Fwd: [LiteracyForAll] Fw: Teachers cannot teach if students refuse to learn | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

[Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "GERALD BRACEY" <gbracey1@verizon.net>
> Date: Wed Jun 4, 2008  2:40:40 PM US/Pacific
> To: <arn-l@interversity.org>,	<LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [LiteracyForAll] Fw: Teachers cannot teach if students refuse  
> to learn | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
> Reply-To: LiteracyForAll@yahoogroups.com
>
> The Democrat and Chronicle comes out of Rochester, NY.  This doesn't  
> look like blame-shifting to me.
>
>
>
> Subject: Teachers cannot teach if students refuse to learn |  
> democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
>
>
> http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 
> 20080604/OPINION02/806040349/1041/OPINION
>
> Teachers cannot teach if students refuse to learn
> Latoya Manon . Guest essayist . June 4, 2008
>
> Seemingly, many people who are not teachers think they could do a  
> better job than most teachers.
>
> Everyone has gone to school and has had teachers, so how hard could it  
> be to teach? Well, I would like to give you an opportunity to walk in  
> our shoes by posing some questions that we teachers often deal with:
>
> a.. What would you do if all you have ever wanted to do is teach, but  
> you find yourself doing mostly test prep?
>
>
> a.. What would you do if you had to dip into your personal budget to  
> buy school supplies for students who refused to come to class with  
> those supplies? Never mind that their brand-new shoes probably cost  
> more than your entire outfit.
> a.. What would you do if you had planned a wonderful lesson, but more  
> than half of your class failed to show up for no particular reason at  
> all? Do you teach that lesson to those in class and then teach it over  
> and over so the other kids get caught up? (Remember, you don't want to  
> leave anyone behind.)
> a.. What would do if you held after-school and/or Saturday extra-help  
> sessions and no one showed up even after you called homes, sent  
> letters and offered extra credit for those attending? Remember, you  
> have to get as many students as you can to pass the Regents exams or  
> New York state will say you're an ineffective teacher.
> a.. What would you do if you had a student on the verge of dropping  
> out or refusing to do any work because he felt that his teacher didn't  
> care about him, and refused to see that his lack of effort and his  
> disrespect for people and rules were actually the issue? "My teacher  
> doesn't like me" was an unacceptable excuse for failure in my home.
> a.. What would you do if sports became more important to your students  
> than reading, writing or thinking?
>
>
> a.. What would you do if you called parents to notify them of their  
> child's belligerent behavior and they responded, "Well, you must have  
> done something to him because Sam doesn't just cuss people out for no  
> reason"?
> a.. What would you do if parents told you not to call them anymore  
> about their children, or even hung up on you?
>
>
> a.. How do you teach pupils who want to learn while making sure that  
> you don't leave behind those who don't want to learn?
> a.. How do you teach students to be respectful and responsible adults  
> and positive contributors to society when bureaucracy has made it  
> acceptable to be less than that? You can't hold students accountable  
> for lost books, missed assignments or bad behavior because, as some  
> would say, "They are poor; they don't know any better."
> a.. What would you do if a student often slept in your class because  
> she had to watch siblings or her own children all night, or maybe just  
> hung out and went to bed very late? Remember, detention is not an  
> option because students may play a sport after school or they might  
> have more important things to do than stay for detention.
> a.. What would you do if you knew students were graduating without  
> being ready for college or having any alternative plan?
>
>
> a.. What would you do if a student threatened you with bodily harm but  
> suspension was no longer an option because the district was trying to  
> keep a lid on suspension numbers?
> a.. What would you do if you wanted to spend time with your family but  
> you had to plan lessons, grade papers, assist in school events, etc.?  
> Your day doesn't end when the bell rings.
> Many of you may have the answers to these questions - and I challenge  
> the community, corporations and parents to take a more active role in  
> the schools and in the lives of children and young adult students.  
> Everyone has something to offer that may change the life of a child or  
> young adult.
>
> I am a graduate of the City School District where I now teach, and I  
> am also a parent of a ninth-grader in the CSD - and it is obvious that  
> something has gone terribly wrong. Our kids are learning how to  
> shortchange themselves from a flawed system that refuses to make them  
> accountable and promotes mediocrity. How can we expect young people to  
> become productive contributors to society if we refuse to give them  
> the basic tools they need?
>
> Parenting doesn't stop once your child goes to school. However, the  
> sad part is that even if the community, schools and parents work  
> together, if the student refuses to see that he or she has to take an  
> active role in learning, then change will be difficult. Whether they  
> believe it or not, students have to be vested in their own education.  
> They have to want to learn and to better themselves.
>
> Manon is a teacher in the City School District.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
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