Will this get me fired?

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Postby sillyslicker » Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:09 pm

Oh, just read thru the entire thread. I see that this has really affected you to the point of feeling that contacting the media is an option for you, and publishing one of your students essay on this site.mmmmmmmm

Well, maybe you should re-think your career choice. Sounds like
you might be headed for a melt down.

Respect your students. The word is student after all. And you are their teacher. Guide them. If you hate them, then seriously, ask yourself, are you in the right job? Maybe teach something else, or adults. I don´t mean to offend you, but there is nothing worse than being a student with a teacher who despises and ridicules your lack of experience.




student

\Stu"dent\, n. [L. studens, -entis, p. pr. of studere to study. See Study, n.] 1. A person engaged in study; one who is devoted to learning; a learner; a pupil; a scholar; especially, one who attends a school, or who seeks knowledge from professional teachers or from books; as, the students of an academy, a college, or a university; a medical student; a hard student.


Being a student also means being exposed to different personalities outside ones own family. I had a teacher who thought he was the BOMB. He was always intimidating students with his wit and insulting them. After one day I knew he was way past retirement.

He tried it on with me, going on about he had taught my genius sister years before (which was true) and that he had been waiting years for me to finally enter into his class (more aptly lair, ¨the den or dwelling of a wild animal.¨ ).

While he was speaking to me I remained silent and let the madman, albiet intelligent, go on and on for 45 minutes. With 30 minutes still remaining, he asked me to respond. I smiled. Picked up my books and walked out of his classroom. I was 15 at the time.

I transfered out.
But to do so, had to have a meeting with the Principal ( a great honour for me, as the Principal called the meeting after he recieved a long one page hand written letter from THE TEACHER. He was a well respected intellect and an old boy there. Then after I conviced the Principal calmly through discussion. I had to put it in writing. And I was set free from the intelligent maniac. The Principal said he respected the way I handled the situation.

I am not saying that you are like the teacher I had, I am saying that students have brains and can make their own decisions about information they recieve. They are probably having a good laugh about it. I always liked teachers with strong opinions even if I did not agree with them. But it was the ones whom I sensed couldn´t connect to the students anymore that worried me.

At the end of the year THE TEACHER eyed me across the front hall and approached me. He never seem to forget that day. hahahahaha..... me either. God, if I could only recall what he said. Oh, I think it was something like did I enjoy reading Dickens -¨Moby Dick¨ , which I had to read for extra exams I was writing. Was writing two years of exams in one sitting to get outta jail early...long story. I passed all and was in the top 1 per cent of the region.

blablabla...then went to a video arcade and strip bar to celebrate with the other 15 an 16 year olds. hahaha...
By far the best proof is experience.

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Postby patriot » Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:04 pm

Also, Skirt, do you teach special education? That essay was appauling. I think your students need a good dose of the BFC...that oughta set em straight.
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Postby Buzzsaw » Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:07 pm

The essay writer probably went to the same high school I went to.
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Postby Skirita » Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:25 pm

Silly: I think you're reading way too into my previous posts. I posted that one essay (btw, not a student in one of my classes, just someone who took a diagnostic SAT II writing test that I graded) not to bash my students, but to show how difficult it is for many high school kids to think critically about politics, and thus why it was unethical for my boss to exploit that youthful ignorance in the hopes of winning Kerry votes. It is not her place to bring politics into an SAT prep course, nor is it mine to criticize the student on the concept behind his essay. It is, however, my job to point out the technical errors. That is my job description.

I also bashed the parents who teach their children that money can buy academic success, and thus the children don't make the least bit of effort to improve ("but I also have a lot of morons with rich parents who think that dropping $1000 on an SAT study course, for example, will magically make up for how poorly they've done in high school")

So I believe that politics have no place in an SAT prep course and that parents should be more responsible and I'm "heading for a meltdown"? Are you kidding? Teachers in public schools are fired for the sort of shit my boss pulled! I love my job and have never had problems before, though my boss has always been a little nutty. And since she owns the place and is a high-profile member of the local Democratic party, I'm not going to say a word to her. But the bottom line is that what she did was absolutely wrong. It was unethical, period. I would be just as pissed off if she had delivered an anti-Kerry speech. Someone needs to take her to task on it, and a few phone calls from parents or reporters would be the most effective way.

I'm not sure where your whole "respect your students" thing came from. Is it disrespectful to point out the obvious fact that most students are too inexperienced to really understand political issues?

"Respecting" my students doesn't mean sugar-coating my criticism of their poor essays. It is my job to tell them what they do wrong and explain how to improve. I don't think you read my posts very carefully, because I clearly stated that my criticism is always constructive. Giving that particular student anything less than an "F" would only hurt him in the long run.

The feel-good attitude you seem to be advocating is a prime example of what is wrong with our public educational system! That's precisely why I don't teach in a public school. The flip-side is that in the private sector there is a lot less accountability when people in positions of power misuse their authority, as my boss did.
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." - W.B. Yeats
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Postby Texas Carnie Roadshow » Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:17 pm

An office would be a nice place for a punji pit. Does she have carpeting in there?
When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - -to see life as it is and not as it should be.
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Postby goat balls » Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:40 pm

skiritai..............piss in her wheaties tomorrow morning man....first thing.
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slinky now that was a great toy...did u say hiroshima

Postby sillyslicker » Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:00 am

ya ...what's with that respect stuff anyway huh...

bah humbug
By far the best proof is experience.

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Postby unklenastie » Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:00 am

She deserves to be slammed for what she's done. Interrupting your class to spread her own political agenda is outrageous and you shouldnt let it stand. Send the letter man.
You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile.

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Postby Bobby Sands » Thu Oct 14, 2004 10:06 am

What have we got: "a snooty private educational center" which the offending woman owns. She reads diatribe and asks the students to show it to their parents.

It's a private institution. She can teach Creationism and ignore evolution if she and her clients (the students' parents) want that.

Sounds to me that you have 2 gripes:

1. The political bias of her statement - It's her (private) school, she can be as biased as she wants. Frankly, the parents should be pissed off for paying big bucks for private remedial education and getting weak political arguments shoved into their kids faces, but that's for the parents to decide. I don't expect the local media or Bill O'Reilly cares about what political bias goes on at some woman's private SAT prep center.

2. She interrupted your class - This is a legtimate complaint that is best handled with a friendly, face-to-face conversation where you tell her that she threw you and your class off the educational agenda by interrupting, and you would appreciate it if she would not do that again unless it's an emergency.

If you want to do right by your students, and you have control over the educational agenda in the class, ask them to write a critique of her little essay. One day ask them to write something agreeing with her rant, the next day ask them to write something disagreeing with her rant. That way you get your students to think critically about her rant, and you have done your duty as an educater.
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Campaign literature mistakenly sent home with third graders

Postby Kasca » Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:11 pm

Campaign literature mistakenly sent home with third graders

Presidential debate number three is in the books, and most polls show the race a dead heat. Thursday, the Missoula School District studied how documents promoting the democratic ticket ended up going home to parents of third-graders at Hawthorne Elementary.

School officials are already apologizing for what they call an honest mistake. Hawthorne Principal Steve McHugh: "It's a whoops, it's a mistake. We're sorry -- Missoula, we're sorry."

This was not meant for parent's eyes. But, pro-Democrat literature accidentally went home with third-grade students from Hawthorne Elementary.

McHugh: "It was definitely a mistake. Certainly we're sorry that it happened, we're certainly not trying as a school district or Hawthorne school to tell people who to vote for."

The paperwork is from the Missoula Unified Political Action Committee for Education. It supports state and national democratic candidates for office. Officials say the information was intended for teachers, not students.

McHugh: "It is very clear to people in the district that work for the district that you are not to do anything that will try to persuade anybody when you're working for the school district during the day."

It's a simple error that shows how careful educators have to be to keep political views out of school discussion. Both parents and school officials say they understand why this happened, and believe there was no intentional wrongdoing. Principal McHugh says he apologized to the 14 families that received the paperwork.

Reporter: John Langeler
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Postby fgmsociety » Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:57 am

I kinda agree with 2Charlie, she sounds like she's losing it, be careful. She will probably self destruct, don't drag yourself down with her, maybe you could just puncture her tires or do something to make yourself feel better. I think a letter to her superior, requesting the school's rules on political indoctrination may be a good idea. Find out how the school directors/trustees feel about this behavior. But then what if it was them that suggested this? Ask more questions before you respond. p.s., the letter was as good as one I would have written myself.
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Postby mach1 » Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:35 am

fuckeeng lol @ fgm

I have to stop hanging around you and this board..

what if someone out there took your replies

SEERY-US-LEE

what a yolk! puncture her tires-lol, and you think some men are
B-A-A-A-D..

that was funny though

SILLY SLICKER I thought you were a girl and I was reading your post that way as if by a girl, but thats great that you dont think any less of me for my fucking up that way as its my prob but that was a really cool post..to read anyway...hahaha

o0ops you mean some chics play arcade games and see strippers..too?

Oh Im such a f***** a**hole..I knew it
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