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Re: [Phys-l] Should teachers blog???

I have a different perspective on teaching -- and life. Teaching is a
unique profession. And nothing beats physics! I am fortunate to love what
I do each day. And we in America live better than most people in the
world. We really have no right to complain. Many people do, but what good
does that do? We should be positive and lifting each other up, rather than
expressing anger and frustration. No job is perfect, but teaching
(especially in a private school) is very satisfying. I can't imagine doing
anything else, and I certainly don't do it for the money.

Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu> writes:
Maybe we need to reflect and do a self-check: why are we in teaching in
the first place? What is our core business as a teacher? Then we can
answer this blogging question more convincingly.
We are here because we are passionate about teaching, we want to nurture
each child under our charge. Being kids means they will WILL MAKE DUMB
DECISIONS, so as teachers, EXPECT them to make dumb decisions (like
behaving inappropriately, not wanting to study.....) and help them become
wiser. This is our influence and our call to education. If you expect our
sch kids to be angels each time you see them in the classroom, and your
job is to just impart academic knowledge and exam skills, then I think
your misconception about education is very huge. You really néed to
re-think whether this job is for you.

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 19, 2011, at 7:39, "John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org> wrote:

If you look at the newspaper articles about the teacher you will find a
number of people who agree that her comments are true. It is just that
she
acted as the prophet. There is a great tradition of teachers claiming
that
the current generation is going to hell in a handbasket. Just think
Socrates.

See for example:


http://alaskapride.blogspot.com/2011/02/pennsylvania-teacher-natalie-munroe.
html

or


http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/embattled-teacher-blog-spoke-838766.htm
l

She actually never identified herself by name, or her school, or any of
the
students. Apparently students recognized the behaviors she was talking
about such as:

"After lunch, the jerky kids always lollygag in the hall, assembling
outside
my room and not coming in. I yell at them every day and they say,
"What? The
bell didn't ring yet!" There is no bell after lunch, which they know.
This
is just how annoying they are. This post-lunch divide of good kids vs
annoying kids was never so clear to me as it was today. One by one the
goodies came through the door. I decided that now was my chance. I
started
giving out the candy as they entered. After the good 10 walked in-- and
NONE
of the annoying ones had yet even to arrive in the hallway!!-- I
proclaimed,
"Well, nobody who isn't here on time is getting candy. That's it!" Then
I
put out the quizzes and the other jerks filtered in and didn't even
realize
they'd been excluded from the treat. (One kid, after finishing his quiz
asked if he could have a necklace but I told him no since he'd been
late,
and that was the end of that.)"

Actually this is an institutional problem with the school that she is
describing.

She also complains about theft when she is at a funeral, and about
students
defacing property with a bit of obscenity which every student has heard
or
used. Student theft is a problem even at a private school. I had to
lock
up everything when I had a substitute. When I went to school nothing
was
stolen, and nobody defaced things, but I went to tiny country school
where
everyone knew everyone, and the bored students dropped out at 16 in the
8th
grade.

One student commented "As far as motivated high school students, she's
completely correct. High school kids don't want to do anything. ...
It's a
teacher's job, however, to give students the motivation to learn."

How do you motivate people who have no interest in learning? The
unmotivated ones might be better off going to work for a while. I have
always suggested that shoveling manure in a barn for a month is a great
motivator. The attitude betrayed here is that the teacher has to hand
everything to the students. This attitude needs to be broken.

Her attorney said "She did it as carefully as she could," he said
about
her blog. "It's so general that it applies to the problems in school
districts and schools across the country."

The opinions are split, but many articles support her and say she is
correct. They say that the school should look at its policies first.
She
was unwise, but was she wrong. This might actually spark a realization
of
some parents about things that are going on in schools.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l