REFORM: There really is a crisis
I am in total agreement to Doug Weir's article. I cannot understand why anyone would want to be a teacher in any school other than a private or possibly a charter school. It's almost like a policeman on foot patrol on the east side of L.A. in some cities.
We have two children who got their teaching certificates and went into teaching, one as an 8th grade science teacher, the other as a 6th grade math teacher (neither in Idaho). The daughter (8th grade) on a Marine Corps military base where even there the kids were held to a little more discipline, but even so she had problems - i.e. not doing homework, talking back, not obeying classroom rules, etc., and never once was allowed to fail a kid no matter how poor their work was.
Several times she had kids threaten her. When she reported these incidents to her principal, the very most that was done was to send a note to the parents. The military command will not get involved. She's been teaching now for 15 years but had to ask to be given another class a couple of years ago, and went to teaching 8th grade history which she's had a somewhat better experience but not totally.
Now for our son, his first teaching assignment was in of all places a suburb of Washington D.C. If anything his teaching experience was a nightmare, and lasted only 6 months. The class was in total chaos almost 100% of the time and hardly any dialogue could be had without the student using expletives. It did no good whatsoever to report an incident to the principal because his/her job would have been in jeopardy because of political correctness, and the powers to be wanted to see an outstanding report of the school and its teaching staff. The straw that broke the camel's back was when a student told him to "go ____ himself" and after telling the principal was told he could call the single mother. The mother's reply was "what the ____ do you want me to do about it?" He quit and never taught again.
Why anyone would want to be a teacher in certain schools is beyond me and until we can manage to restore some type of discipline, as was the school system of years ago there will be no hope for these kids, let alone the future of our country.
Just as a note to this letter, my wife and I attended a "public" vocational high school where we spent 5 hours on regular general studies and 2 hours of vocational training. Girls were required to wear dresses (not slacks or jeans). The boys were required to wear clean pants (not ragged and baggy) and clean shirts. No hats in class, etc. If you were seen otherwise you were dismissed. Three dismissals and you were expelled, period, end of story. I never knew of a single student being kicked out and if you were sent home you returned with a parent to have a "sit down" with the principal.
PAUL UNDERWOOD
St. Maries