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JumpinJesus · 10-29-2003, 02:59 PM

Ustwo, as an educator, I find your generalization of a profession that assisted you in your career endeavors highly offensive. I wish to respond with two points that would logically follow your statement:

1. I am safe to assume that most doctors are sucking off the pharmaceutical tit and don't give a damn about their patients as long as the kickbacks continue.

2. Doctors are educated by teachers. If the educators are horrible, the doctors who were educated by them are horrible doctors.

I recall reading in another post that you dislike generalizations and labels. Why, then, do you use them against others.

I take great pride in what I do and believe the saying, "those who can't do, teach" is a highly unfair evaluation of a group of people who dedicate their lives hoping that those behind them succeed. Within every profession are those who give it a bad name, but somehow we have found a passion in bashing those who helped get us to those professions.

Most people who go to great lengths to point out the faults in the educational system have never spent time in front of a classroom doing what we do. The educational system is highly politicized and most faults that are found can be traced to that politicization. I wish it were otherwise, but it isn't.

Since you have taken an interest in my career, let me give you a glimpse into the day-to-day workings of what I deal with.

-I have 24 students, of which 4 speak no English (2 speak French, their families having fled the Congo's violent warfare. One speaks Spanish. The other speaks Laotian. I must be lousy for not being fluent in 4 languages.)

-One of my students was an eyewitness to his father's murder last year.

-One of my students was sexually abused for 6 years before being removed from her home and now makes sexual advances at both boys and girls in the classroom on a regular basis.

-One of my students receives a police-escort to school each day because he has been known to involve himself in crime when left to walk alone.

-One of my students has a father in jail and an uncle who was murdered at his home over Christmas last year.

-Three of my students had loving mothers who abused drugs while they were pregnant. One of them didn't speak until the 3rd grade and is still incapable of fastening buttons or zipping zippers.

-One has already attempted suicide and daily speaks of doing it again.

-16 of my students receive free lunch due to poverty.

-4 of my students receive reduced lunch due to near-poverty. What this means is that they're very likely to not have winter coats. It gets a little cold here in the winter and a coat would be nice.

It would be wonderful if all of those students in need were able to see a counselor (the one who witnessed his father's murder is seriously messed up) but the public got tired of us sucking on the public tit and took our counselor away. Actually, they didn't take her away, they just cut the funding for her services, because, you know, we leech off the public and those kids haven't really earned that money.

What the public <i><b>does</b></i> care about is making sure each of those kids can pass a standardized test (even my non-English students) to prove that I am doing my job and not just sitting around sucking on the public's tit. When my foreign-born students fail the test (because they can't read it and aren't allowed translators, but are required to take it anyway) that surely proves what a lousy educator I am, furthering the public's call to take more money away. The last time that happened, the funding was cut for the nursing program. Luckily, our students know to break a bone only on Thursdays, when she's there for half a day.

Many educators remain in the field despite the treatment they receive in the context of the comments similar to yours. Many that stay are damn good at what they do and sincerely care about their students. Some stay because of the summer vacations. None stay because of the pay. Many, however, are driven away into other professions. Unfortunately, many of the ones who leave are the ones we most need in our field. But with public attitudes like the one you have displayed, they see no reason to.

As I look over this, I realize that I may be hijacking the thread. I apologize for this. I just couldn't let the comment go unanswered.

10-29-2003, 02:59 PM	#23 (permalink)
JumpinJesus Junkie Location: Chicago	Ustwo, as an educator, I find your generalization of a profession that assisted you in your career endeavors highly offensive. I wish to respond with two points that would logically follow your statement: 1. I am safe to assume that most doctors are sucking off the pharmaceutical tit and don't give a damn about their patients as long as the kickbacks continue. 2. Doctors are educated by teachers. If the educators are horrible, the doctors who were educated by them are horrible doctors. I recall reading in another post that you dislike generalizations and labels. Why, then, do you use them against others. I take great pride in what I do and believe the saying, "those who can't do, teach" is a highly unfair evaluation of a group of people who dedicate their lives hoping that those behind them succeed. Within every profession are those who give it a bad name, but somehow we have found a passion in bashing those who helped get us to those professions. Most people who go to great lengths to point out the faults in the educational system have never spent time in front of a classroom doing what we do. The educational system is highly politicized and most faults that are found can be traced to that politicization. I wish it were otherwise, but it isn't. Since you have taken an interest in my career, let me give you a glimpse into the day-to-day workings of what I deal with. -I have 24 students, of which 4 speak no English (2 speak French, their families having fled the Congo's violent warfare. One speaks Spanish. The other speaks Laotian. I must be lousy for not being fluent in 4 languages.) -One of my students was an eyewitness to his father's murder last year. -One of my students was sexually abused for 6 years before being removed from her home and now makes sexual advances at both boys and girls in the classroom on a regular basis. -One of my students receives a police-escort to school each day because he has been known to involve himself in crime when left to walk alone. -One of my students has a father in jail and an uncle who was murdered at his home over Christmas last year. -Three of my students had loving mothers who abused drugs while they were pregnant. One of them didn't speak until the 3rd grade and is still incapable of fastening buttons or zipping zippers. -One has already attempted suicide and daily speaks of doing it again. -16 of my students receive free lunch due to poverty. -4 of my students receive reduced lunch due to near-poverty. What this means is that they're very likely to not have winter coats. It gets a little cold here in the winter and a coat would be nice. It would be wonderful if all of those students in need were able to see a counselor (the one who witnessed his father's murder is seriously messed up) but the public got tired of us sucking on the public tit and took our counselor away. Actually, they didn't take her away, they just cut the funding for her services, because, you know, we leech off the public and those kids haven't really earned that money. What the public <i><b>does</b></i> care about is making sure each of those kids can pass a standardized test (even my non-English students) to prove that I am doing my job and not just sitting around sucking on the public's tit. When my foreign-born students fail the test (because they can't read it and aren't allowed translators, but are required to take it anyway) that surely proves what a lousy educator I am, furthering the public's call to take more money away. The last time that happened, the funding was cut for the nursing program. Luckily, our students know to break a bone only on Thursdays, when she's there for half a day. Many educators remain in the field despite the treatment they receive in the context of the comments similar to yours. Many that stay are damn good at what they do and sincerely care about their students. Some stay because of the summer vacations. None stay because of the pay. Many, however, are driven away into other professions. Unfortunately, many of the ones who leave are the ones we most need in our field. But with public attitudes like the one you have displayed, they see no reason to. As I look over this, I realize that I may be hijacking the thread. I apologize for this. I just couldn't let the comment go unanswered. __________________ "I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses