacher. She should be fired, not for speech but for obvious inability to do the job–you can’t possibly be teaching effectively with that much hatred and contempt for your students.</p>
<p>While this is great in an ideal world, this mantra IME tends to be espoused most avidly by the lazy and entitled parents who feel their “darling” son/daughter can do no wrong and all issues others have with their child(ren)'s behavior is everyone else’s fault. </p>
<p>IMHO, motivation and inspiration is mostly the responsibility of the student and his/her parents. If they are not willing to shoulder that responsibility, there is little a teacher can do to improve the situation in most situations…especially if he/she has to take care of 50 or more other kids in the classroom.</p>
<p>exieMITalum - you can’t say the teacher should be reinstated, you are assuming that a) her kids are as bad as she says and b) her school is as bad as the school you are referencing.</p>
<p>is there evidence for either of those points? is she credible? what is the reputation of the school she teaches at?</p>
<p>and even if there is evidence that she IS credible and that the school IS awful, you cannot excuse her unprofessional behavior. the internet is public, and as an employer i would fire her on the simple grounds that if she hates her kids, i.e., hates teaching, then she shouldnt be doing it.</p>
<p>and even if freedom’s example is questionable, you can’t deny the argument behind it. nearly anyone can at least achieve average grades if they are motivated to do so. and while the teacher isnt the only one responsible for motivating a child, they can’t sit there and complain that the students aren’t ideal candidates to be students, because guess what, everyone is required to be a student until they are 16. you take what you get and do your best. if you can’t handle it, we dont want you.</p>
<p>Geez, we all get frustrated at one time or another in our work, but there’s an easy outlet for those that need to express themselves anonymously and in private, and it doesn’t even require a computer. It’s called a diary.</p>
<p>Esp. those who hold jobs of “moral authority” such as teachers, she showed terrible judgement by expressing herself in the most public place of all: the Internet.</p>
<p>I can count the great teachers from my own public school background on one hand. Reading this thread, you’d think they’re everywhere, motivating the unmotivated!</p>
<p>Sure, it’s a bad move to blog, but I doubt this teacher stands out as a poor performer. It sounds like she actually cares, which is better than many.</p>
<p>Now that I see some of the actual comments, I feel less likely to defend her.
Mocking shy students? Comparing siblings’ academic performance? Saying a kid has no redeeming qualities other than academic performance? She “hates” a student?</p>
<p>Yikes. I wouldn’t want a teacher saying these things about my kids. (Especially the shy one or the one who compares very unfavorably to her siblings. . .)</p>
<p>My kids have had a few teachers who’ve done/said some things that I’d consider inappropriate. One seemed ill/impaired and his contract was not renewed. Although I pitied him personally, I’m sorry that my kids didn’t have an opportunity to learn more in that class and develop more enthusiasm for the subject. Two others who have done/said some weird/crazy things turned out to be the kids’ favorites-- excellent, tough, caring teachers–but “characters.”</p>
<pre><code>* Concerned your kid is automaton, as she just sits there emotionless for an entire 90 minutes, staring into the abyss, never volunteering to speak or do anything.
Has no business being in Honors.
Two words come to mind: brown AND nose.
Dunderhead.
Complainer.
Rat-like.
Lazy *******.
Just as bad as his sibling. Don’t you know how to raise kids?
Sneaky, complaining, jerkoff.
Frightfully dim.
Dresses like a street walker.
Whiny, simpering grade-grubber with an unrealistically high perception of own ability level.
One of the most annoying students I’ve had the displeasure of being locked in a room with for an extended time.
Rude, beligerent, argumentative f***. (she said the full word)
Weirdest kid I’ve ever met.
Am concerned that your kid is going to come in one day and open fire on the school. (Wish I was kidding.)
I didn’t realize one person could have this many problems.
Your daughter is royalty. (The Queen of Drama)
Liar and cheater.
I hear the trash company is hiring…
Utterly loathsome in all imaginable ways.
I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son.
There’s no other way to say this: I hate your kid.
</code></pre>
<p>I think if more people actually saw THIS, not just the spin she’s trying to put on it now to get sympathy from people who are unhappy with the current state of things in schools, a lot of people would feel differently about this issue. At this point I just think the woman has problems. I can’t imagine getting this angry over a pack of kids. And the kids saw this! Even if I knew I was a good student, I’d still be hurt if my teacher were complaining about my class like this, wondering what she says about me behind my back. It’s just not okay. </p>
<p>If you couldn’t tell I had fun playing with google’s cache today. This is what happens when you get the flu and have to quarantine yourself for a week. :)</p>
<p>I would not want my daughter to have such a teacher and I would request a change.<br>
There are many lazy teachers who whine and are disengaged. Maybe if she was a better teacher her students who be more engaged.</p>
<p>The school in the teacher’s blog is nothing like your article. I live in the same school district. The district is one of the highest performing (according to test scores) in Pennsylvania. It also has one of the highest average income levels in PA.</p>
<p>The teacher is not dealing with the discipline issues implied in post #32. She is probably dealing with entitlement issues. But that doesn’t excuse her unprofessional response to frustration.</p>
<p>It’s a surprise to me this story is getting more coverage than the one from a few years ago when the principal of the school was caught nailing his secretary in his office during school hours. (Last I heard he divorced his wife and is now living with said secretary somewhere.)</p>
<p>I also remember way back when I was at that school the English department was a revolving door. I had two teachers there that started my year and left the year after, and most English teachers had a shelf life under five years. It was a little weird since teachers in our district have one of the best pay scales in the state, and there’s relatively little serious trouble. I only remember two or so bomb threats while I was there (and the occasional sweep by police with drug sniffing dogs where they’d find some kid with a stash).</p>
<p>Many, many teachers say all these things in private conversation, make fun of students and are frustrated with their jobs. They just don’t put it all out there in a public blog. If someone thinks the majority of public school teachers have high regard for most of the students, I have some land to sell you…</p>
<p>Her students were on to her. I think the reason she is a teacher is the typical one – summers off! She has a 3 y/o daughter and will soon have a new baby. I shudder to think what her attitude will be like in the coming year (if she can get a job teaching). But then maybe she plans to sit back and not work, fat and happy with some sort of settlement from the school system.</p>
<p>Unfortunately based on my experience with my girls, I agree with you. However, just because it happens doesn’t make it right. Also, there is no comparison between griping about my job to my friends and family and putting out the kind of vitriol in a public forum that this woman did. In addition to being nasty and disrespectful, she is just not very bright.</p>
<p>As a taxpayer in her district I fully support the district spending whatever money is necessary in court to defend their right to terminate her. I believe in second chances but I think her credibility is gone and will further reduce her inability to reach students. I saw in the January 25 school board minutes that she was approved for maternity leave until August 24, so she wouldn’t have been teaching the rest of this school year anyway. Hopefully they will get this resolved favorably for future students before August.</p>
<p>All of this talk about how horrible kids are these days is the same thing I heard when I was a teenager. It’s the same things I heard in the faculty room when I first taught out of college (over 30 years ago.) To make this about “kids these days” totally blurs what this woman did. I also have many age contemporaries who are still teaching and one common complaint I’ve heard is about the younger teachers coming in and feeling entitled: Entitled to have a perfect class, to not have to make a single modification for a student who might be having difficulties, to not have to change how they do things if the class isn’t responding (it’s them, not me). I view this woman as being one of those young teachers who feels entitled. As I said in my earlier post, at the age of 30 she is actually in the same generation as her high school students. She is the last person who should be the poster girl for a teacher done in by “kids these days.” Unfortunately, that’s what’s happening as the local media seem to be starting to show a bias of support for her. Her media explosion, which included an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has turned this into a case study in narcissism.</p>
<p>Well, after reading the whole thread it looks like some people want to fire and bash the teacher and some think she was just telling the truth and shouldn’t be in trouble for that. </p>
<p>I suppose a reasonable person could see it one way or the other and both could make a strong case for being rigth either way. </p>
<p>I’ll can guarantee you one thing without a shred of doubt in my mind:</p>
<p>99.9% of the people who posted on this thread and who advocated that the teacher should be fired have never taught a class in their lives and haven’t the damned foggest notion what it’s like to try to teach a class if even one tenth of the behavior this lady described is true. </p>
<p>And, based on what my son’s tell me about their schools I’d say she isn’t just making this stuff up about her students. Sure, maybe she ought not to blog about it but don’t tell that the student’s behavior isn’t relevant here. </p>
<p>Oh what the heck! Just fire the teacher and drag someone else in to motivate 'em! Yeah! That will work! </p>
<p>I’ll echo the comments of the oen parent who said it is my job, as a parent, to motivate my kids. It isn’t the teachers job to motivate the students. Get a clue, folks. Don’t get me wrong. Great teachers TRY to inspire and motivate but if a student isn’t interested in learning that student will not learn plain and simple. You can’t make someone want to learn.</p>
<p>As the chinese say:</p>
<p>When a student is ready to learn, a teacher will appear.</p>
<p>It is the STUDENTS job to come to class prepared and ready to learn. The teacher can surely try to make that happen but the STUDENT has to have some responsiblity here unless we are in Disney land or something. </p>
<p>One more thing:</p>
<p>Which things did she blog about were untrue? Serious question. What did she write that wasn’t actually true/ I’m not talking about the parts were she critisized the students, that is not defensible, I am talking about teh behaviors she wrote about like the student making excuses for not turning in work on time? Oh, darn, that was probably the teachers fault to. The teacher didn’t motivate that fine young man enough to turn it in on time.</p>
<p>I don’t disagree that teenagers often seem to act like they think they are " entitled".
God- they are * teenagers* often 15 going on 3.
Actually IMO a more challenging age is probably middle school, but I think it is one of the most rewarding as well. :)</p>
<p>THis " teacher" really cracks me up. She rips apart her students & thinks she should be given a pass because she said a few good things about other students.</p>
<p>She works in a pretty homogeneous ( meaning white), pretty middle class suburban district. It obviously is too much of a challenge for her.</p>
<p>I wonder how she would deal with kids in my D’s inner city high school.
Teachers there are experienced enough to recognize that when kids act out or act bored , it can mean that they don’t understand & are lost. Teachers hold study groups after school & during lunch to help the kids get more out of class. </p>
<p>I have been a frequent volunteer in this school ( & others) & was very impressed with many of the kids & their teachers. One teacher- who is one of the reasons that my D chose that school, could have retired, but he keeps making himself available, even volunteering every year to chaperone on the all night graduation party ( he stays till midnight), even though he also works the next day.</p>
<p>Teachers consider themselves to be professionals.
Like a physician or attorney.
Would you respect and consult a M.D. who criticized his patients in a blog?
I’m sure attorneys get clients who have made foolish decisions ( if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have much work ), but do they air others dirty laundry in public?</p>
), but do they air others dirty laundry in public?</p>