So, what do y'all think about this?

[*Lulu*]

This blog post popped up in my FB feed and I wondered what the Hive would think about it.....

 

 

http://letmythoughtsflow.blogspot.com/2014/02/stop-bashing.html?m=1

[GSOchristie]

I don't know any homeschooler who bashes teachers  :confused1: .  I certainly don't blame teachers for the mess that our school system is in, and I would never think to criticize them publicly or privately.  I think she overreacted to someone's opinion of homework.  

[T'smom]

I don't homeschool because of teachers either. I certainly don't bash them. I used to be one! I don't think that teacher bashing is common amongst homeschoolers.

[marbel]

I don't bash teachers, but I've heard plenty of teachers bashing homeschoolers.   

 

As for the blog post, I agree with the commenter who said "this is a very whiney post." 

[itsheresomewhere]

Someone needs a nap.  

 

 

[PeacefulChaos]

I don't really feel strongly one way or another about it.

I DO agree that bashing teachers does no one any good.  Or bashing school systems, for that matter... I don't really like to see my hs friends jump up and decry the horrid public school system and say things like, 'THIS is why I homeschool my kids'... 

I honestly don't care why people homeschool their kids.  I don't feel the need to defend my decision to do so or to give my reasons to anyone, and I kind of doubt that the people who bash public schools in that way are being real when they say 'that' is why they homeschool.  

I just think it's another reason for people to sensationalize things, to blow things out of proportion, to be overdramatic.  But that's just me.

[jewellsmommy]

It struck me that you can take segments of her blog about her struggles and cares and find that they are identical to something someone here has posted. She teaches children; we teach our children. There should be respect for each other. We're not all that different. Note, though, that she admits that the good ones (teachers) are "leaving in droves." Well, logic dictates then that some parents have kids in a class whose teacher was replaced with a not-so-good one because the good one left in the drove :tongue_smilie:. That parent has a right to complain and voice their opinion if they want. Maybe it truly is why they now home school. This teacher got to have her say. I commiserate. The parents get to have their say too though. The whole us vs them thing is way over done on-line. I have not really met anyone irl who is like that, but people act different on-line, mob mentality I guess.

[SKL]

I'm on a forum that has lots of teachers who are also parents (and parents who aren't school teachers).  So it's always a balance if you're going to talk about a problem your kid is having in school.  As a parent, yeah, I get frustrated and sometimes I get angry.  Teachers are parents too, so they should understand that if I'm peeved about my kids' teacher today, that doesn't mean I hate or disrespect teachers in general.  I always make it a point to say good things about my kids' current teacher, even when she gets on my nerves.  (Couldn't think of anything good to say about last year's, sorry.)

 

One of my teacher/parent friends made me smile when she got on facebook to vent about her daughter's confusing math homework.  She actually loves that math program, but she wasn't loving it that day, LOL.  Welcome to our world, ma'am!

[Guest sprinkleofgrace]

Hi! I'm actually the author of this blog post! And please know that I have nothing against homeschoolers! When I wrote that post, I had no idea it would be so widely read or read at all, to be honest. If i had known, I would have left the title of the article out of my piece completely. I was actually home schooled until I was a sophomore and loved every minute of it. There were several other things that happened that week personally that made me feel "bashed" and as I said in my post, the article was just the final straw. I applaud all homeschool mothers and fathers for the sacrifices you make daily to provide your children with the best education you can. We need more parents like you in the world who are so passionate about their child's education. :) 

 

Also, to the person who said I need a nap? I so do! And definitely did the day I wrote this! One of my favorite e-cards is one that says, "I already want to take a nap tomorrow." :) 

[Slache]

I have serious issues with the public schools, but it has nothing to do with the teachers! I've never heard any homeschooler bash teachers. If I had I'd lose all respect for them. Teachers are my heroes. I truly believe they have the most important paying job in the world.

 

That said, if you have a career that leads you to snap your children every day, you need a new career.

[Word Nerd]

Posting something negative about schools, public education, teachers, or school kids (and the more outrageous and extreme the anecdote, the better) along with "this is why we homeschool" usually comes across as obnoxious and sanctimonious. People may not mean it in a sneering sort of way, but it's hard not to make it sound like that.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Here's my take-away line:

 

Teachers, the good ones, the ones who care? We're going extinct. We're leaving the classrooms in droves. And that should terrify the hell out of you.

 

Yes.  This is happening -- the leaving part.  I don't think parents are even remotely clued into the trend, and are thus not terrified...at all.  DD has 7 years to early retirement, assuming the pension fund is still solvent, or 14 to full retirement, which just looks like a crushing span of time.

[Artichoke]

Here's my take-away line:

 

Teachers, the good ones, the ones who care? We're going extinct. We're leaving the classrooms in droves. And that should terrify the hell out of you.

 

Yes. This is happening -- the leaving part. I don't think parents are even remotely clued into the trend, and are thus not terrified...at all. DD has 7 years to early retirement, assuming the pension fund is still solvent, or 14 to full retirement, which just looks like a crushing span of time.

This is my take-away, too. Most of the teachers that I know who have left the classroom have done it for one of two reasons -- to homeschool their own children or to escape the ever increasing burdens of the job. Other teachers that I know have taken other jobs as new industries with better pay have moved into our area. Regardless of the reasons, there are more teachers teaching on waivers in my state's school systems each year, especially in the STEM classes.

[SKL]

Here's my take-away line:

 

Teachers, the good ones, the ones who care? We're going extinct. We're leaving the classrooms in droves. And that should terrify the hell out of you.

 

Yes.  This is happening -- the leaving part.  I don't think parents are even remotely clued into the trend, and are thus not terrified...at all.  DD has 7 years to early retirement, assuming the pension fund is still solvent, or 14 to full retirement, which just looks like a crushing span of time.

 

There is nothing new about this.  When I started college in 1983, planning to be a teacher, this was one of the reasons - because the good teachers were fleeing in droves.  (I also dropped the education program when I experienced the limitations that are placed on young, creative, idealistic teachers.)  This is another reason to really appreciate those good teachers who continue to drag their butts in early each morning to face a roomful of diverse challenges.

[*Lulu*]

And another thought. Is there really an "us against them" mentality with homeschoolers and public school teachers? I don't see it that way. I don't think about public school teachers much at all. Why would I? And I doubt any of them are thinking about me. Kinda like...do bakers think about those people bold enough to bake their own damn bread at home? Pah...I hope not.

That was my thought as I read it.

 

The complaints I hear from homeschoolers are typically aimed at the buracrates, at the system, not the teachers themselves.

 

Occasionally there is a homeschooler with an axe to grind with teachers. Usually though, it is someone who had their children in school and pulled them out due to a problem and they perceive the teacher/s to have been part of the issue.

 

On the flip side, I occasionally run into a school teacher who rants against homeschooling like it is the STD of the education world and that just being in a room with a homeschooler puts you at risk.

[Artichoke]

There is nothing new about this. When I started college in 1983, planning to be a teacher, this was one of the reasons - because the good teachers were fleeing in droves. (I also dropped the education program when I experienced the limitations that are placed on young, creative, idealistic teachers.) This is another reason to really appreciate those good teachers who continue to drag their butts in early each morning to face a roomful of diverse challenges.

 

I think the new aspect of the problem is that now it's nationwide and teachers are actually leaving the profession. The teacher shortages we experienced in the 1980's tended to be relagated to certain areas. Solutions focused on getting teachers to move to these districts. Now, instead of teachers moving from one district to another, they are choosing to leave the profession altogether.

[mommymilkies]

That was my thought as I read it.

 

The complaints I hear from homeschoolers are typically aimed at the buracrates, at the system, not the teachers themselves.

 

Occasionally there is a homeschooler with an axe to grind with teachers. Usually though, it is someone who had their children in school and pulled them out due to a problem and they perceive the teacher/s to have been part of the issue.

 

On the flip side, I occasionally run into a school teacher who rants against homeschooling like it is the STD of the education world and that just being in a room with a homeschooler puts you at risk.

This.  The only axe I have to grind with teachers are the ones I've personally had bad experiences with.  Like the one who dragged me down the hallway in 4th grade.  Otherwise, I like teachers.  I wish they had more freedom in curriculum, freedom from teaching to the test, and better pay and benefits.  

[NorthwestMom]

I actually agree with the author's sentiments. I get tired of the bashing that goes back and forth.  Most teachers are working like dogs to help their students.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

There is nothing new about this.  When I started college in 1983, planning to be a teacher, this was one of the reasons - because the good teachers were fleeing in droves.  (I also dropped the education program when I experienced the limitations that are placed on young, creative, idealistic teachers.)  This is another reason to really appreciate those good teachers who continue to drag their butts in early each morning to face a roomful of diverse challenges.

 

 

It could also be regional phenomenons finally swirling together into a larger perfect storm, with Common Core leading the they way through the ashes of NCLB.  DW started in 1987, and the sea changes seemed to kick in roughly 10-15ish years ago, more or less (it's a bit fuzzy).   She's in a mostly white, upper middle class suburban district, and that, too perhaps slowed the assault of the political policy do-gooders, who, because of the nature of media attention, tend to try to FIX urban districts first.

 

Either way, it sure isn't the profession it was just two decades ago.  Not even close.

[SquirrellyMama]

The teacher bashing I hear is usually from parents with kids in school. They tend to be the ones that don't want to have to work with their kids at home on school work.

 

I do feel for teachers in schools today. I kept my son home so they wouldn't have to deal with one more hyper boy :)

[mom2scouts]

Honestly, a really bad public school teacher was the final straw that pushed me into homeschooling.  I know there are great teachers. My father and DIL are teachers and so are some of my friends.  My kids who went to ps had some *amazing* teachers.  The truth is that there are some horrible teachers and if your kids get them it can be 9 months of **ll.  My kids are widely spaced in age and I've been watching the changes in public schools over the years and I just couldn't do it anymore as a PS parent.  Unfortunately, many good teachers say the same thing and are leaving the profession.  I don't support teacher bashing, but I don't support the "all teachers are selfless heroes" idea I often see either.

[SKL]

The teacher bashing I hear is usually from parents with kids in school. They tend to be the ones that don't want to have to work with their kids at home on school work.

 

 

I agree with your first sentence.  The second, not so much.  We want what's best for our kids.  If that's homework, so be it.  But it's not that simple.  When I go through my 1st grader's backpack at 7pm and see a note telling me there's a science test tomorrow?  Or four pages of challenge math homework due tomorrow?  With no prior warning?  Not cool.  The "project" assigned to be done over Christmas break, when some folks are traveling?  The 16 pages of make-up homework sent home over Christmas break?  The 11 pages of homework sent on a Thursday night to be turned in Friday morning?  Always without prior warning.  Teachers know that kids have evening schedules.  I don't "bash" teachers, but will I express frustration about homework sometimes, yes.  Especially since I have told the teachers this is a problem for us (we have sports and therapies most evenings), they promise to always give lots of notice, and this still happens.

 

I think lots of homeschoolers also don't want to spend their evenings working on school work.  At some point it isn't what's best for kids.

 

ETA:  just so you don't misunderstand, I spend a minimum of an hour per evening with my kids on school work.  Even more on weekends.  But we have a tight schedule and I need to be able to plan; and teachers need to be a little considerate of parents' limitations.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

"He does typical boy things but he's a great kid."

"And I'll be danged if I ever see his mind in an oilfield or on a construction site. I'm not knocking those professions one bit. There's a lot of people in the oilfield making way more money than I am, and I very much appreciate the experts who pave the roads I drove on, but it's not for Robert. This boy is meant for greatness. He is meant to do something."

This is why I homeschool. My four sons are appreciated "for" the boy things they do and not in spite of them, and we see the manly pursuit of ALL honest work as doing something great. Working with minds and hands, making a community better, building a nation's infrastructure, providing for one's family and having some money to give to those in need...I'd be proud of Robert if that was the path he chose.

I'm not trying to "bash." I'm disagreeing, on a fundamental level, with the way boys are too often perceived in public school.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I am concerned about children of teachers who pour out all their patience and concern on their students and have nothing left for their own children after school. Children can have many teachers but they only get one mother.

[SquirrellyMama]

I agree with your first sentence. The second, not so much. We want what's best for our kids. If that's homework, so be it. But it's not that simple. When I go through my 1st grader's backpack at 7pm and see a note telling me there's a science test tomorrow? Or four pages of challenge math homework due tomorrow? With no prior warning? Not cool. The "project" assigned to be done over Christmas break, when some folks are traveling? The 16 pages of make-up homework sent home over Christmas break? The 11 pages of homework sent on a Thursday night to be turned in Friday morning? Always without prior warning. Teachers know that kids have evening schedules. I don't "bash" teachers, but will I express frustration about homework sometimes, yes. Especially since I have told the teachers this is a problem for us (we have sports and therapies most evenings), they promise to always give lots of notice, and this still happens.

 

I think lots of homeschoolers also don't want to spend their evenings working on school work. At some point it isn't what's best for kids.

 

ETA: just so you don't misunderstand, I spend a minimum of an hour per evening with my kids on school work. Even more on weekends. But we have a tight schedule and I need to be able to plan; and teachers need to be a little considerate of parents' limitations.

Sorry, I was talking about the people I know personally. I know someone with a preschooler who doesn't want to help with letter/letter sounds because that is the teacher's job and so on. I had a friend who was teaching elementary and had a child who was behind in reading but the parents refused to help because it wasn't their job.

 

These types of people were who I was referring to. I know evening schedules make homework difficult.

[Word Nerd]

Honestly, a really bad public school teacher was the final straw that pushed me into homeschooling.  I know there are great teachers. My father and DIL are teachers and so are some of my friends.  My kids who went to ps had some *amazing* teachers.  The truth is that there are some horrible teachers and if your kids get them it can be 9 months of **ll.  My kids are widely spaced in age and I've been watching the changes in public schools over the years and I just couldn't do it anymore as a PS parent.  Unfortunately, many good teachers say the same thing and are leaving the profession.  I don't support teacher bashing, but I don't support the "all teachers are selfless heroes" idea I often see either.

 

It does seem to swing from one extreme to the other, and lauding teachers as saints above all others isn't any more helpful than bashing them. I suspect I'm not the only one who knew people in college who ended up in elementary ed not because it was a great calling but because what they originally majored in was too hard. That isn't intended to make a generalization about grade school teachers, but the claims that teaching is a calling are exaggerated IMHO. Teachers are humans just like the rest of us, and lots of people care about others and work hard at jobs that are meaningful to them. There are good and bad teachers just as in any profession. 

[SKL]

And "this is why I homeschool" with respect to homework actually makes sense.  Wouldn't it be great if all kids could get all their school work done during school time, and have evenings open for other things?  (Not possible for many, but it's a nice thought.)

[Dmmetler]

Most of the things that drove me to homeschooling weren't under the teacher's control. And I know, because until DD was born, I was a PS teacher. I've sat on the textbook committee only to see a different series than the committee recommended adopted because of freebies given by the publisher, and then had to figure out how the heck I was going to make that series work, since it didn't have student books, but projectable ones, and I didn't have a Smartboard or computer projector. I saw the tests drive instruction and got the mandates on no "non-learning time" until testing was over, which meant that if the PE teacher had them jumping rope, they were supposed to Chant math facts while doing so. I was forced to "integrate" writing into my music classes, even when it wasn't appropriate for the kids, and then had to grade the kids based on their writing. I had the kids who were on IEPs that were impossible to make work.

 

And then, I gave birth to a child who would have been totally lost in the schools I taught in, who's needs wouldn't have been met, and who would have fallen through the cracks. We tried a private school for one year, only to discover the same thing.

 

It's not the teachers' fault. They're doing the best they can. But I want more for my child-and, honestly, I think that pulling my statistical outlier out of the class is probably the best help I can give them-at least they don't have one more IEP that they have no realistic way of making work.

[Anne in CA]

Honestly, I am one of the home school mom's who is not always happy with teachers. I am sending my youngest kid to ps next year. This is something I will have to work on. Being a cheerleader for ps teachers is part of the ps parent gig. Just like the poster who got annoyed by parents who want to be worshiped because they are a parent, there are a lot of teachers who want to be worshiped for being teachers. And I have refused to do it. My oldest never had a good teacher at all until Honors English her senior year of high school. That is not bashing teachers to say so, that is just honest. I only home schooled because her school experience was so unsatisfactory for the first five years that I HAD NO CHOICE. I could not send her to another teacher who was not willing to take a few extra minutes a day to redirect her, she is very dreamy. She was very easy to home school. She is highly intelligent and when properly directed she made up the two years that she was behind when we started home schooling and started high school ahead of the curve.

 

I once taught a sweet seven year old girl to read whose teacher had told her that teaching her to read was her mother's job. That broke my heart. 

 

I have friends who teach public school who are AMAZING. Their stories of other teachers curl my hair. I have a friend who ran a ps lunch program and her stories of teachers who don't like kids broke my heart. One of my best friends dated a teacher and she caught him smoking pot and visiting prostitutes. Um, yeah he still teaches even though he was arrested for it.  And yes, I get that good teachers pay the price for the ones who don't like kids, who do run out of the school the second the bell rings, who don't correct papers and play politics. It isn't fair. It's why I don't go back to school to be a teacher even though I love kids and would love to teach. 

 

Bashing is not the same as honest discussion. I don't think teachers should be bashed. But I think we need more honest discussion about education in this country that does not begin and end with more money for education. But good luck with that because politicians have figured out that more money for education is easier than discussing real change. 

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I am concerned about children of teachers who pour out all their patience and concern on their students and have nothing left for their own children after school. Children can have many teachers but they only get one mother.

The educators I know run the range from awesome to not-so-much parents, just as in any other profession.

[trulycrabby]

Wellcome to the forum, sprinkleofgrace! Please stick round; WTM is a very nice place with interesting people and spirited discussion. :)

 

As the daughter of a teacher, I am pretty darned fond of them!

 

I also think you made some very valid points, and shouldn't be bashed for expressing your opinions. :)

[GSOchristie]

I have to chime in as a former teacher, and this was fourth grade, not first, but sometimes kids get the work well ahead of time, but it doesn't make it home until the last minute.  I would give study guide for a test on Monday, to be completed and checked by Thursday (including time in class to work on them), for the the test on Friday.  I would have irate parents emailing me on Wednesday night about "excessive homework" and "no advance notice" and "we have soccer practice".  Um, well, if your child hadn't piddled around in class and played with their pencil and made paper footballs rather than work on their study guide and if you had checked their planner (that I signed) on Monday when it was assigned, we wouldn't be in this predicament.  So anyway, sometimes homework seems excessive because of poor choices made in school.  

 

*I know this is not always the case, but I just wanted to throw it out there for the other side :).*

[GSOchristie]

You can say that about any working parent though.  That is nothing particular to teachers.

 

You can say that about me, and I stay at home.  Sometimes if we have a rough day schooling, I snap at my kids because I am just over "my job".  I felt bad for her when reading the post because I know sometimes you have just had enough of what you do day after day.

[Mergath]

I think many of the teachers here in the US are poorly trained, but that's the fault of the university teaching programs and the regulations, not the fault of the teachers.  

 

And I agree with the person who said that there seem to be a lot more teachers bashing homeschoolers.  My dd has to go to the local school for her speech therapy, and I've been mocked and publicly insulted on a fairly regular basis over my decision to homeschool by the school personnel.  Nothing like having a preschool teacher you've known for all of five minutes tell you that your kid's issues, which are the result of a rare genetic disorder, are actually your fault because you didn't enroll them in preschool.  :glare:  Never have I heard any of the other parents there bash the teachers, though.  I don't see it on facebook, and I rarely see it here on the forum.

 

I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but to be completely honest, I'm a little sick of hearing so many teachers complain about how hard their jobs are.  Lots of people have stressful jobs and aren't given the resources they need.  Ever worked in a group home for severely autistic children?  It's an understaffed, underfunded, minimum wage nightmare.  Yet I never see group home employees take to the internet in melodramatic droves to complain that they aren't getting the recognition and public lovefest they deserve.

 

[marbel]

"He does typical boy things but he's a great kid."

 

"And I'll be danged if I ever see his mind in an oilfield or on a construction site. I'm not knocking those professions one bit. There's a lot of people in the oilfield making way more money than I am, and I very much appreciate the experts who pave the roads I drove on, but it's not for Robert. This boy is meant for greatness. He is meant to do something."

 

This is why I homeschool. My four sons are appreciated "for" the boy things they do and not in spite of them, and we see the manly pursuit of ALL honest work as doing something great. Working with minds and hands, making a community better, building a nation's infrastructure, providing for one's family and having some money to give to those in need...I'd be proud of Robert if that was the path he chose.

 

I'm not trying to "bash." I'm disagreeing, on a fundamental level, with the way boys are too often perceived in public school.

 

I didn't catch those when I read the post.  That is really over the top.  I assume the author doesn't articulate those opinions in her classroom but they may come out anyway.   I wouldn't want my son taught by a person who had such a low regard for boys in general, and for certain professions.  

 

(I did notice that the author made a comment about people working in the oil fields making more money than she does.  I also wouldn't want my kid's teacher articulating the opinion that making a lot of money is the measurement of success.)

 

[T'smom]

I have to chime in as a former teacher, and this was fourth grade, not first, but sometimes kids get the work well ahead of time, but it doesn't make it home until the last minute. I would give study guide for a test on Monday, to be completed and checked by Thursday (including time in class to work on them), for the the test on Friday. I would have irate parents emailing me on Wednesday night about "excessive homework" and "no advance notice" and "we have soccer practice". Um, well, if your child hadn't piddled around in class and played with their pencil and made paper footballs rather than work on their study guide and if you had checked their planner (that I signed) on Monday when it was assigned, we wouldn't be in this predicament. So anyway, sometimes homework seems excessive because of poor choices made in school.

 

*I know this is not always the case, but I just wanted to throw it out there for the other side :).*

This is so, so, SO true! I hardly ever assigned actual homework, what they had to do was what they were supposed to do in class and didn't do. We even had a newsletter that gave parents the weekly schedule of tests and stuff and they still acted shocked when there was a test. They knew to look for the newsletter even if their kid didn't hand it to them.

 

But really, my take away from the blog post was that there is no.freaking.way. this teacher or any other was going to meet the needs of each student in the class. It is an impossible task. I love her heart, the way she sees her students.....but it is too much to ask for a teacher to try to meet all of those diverse needs.

[SKL]

I have to chime in as a former teacher, and this was fourth grade, not first, but sometimes kids get the work well ahead of time, but it doesn't make it home until the last minute.  I would give study guide for a test on Monday, to be completed and checked by Thursday (including time in class to work on them), for the the test on Friday.  I would have irate parents emailing me on Wednesday night about "excessive homework" and "no advance notice" and "we have soccer practice".  Um, well, if your child hadn't piddled around in class and played with their pencil and made paper footballs rather than work on their study guide and if you had checked their planner (that I signed) on Monday when it was assigned, we wouldn't be in this predicament.  So anyway, sometimes homework seems excessive because of poor choices made in school.  

 

*I know this is not always the case, but I just wanted to throw it out there for the other side :).*

 

Oh, sure, a 4th grader needs to take responsibility for stuff he was supposed to be working on since Monday.

 

I do realize that this happens.  I do think it's on the teacher if she's sitting in a classroom with my 6/7yo for 7 hours and lets my kid piddle away the time and then sends it home on Thursday.  I am not there to redirect and kids at that age are not perfectly responsible.  Besides, the reason the "independent seat work" isn't always getting done is that my kid needs some help with it.  So if it's going to be sent home, at least give us a couple of days so I don't have a 7yo sitting up until 11pm on a school night.

 

The 1st grade teacher used to send home "Monday notes" on Monday afternoon and the note would say "___ test Tuesday."  So no, that was not a matter of my kids not remembering to bring stuff home.  It was such a problem, last summer I bought the 2nd grade SS, Science, and Health textbooks so we can study on weekends, whether we expect a test or not.  And, none of the homework fire-drills in the 1st grade were due to me finding out the assignment days after my kids got it.  I think that teacher was living in the past, when good mothers were with their kids from 3pm onward and had no evening schedule other than dinner and bedtime.

 

And then there were times when my 5/6yo kids came to school with their completed homework in their folders, and they would forget to turn it in, and they would lose 10% for turning it in the next day.  How the heck can a 1st grade teacher dock a kid for the fact that she didn't collect the homework?  As a parent, I'm going to be frustrated because I did everything I could, my kid worked hard, and none of that matters - unless I threaten my kids enough that they remember to do xyz after entering the chaotic classroom.  It sucked.

 

I'm sorry, but teachers are human and some of them are less awesome than others.

 

The teacher they have right now, I really like.  But sometimes she does clueless things too.  I don't bash her but I don't have to like it all the time.

[LucyStoner]

I do see teacher bashing from time to time in the news and talking to friends, both homeschoolers and not. Heck, after having two very good examples of bad teachers for my son I may have even been guilty of generalizing too much about that. There are some terrible teachers. There are also some amazing teachers.

 

It seems that paying people beans isn't enough, it is now politically popular to go for or at least kevetch their pensions and retirement benefits. Most people who took teaching jobs understood the pension to be one of the offsets for the low pay. It seems grinchy and obnoxious to try and take them away IMO. I understand why good teachers feel bashed and maligned.

 

I think though that the profession shoots itself in the foot. Quite often I see teachers rally to the defense of bad teachers, teachers who should be fired. Quality needs to be valued over longevity and they don't always go hand in hand. We had a kinship foster placement for awhile and he was in a struggling public school with the absolute best teacher. He was so great. Mid year cuts somehow meant that a teacher had to be let go because of under enrollment. The great teacher was the most recently hired so he was gone. Mid year. It was horrible for the kids. After subbing for awhile and getting another school, that teacher ultimately quit teaching and he is now gone. Meanwhile the mediocre at best woman who took his students on is still there. I am 33 and only 2 of my peer group who entered teaching are still teaching. That's unsustainable. And it means that we ultimately end up with a good number of teachers who just can't leave because they don't have any better options. Something has to change. The over praise doesn't help but neither does the disrespect and distain that many do seem to show towards teachers.

[PeachyDoodle]

I think many of the teachers here in the US are poorly trained, but that's the fault of the university teaching programs and the regulations, not the fault of the teachers.  

 

And I agree with the person who said that there seem to be a lot more teachers bashing homeschoolers.  My dd has to go to the local school for her speech therapy, and I've been mocked and publicly insulted on a fairly regular basis over my decision to homeschool by the school personnel.  Nothing like having a preschool teacher you've known for all of five minutes tell you that your kid's issues, which are the result of a rare genetic disorder, are actually your fault because you didn't enroll them in preschool.  :glare:  Never have I heard any of the other parents there bash the teachers, though.  I don't see it on facebook, and I rarely see it here on the forum.

 

I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but to be completely honest, I'm a little sick of hearing so many teachers complain about how hard their jobs are.  Lots of people have stressful jobs and aren't given the resources they need.  Ever worked in a group home for severely autistic children?  It's an understaffed, underfunded, minimum wage nightmare.  Yet I never see group home employees take to the internet in melodramatic droves to complain that they aren't getting the recognition and public lovefest they deserve.

 

:iagree:

 

Yes, this -- melodramatic droves, indeed. I agree that teaching is a stressful and difficult job. Probably. In most cases. I've never done it myself, so I can't speak from personal experience. But so are many, many jobs, some that pay significantly better than teaching, and some that don't. Every job I've ever worked has been stressful and under-resourced (and has never paid as well as teaching, even in NC). It's a fact of life in many, if not most, professions.

 

If anything, it seems to me that, far more often than hearing people "bash" teachers, I hear teachers whine about how tough they've got it. I respect teachers for their service, just like I respect police officers, firefighters, and soldiers. But none of those folks show up daily on my FB feed complaining that they're overworked and underpaid and begging, "Please, please, let it snow so I don't have to work today!" And there isn't a public outcry whenever someone dares to suggest that a cop or Marine (or waitress or hairdresser) who fails to perform to standard should find another profession. Why do teachers, as a group, seem to take EVERYTHING so personally? Pointing out the failings of one person is not tantamount to "bashing" an entire profession.

 

Along the same lines, "bashing" the public education system is also NOT the same thing as bashing teachers. We choose to homeschool in large part because of the idiotic bureaucracy that is our local school system -- NOT because we had anything against any of dd's former teachers. But the fact remains that, even though they were doing their job, what they were doing wasn't working for us. That's not a personal indictment, just a fact.

 

Disclaimer: I am sick today, so I beg forgiveness in advance for my crotchity-ness. In case it's not obvious, this topic strikes a nerve.

 

[leeannpal]

I am concerned about children of teachers who pour out all their patience and concern on their students and have nothing left for their own children after school. Children can have many teachers but they only get one mother.

I think that most of us handle this the best we can. I teach high school English in a private school during the day and homeschool my 11 year old in the evenings. My husband does some homeschooling during the day. Yes, it is very hard, and, more than once, I've questioned the sanity of pouring myself out to other children when my own child has so many needs. The facts are that we need my salary. Unless something drastic changes (along the lines of a miracle), I will continue to have to work full-time.

 

I do enjoy the students I teach and my job in general. It is just so hard to feel pulled in two different directions all the time.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I think that most of us handle this the best we can. I teach high school English in a private school during the day and homeschool my 11 year old in the evenings. My husband does some homeschooling during the day. Yes, it is very hard, and, more than once I've questioned the sanity of pouring myself out to other children when my own child has so many needs. The facts are that we need my salary. Unless something drastic changes (along the lines of a miracle), I will continue to have to work full-time.

 

I do enjoy the students I teach and my job in general. It is just so hard to feel pulled in two different directions all the time.

It's not something I've ever thought much about; as SparklyUnicorn mentioned this is a possibility for any profession that involves really long hours and stress. I just mentioned it because the author of the article seemed to be seeking pats on the back for her endless patience and understanding with other people's children and sympathy for herself that she has to be mean to her own kids. There's a disconnect there, somewhere, it seemed to me.

[leeannpal]

I think many of the teachers here in the US are poorly trained, but that's the fault of the university teaching programs and the regulations, not the fault of the teachers.  

 

And I agree with the person who said that there seem to be a lot more teachers bashing homeschoolers.  My dd has to go to the local school for her speech therapy, and I've been mocked and publicly insulted on a fairly regular basis over my decision to homeschool by the school personnel.  Nothing like having a preschool teacher you've known for all of five minutes tell you that your kid's issues, which are the result of a rare genetic disorder, are actually your fault because you didn't enroll them in preschool.  :glare:  Never have I heard any of the other parents there bash the teachers, though.  I don't see it on facebook, and I rarely see it here on the forum.

 

I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but to be completely honest, I'm a little sick of hearing so many teachers complain about how hard their jobs are.  Lots of people have stressful jobs and aren't given the resources they need.  Ever worked in a group home for severely autistic children?  It's an understaffed, underfunded, minimum wage nightmare.  Yet I never see group home employees take to the internet in melodramatic droves to complain that they aren't getting the recognition and public lovefest they deserve.

Can I tell you why it seems that teachers complain about how hard teaching their jobs are? Like other teachers, I have heard on numerous occasions from friends and even family about how lucky I am that I only work 6-7 hour days and have summers off. Any teacher would get sick of hearing this because we know it isn't true. We don't work 6 hour days, and our summers off are getting shorter all the time. Most people who aren't teachers have no idea what teaching is like, so why do I keep hearing that I've "got it easy"?

[Mrs Mungo]

Meh, I see people of all professions (including stay at home moms, working moms, police officers) complaining about being under appreciated. I do agree that not partaking in the system and/or have legitimate complaints about the system are not the same as bashing teachers.

[JuanitaL]

I am concerned about children of teachers who pour out all their patience and concern on their students and have nothing left for their own children after school. Children can have many teachers but they only get one mother.

 

This was my experience with my parents (mom - teacher, dad - teacher then administrator). They had their jobs, our educations were the jobs of other people. They are both long retired. Several years ago my mom kind of ruefully told me that her last several years teaching were pretty bad. I wasn't surprised. She had about 10 years or so where she (and everyone around her) really would have benefitted from some kind of hormone therapy.