Why are we turning our kids into sissies?

[hockeygal 0]

If a student displays a form of rudeness or cruelty within the classroom without any reprimand or involvement from the teacher, a young child will feel betrayed by the teacher for enabling it to happen.

ok, but that is different from mandating who gets a valentine or a birthday party invitation.

I just think there are some things adults need to step in over, i.e behaviour, and some things that are just par for the course of growing up and learning to socialize.. like making friends!

[pedroh 21]

agree.. when i help my wife grade papers im like #######? is this supposed to be high school? these kids write like really dumb elementary kids.. how the hell did they make it so far? my wife only says 'no child lef behind'..and sighs.. lol

[CarolineM 0]

Pedroh...i hear ya...you have no IDEA how muchI hear you..

Is your wife grading in red ink....tsk tsk...bad for the studen'ts self esteem.

BLECH.

[pedroh 21]

Pedroh...i hear ya...you have no IDEA how muchI hear you..

Is your wife grading in red ink....tsk tsk...bad for the studen'ts self esteem.

BLECH.

oh no.. my wife is strict.. if the kid is a dumbass, he fails.. although I think sometimes she spends too much time trying to make the kids pass.. she gives them a lot of chances, and they keep screwing up.. i always tell em that is not gonna help''em.. they are already a bunch of morons.. they're gonna stay mediocre like that forever..

[CarolineM 0]

Good for her!! That's the way I was as a teacher too!

[pedroh 21]

well.. sometimes i tell her to take a break.. and she does.. there's no point of getting stressed for a kid that's gonna drop next year.. or he's just not interested in passing..

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If a student displays a form of rudeness or cruelty within the classroom without any reprimand or involvement from the teacher, a young child will feel betrayed by the teacher for enabling it to happen.

ok, but that is different from mandating who gets a valentine or a birthday party invitation.

I just think there are some things adults need to step in over, i.e behaviour, and some things that are just par for the course of growing up and learning to socialize.. like making friends!

First, I question the validity of the original article's accuracy - is this actual school policy or just a teacher making that decision? Secondly, if a teacher has a policy with the students that anything introduced to the class is to be shared with the entire class - I think in general is reasonable and makes sense. If you want your kid to only invite his friends to his birthday party - have him do it afterschool, not in the classroom. If I were teaching young kids, I'd have that rule across the board. I don't want my classtime interrupted or used for such things, especially when it only involves some kids, meanwhile the other kids just sit their idling and waiting for classtime to resume. Let me put in this perspective - suppose at your office, your boss called everyone's attention to stop working while one of your co-workers announces he's having a party this weekend and then proceeds to call out the names of the people who are invited. Now granted, handing out invitations is a little different but in terms of a classroom setting, there's no way that the uninvited kids won't notice it or be distracted by it. Simple solution - keep it outside of the classroom.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

agree.. when i help my wife grade papers im like #######? is this supposed to be high school? these kids write like really dumb elementary kids.. how the hell did they make it so far? my wife only says 'no child lef behind'..and sighs.. lol

Like I said earlier in this thread - unfortunately most of time it has nothing to do with any learning disability but a problem at home - no support from the parents. So when the child is 8 or 9, who's responsible for their success academically? And at what age does that responsability get handed off to the student? Look to the homelife and you'll see where the problem lies.

[pedroh 21]

agree.. when i help my wife grade papers im like #######? is this supposed to be high school? these kids write like really dumb elementary kids.. how the hell did they make it so far? my wife only says 'no child lef behind'..and sighs.. lol

Like I said earlier in this thread - unfortunately most of time it has nothing to do with any learning disability but a problem at home - no support from the parents. So when the child is 8 or 9, who's responsible for their success academically? And at what age does that responsability get handed off to the student? Look to the homelife and you'll see where the problem lies.

yea the thing is the grade my wife teachers, kids are 15-17. i mean.. cmon, I think at that age you are responsible for your grades and 'i didn't understand' is just a dumb excuse to not make ur ####### work or do something...

the problem I see, American school system treats high school kids like dumb 10 year olds.. they give them a lot of chances, and say 'they are just kids, they don't know how to be responsible' i mean cmon... we have a venezuelan friend who gives english classes and used to give HS classes in Venezuela.. also thinks the kids are way to sheltered.. and kids think she's 'really hard and strict'.. lol, and she is not

[one...two...tree 2,762]

agree.. when i help my wife grade papers im like #######? is this supposed to be high school? these kids write like really dumb elementary kids.. how the hell did they make it so far? my wife only says 'no child lef behind'..and sighs.. lol

Like I said earlier in this thread - unfortunately most of time it has nothing to do with any learning disability but a problem at home - no support from the parents. So when the child is 8 or 9, who's responsible for their success academically? And at what age does that responsability get handed off to the student? Look to the homelife and you'll see where the problem lies.

yea the thing is the grade my wife teachers, kids are 15-17. i mean.. cmon, I think at that age you are responsible for your grades and 'i didn't understand' is just a dumb excuse to not make ur ####### work or do something...

the problem I see, American school system treats high school kids like dumb 10 year olds.. they give them a lot of chances, and say 'they are just kids, they don't know how to be responsible' i mean cmon... we have a venezuelan friend who gives english classes and used to give HS classes in Venezuela.. also thinks the kids are way to sheltered.. and kids think she's 'really hard and strict'.. lol, and she is not

That doesn't answer those questions - when does the child's learning shift from being the parent's responsibility to the child? What do you tell an 8 year old whose parents are hitting the bars at night? It's easy enough to say we remove the child from the home, but there are varying degrees of child neglect and simply removing the child isn't the answer. My point is that by the time these kids get to high school, it's probably too late to fix what was broken and even though a teenager is approaching adulthood, it's not their fault that they had such a jacked-up home life. I don't know the answers but putting all the blame on the student for their academic failure isn't the answer either.

Edited August 15, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[KarenCee 3]

Try this....this I read a while back and was just SHOCKED.

]are you KIDDING me...

You know what, teaching is becoming more about the parents than the students these days...

This is SO true. We seem to mollycoddle the parents more than the kids if the truth be known. It's the parents whose kids are falling flat on their faces that make the loudest fuss at the END of the year, despite the fact that you've sent letters via mail (kid wouldn't give it to the parent) or return phone calls. These are the SAME parents who come get in your face and want to know what's happened??? How can MY child be failing???? You must NOT be doing your job. And you know what....teaching has turned into a customer service job...the customer (a.k.a. the parent) is ALWAYS right.

my whole life was the receiving end of child cruelty! And I still don't agree with the everyone or no one theory. For one thing, it doesn't give kids a chance to decide things for themselves.

I have a very clear memory of one kid giving out lots of valentines in Grade 2, and being excited and getting only one in return. He looked so dejected, I have never forgotten it. And that was when I decided to give cards to not just my friends, but all the kids I was sure wouldn't get many otherwise (you know, the booger eaters and non-bathers, and even a few bullies) I did it because I felt like it, not because the teacher told me to. It was my choice to do so for my own Grade 3 reasons.

Ditto the sports thing. I never won a thing. Until I started cheating on the distance runs... you know, the old fashioned way.

This is how I was...because I was always on the receiving end of not getting invites and valentines. I knew how it felt and I didn't want the other ones (just like me apparently) to feel the way I felt.

It was my choice as well. And I hope Joel and I raise our daughter to make such compassionate choices as well.

[ual777 0]

I will just say this:

When I grew up my mother put the fear of the Lord in me. When I started to act out all she had to do was give me the "You want to take a little trip to the bathroom?" look.

If a kid responds to you just by voice thats fine, but I see too many kids in the gas station/restaurant/etc. acting like a heathen and the parents just say "honey stop". In these situations, giving a spanking does not hurt at all.

A little beating never hurt anyone and give one some respect for those older and bigger than them. It also prepared me for the Marines well!

[CarolineM 0]

I have a solution...but it's way to nazi'esque. Ppl think I'm nuts.

[iceyspots 0]

I have a solution...but it's way to nazi'esque. Ppl think I'm nuts.

nazi'esque

[PlatyPius 5]

I have a solution...but it's way to nazi'esque. Ppl think I'm nuts.

Oh, please do tell....

Breeding license?

Kid quota?

Severing a hand every time your little angel throws a tantrum on the supermarket floor?