True story, one of my ex-students was walking down the hall claiming people at my school were "racist" I asked what his problem was and he said the office wouldn't let him use the phone because they were racist. I told him the reason nobody does anything for him is because he is a turd, and too make sure he understood that clearly. He hasn't played the race card again that I'm aware of.
Believe me I can, I've always had an idea lingering about becoming a teacher but this kind of stuff and the stuff my sister in law told me about, she was a teacher in DISD for about 4 years, has always kept me from following through....
Working for a public school district, whether you are a teacher or not, has got to be depressing as hell.
I think it varies. The kids are pretty good at my school. You have your turds, but the majority of the kids are pretty good. Now, if you have weak classroom management, the kids will walk all over you. Kids will do what you allow them to. Once in a while, you'll get the one that tries to make your life hell. If you don't deal with them appropriately, you will have to deal with the behavior that you allow. Of course, I speak of the RGV, so I don't know how it is in the big city.
At least your girlfriend/teacher isn't as dumb as this guy: http://www.wltx.com/news/news19.aspx?storyid=37795 (Cayce) - Inside the walls of Brookland-Cayce High School, you expect students to be treated equally. But a viewer tip led News19 online where a teacher's comments left us asking questions. "These sorts of things are going to upset people, but the truth can be very upsetting," said Brookland-Cayce High School teacher Winston McCuen. That truth, at least according to McCuen, is that black people are inferior to whites. "Intellectually, yes they are," said McCuen. "This has been confirmed over and over, and this is a generalization. Again, there are some blacks who are more intelligent than individual whites. But as a rule, that is true. I-Q tests prove it over, and over and over." News19's J.R. Berry asked McCuen, "Do you think slavery in America was a good thing? "Yes," said McCuen. "In America there was a rational assessment saying listen, if we give these people freedom right as they are and you have to go back to see how they were, you can't assume they were like us. J.R. asked, "How were they?" "They were coming out of the jungles," said McCuen. "They had been enslaving each other for centuries in Africa, and in terms of being used to rule of law, they knew none of that." No doubt about it, Winston McCuen has controversial opinions. But do his views make it into the classroom? He teaches Latin at Brookland-Cayce. He told J.R. that most of his students are white. J.R. asked," Is this something that enters your classroom, something you tell your students?" "I'm a Latin teacher, so I'm not teaching politics or history," said McCuen. "I'm just teaching Latin." "We got off subject one day and he mentioned that slavery happened and he mentioned the Vice-President around Andrew Jackson's time, and that's how we got off on slavery," said 9th-grader Candace Carol. The Vice-President she was referring to is John C. Calhoun; someone Winston McCuen admires. "John C. Calhoun: the greatest South Carolinian in terms of political understanding and wisdom," said McCuen. "And he argued that the institution of slavery was a positive good, and he called it a great good and it was good." Before talking with us, McCuen posted his views on an internet Web site called "American Renaissance." Most of the comments on the site are aimed at blacks. McCuen's comments are no exception. For instance, last August, McCuen said, "There is no apology to be made for black slavery in America. Why should today's whites apologize for the wisdom of their ancestors?" J.R. commented to McCuen, "There will be some people that will say those are racist remarks." "They can call them what they will," said McCuen. "But if they call it racist, I just say it's true and you've got to deal with that. I have a responsibility to speak the truth; I believe it is." J.R. asked, "So if you have black students in your class, do you look down on them?" "No, "said McCuen. "I try to do the best I can with every student I've got." J.R. asked, "But you just said they were inferior?" "You try to actualize whatever potential is there," said McCuen. This isn't the first time Winston McCuen has been in the news. In 1999, he was a history teacher at St. Joseph's, a private high school in Greenville. McCuen hung a Confederate flag in his classroom. When parents complained, he was told by school officials to take it down. He didn't, and he was fired. "Our board of trustees ran screaming into the night saying 'take it down, take it down,' and I refused to because you need to present different views in the classroom," said McCuen. That was seven years ago. Today, the Emory University graduate is on administrative leave after News19 informed Lexington District Two about his comments. He won't be back next year. But he wasn't coming back anyway because of a certification issue. Though the district declined an on-camera interview, they did issue the following statement: "District officials have not seen the video done by WLTX, but we are now aware of certain web sites. The District cannot dictate the personal political views of its employees. The positions of Dr. McCuen are not the positions of Lexington School District Two. The parents of our district have entrusted us with the education of their children, and we continually strive to foster a positive learning environment for all of our students. The District is investigating the matter and will take appropriate action if warranted. Dr. McCuen is currently on administrative leave. For unrelated reasons, he will not be teaching in Lexington School District Two next year." While McCuen's days with Lexington Two are numbered, McCuen says his time in the classroom is far from over. "Is that a problem?" said McCuen. "I hope not. "Am I not supposed to make a living because of my views? Or should I just be wiped out or what, and people like me, what do you think?"
When I hear this, I imagine a teacher with no classroom management skills or weak administration. Kids will do what they are allowed to do. They will test the limits on a daily basis. If a teacher can't deal with that, they should just get out. When I say deal with it, document and follow the discipline procedure, but pick you battles so when a kid is sent out, it means something. I've seen teachers send kids to the office because of "no paper". At that rate, the teacher will spend half the day writing referals, and the students will know that the teacher has no management skills. The kids know and they will continue with the minor infrations until the administrator just sends them back to class with a slap on the wrist. *edit* I say this in regards to my personal experience on campuses I've taught on, none of which being a big city school. Maybe the difference is the region, or big city/small city.
my g/f has great classroom management skills (so i've heard from other teachers). she doesn't take crap from any of the kids. but there's always a couple of kids who test teh boundaries, and this kid is one of them. she also makes an effort to communicate with parents about their children but she's had more than a handful of parents who expect her to babysit, rather than teach.
I'm sure there are all kinds of variables. From what I'm told some teachers can't even give a kid detention anymore with 3 documented warnings, documented phone calls to a parent etc, and the parent will just defend the kid or in this case decide to sue. They are also truly discouraged to send a kid to the office for any reason, they are supposed to handle it all. Teachers don't have the discipline powers they used too even when I was in school way back in the late '80s. When I was a student teachers didn't call your parents for every little thing, you got detention etc and that was it. I know, I was there quite a bit.
Not doubting her one bit. It sounds like she's done everything right and this will be more of a nuisance than anything. I asked earlier...how did the parent come up w/ her accusation of racism or gang banging?
You are correct in that. Disciplinary procedures tend to be a bunch of red tape. It is a big hassle, but the documentation does serve to protect the teacher/school district in ridiculous cases like this.
that's the absurdity of the whole thing. the kid was talking back to her (not a in a respectful way of course), flipped her off with his hands as if to say she's nobody worth listening to, and then he proceeded to throw up a gang sign. i have no idea how the mother connected the write-up as being racially discriminatory.
Hopefully it will work out. If she wrote the student up, then hopefully she will have carbon copies and records of other behavior from the child. That is a real shame. Teachers do such important work for our society, and it is rotten that they sometimes get this kind of treatment. I am not sure about the Unions in Houston. In LA the teacher's union is outstanding, and really strong. They are good at handling these situations.
Hopefully this clears up. What, is the kid a minority and your g/f caucasian, or is it the other way around??? Whatever the kid is, he's a "turd", as Falcons has been saying it. (I think I will start using that term... permission, Falcons?) Because you're GUILTY?
Hey Grendal, i remember what you are look like (from the Rockets game pictures that you took). You can take those kids man....
well, what were the gang signs? did he do the one where if you put your hands together and look inside it looks like a woman's (<whistle noise>)?
