School's out for Summer!-AMA-Update
 

I said I would.

But a few classroom rules.
1. The answer to the obligatory question. No
2. There are no stupid questions-just stupid people that ask questions.
3. Teacher has the right to suspend you.
4. Teacher can take regular quarter and holiday breaks.

Is the elementary school classroom game "heads up; 7 up" truly just a method for teachers to figure out who their natural born cheaters are?

Not that I know of and I had not heard of that. Stupid game that teaches nothing. No skill. No educational value. good time waster for bad teachers.

As a baby boomer, I hear lots of things about how education is worse today than the olden days when I was walking around in my Mork and Mindy t-shirt and mood ring. So I don't need any more theories on that.

In what ways is education better today than it was thirty years ago?

We can incorporate technology and "take kids" to places they may not go. Videos, not a picture in a book. Multiple sources.

We try to get kids to think and process more with open ended projects instead of memorization. I try not to teach crap they can just look up on the internet.

Those are all good things.


I despise multiple choice tests. They prove nothing. But yet all state tests are MC. Even math.

Do kids these days that are that age use "LOL" and "IDK" in papers they have to write?

To what extent do you make snap judgments about kids on the first day of class? How often are you right and wrong?

And tell us about the kid who most surprised you relative to your initial expectations?

And what grade(s) do you teach?

was there enough booze left in the bottle you keep in your desk to get shitfaced to celebrate summer, or did you have to re-up

Yes and it us ****ing stupid. Most teachers demand that they do not use text language in anything they hand in.

a. I try to give them the benefit of doubt. But I also stomp on them the first day and don't let up for the first month of school. Most of the time I am right. It is just experience.

b. I have a few. One this year-thought she would be tough, she was awesome and worked hard. Mostly it is the ones that you think will be good and have a difficult time putting words and thoughts to paper.

6. I teach 8th grade Earth Science. I have taught all sciences, in all Middle School grades. I started teaching in KCK. I may have some students on this board. For that, I apologize. I am a much better teacher now. Been in Middle School for 26 years. Next year is 27.

I wish I would have one. They did in the old days.
I had my 50th in Feb and received a lot of whiskey. Working my way through it.

What's the best lunch in the cafeteria?

Do they still allow four square or kickball, or is that shit to masculine and deemed unworthy to let our kids participate in any more?

We have a few:

Meatball sandwich
Sweet and sour chicken
Kicken chicken bowl or meatball bowl. With corn on top
Hamburgers
BBQ drumsticks
The salads are good.

The day they have Sloppy Joes or Maple pancakes without syrup is disgusting. The combined smell is terrible.
Fish bites. What the hell?
Cooked cauliflower with buffalo powder. Laughed at the head of food service when she tried to pass that shit on me.

How much does school lunch cost these days?
And do you eat it? My favorite day was Chili an PB sammies

Elementary still does that. It is a safe playground.
Our middle school does not have recess. We should. They need it.

Teachers are about 4.25.
Kids are 3.35 I think. Theirs are subsidized. Mine is not. I eat a lot at school especially if I do not have left overs at home.

Wow. 55 cents when I was at school. You got a carnival ticket. In 9th grade I stole a whole roll and sold them discounted out of my locker for 25 cents.
I had a good business going out of my locker

Ours was chili and cinnamon rolls. Nobody brought their own lunch on that day.

I also liked the taverns and chicken fried steak days.

Will you still AMA if this goes DC

Yes. Romper room may be another story.
I've got all summer.

did you ever get your bumper fixed (that was you, right)?

/man i miss game day chat.......

Your school do common core math?

Where at in kck?

Do you put hidden cameras under the young pretty girls desks to peek up their skirts?

Joe Biden wanted me to ask you that question.

What draws one to being a teacher?

Enjoy hearing yourself talk

Tailgate after running into the garage door. Yes. Still mad about that. Stupid family.

Not that I know of. But I think Minn standards are related to Common Core. I can never understand what math does and why. It seems like they change it every 3 years. Never long enough to get true data. If there is not a significant increase the first year, they try something else. Everyone wants the lightning strike of good. It will never happen.

West MS. 1992. Had a good principal and good coworkers. No AC.

God no. But I have put a camera in the room for days that I was gone for my leg surgeries. I could see what the kids were doing. Most of the problem was the sub. It should not take 20 minutes to take attendance. Sit the kids down-get them started then worry about attendance.

One day I called back and yelled at a few kids. Freaked them out.

At one time it was a respected job. Today it can give great benefits-if you can stand the BS.

Today, I can not tell anyone to go into education. No one respects teachers. We are constantly under fire. Funds suck. Job security is low unless you are tenured and experienced like me. But I still worry. The pay and summers off are not always the greatest when you can make more money somewhere else.

I can't wait for the Millennial generation educate the FU generation.

Kids would rather be entertained than educated. My student teacher supervisor said "You are not up there to be Johnny Carson" Today, we are expected to be Jimmy Fallon.

We are not allowed to look at kids wrong. Discipline is non existent. Students do not need self responsibility.

I am a white male. I feel like I am consistently called racist by kids, some admin etc. Some believe that hiring more teachers of color would help students of color. But that would mean people like me would have to retire or be fired. Fire for race??? Yup. That's legal.

http://www.startribune.com/bipartisa.../?refresh=true One author is a teacher in my building. There is no evidence that teachers of color raise grades of students of color. The day of more TOC will come, it is just not now. Maybe 10 years from now when kids in school get to college.

I act like more of a dad to some of the kids than their own dads. I do not talk to them like kids. I talk to them like people. In a mature way.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...BSK_17oL5E1gv5

Do they still have this type of pizza?

That pizza was the greatest pizza ever to a kid

We don't. We get something called Big Daddy's pizza. Triangle slice. Not bad for school pizza.

I've been teaching for 6 years. Might be taking a break after a really rough year. I have taught middle school and elementary level math. I hate the emphasis put on both grades and standardized testing. Everyone thinks that every kid should have an A or a B and that a C is basically failure which just leads to grade inflation. What are your thoughts about grade inflation and grading in general?

One of my high school wrestling coaches (Rich) teaches 8th grade math and has a similar view on discipline and lack of parenting with his students. I went to private Catholic School 1st thru 12th grade and while the priests would slam you up against the wall and scare the shit out of you those nuns would beat you with rulers, slam your head against the wall and break shit over you for misbehaving. That stuff is not an old wives tale.

And we were still assholes and troublemakers at that age so I can only imagine what it’s like now that they have carte blanche and the teachers are handcuffed to on how to punish troublemakers who hide behind the system.

Rich is what you would call a “no nonsense” kind of guy. He coached me for four years and I installed and replaced pools and pool liners (mostly replaced pool liners) with him over the summers. Let’s just say patience and constraint on his emotions is less than a strength.

He’s been up to the max number of points (not 100% sure how the point system works) before having to take mandatory leave for a couple years in a row because he deals with his students old school and the parents and/or students complain then the board gets involved and not it’s a known issue and so on and so forth. He’s only 50 so he’s a bit away from retirement and is now on a ‘mood control’ medication to help him crank out the last 10 or so years of teaching.

You couldn’t pay me enough money to be a police officer, teacher, or similar occupation. Everyone screams ‘racism’ or some other abuse and the bullshit is actually taken seriously. I think we’re reaching a point where the bullshit is becoming apparent but society is not quiet there just yet.

Anyway, a question: do you think there’s less, more or equal physical confrontations between students? Such as two guys settling things fisticuffs or do they slap fight and unfriend each other on social media to settle differences.

Do you take direct instruction from the leftist cabal on how to indoctrinate your students into Marxism?

Grading sucks and grade inflation is a thing.

We do International Baccalaureate grading. 1-8. Then convert it to a letter grade.

A 33 is a D. Below that is an F. Yes, 33% is a D. The theory is kids should get some credit for their work. It is basically an miracle if someone fails.
There is more to it than what I can type, but if you fail, you are a complete idiot. I had a kid that did NO WORK and gets an IB grade of 1. Not a zero.

Admin and the theorists see all of this as making kids feel good about grades. We do not grade homework anymore. Only summative tests.
Kids can retake tests. Yup. Some schools allow multiple retakes. Some allow assignments to be handed in late. Yup

I feel all of this is doing a disservice to kids in getting them set up in the real world. Hand in late work in college. Come to work late. Pay your taxes late. Ask the boss if you can redo the proposal after it has been submitted to the client and they said no.

The theorists are worried more about self esteem than the real world applications. We are really messing up the future.

More. A lot more and vindictive more. Girls are the worst. They do not know how to handle disagreements and PARENTS ENCOURAGE IT. We have had more girl fights the last 5 years than boy fights.

Boys are now punished for being male and have become emasculated video game playing blobs.

I was hit by a 7th grade girl this year. If I had not intervened, the other girl would have been in the hospital. Interactions between students and teachers are sky high all over the place.

No. But I know many that do.
I have talked a few teachers off the cliff when it comes to Trump. One EA said she wished someone would assassinate him. I let her have it. Have not talked to her since.

LMAO, but also :shake:

Have you ever wanted to choke a kid out?

Better question:

Have you ever NOT wanted to choke a kid out?

Is today Monday???
Is the Pope Catholic???


I do tell them-I only have to see you for this class. You have to see you the rest of your life.

That's insane! Grades 1 thru 12 in my schools anything below a 70% was an a failure. College profs all had their own standards from department to department but the STEM departments were all anything below 60% was a failure and I was surprised by those standards.

33% passing is a scary precedent to set.

Times are a changing! I think I witnessed exactly one girl fight in 12 years of standard school. Girls just used to scar each other emotionally until one of them developed a eating disorder and guys beat the piss out of each other eventually.

The more I hear from teachers the more I'm glad I never considered the field.

Good luck, brother!

Where did your fascination with weather come from?

Mine came from a tornado that hit our electric company's coal station. I was home alone that day watching TV with the weather updates. The sky was that sinister green, and hay was falling in our yard on the Westside of town.

https://siouxcityjournal.com/blogs/s...507290b55.html

Are you willing to teach at a small school of 100 or less students?

I have yet to hear much less witness some of the stories you or other large school teachers have told me.

Our little school has issues, but nothing like the big schools.

Do you teach real life problem solving like, oh let's say, checking the water supply line on your dishwasher before replacing the old dishwasher twice?

Why does it seem like every time you talk about teaching you seem to loath and hate the kids you teach? Students can tell when a teacher enjoys teaching and it affects their desire to engage with you.

The best teachers i ever had LOVED teaching. They were passionate about what they taught and it was contagious to their students. The worst were the grumpy curmudgeons who acted like every kid was a burden and didn't want to be there.

Ive been wanting to ask that for years but never felt like having any static with you.

But this is an AMA thread so....

Well they're probably dickholes

I cant answer for him, but I wanted to share my answer. Do you like everyone you work with? Probably not. Teaching is similar. The majority of students are great but it's the shitheads that stand out and are also the stories that most people want to hear about. I've hated some kids I've taught but some of those same kids thought that they were my favorites. They didn't know how I really felt.

I assume that to be the case. Just years of reading displaced's posts and he never, ever has anything nice to say about his students.

I've had teachers who loved their job. Ive had teachers who hated their job.

Generally speaking, the teachers who didnt seem like they wanted to be there got very little respect or results from their kids.

W/e, i'm not trying to be disrespectful. Maybe you only come here to vent, Displaced. Just stating my limited observations and experience.

Living on the farm. You know everything depends on the weather. As a kid I would get scared. I turned that into an understanding of why. It is also a great conversation piece.

I had very little issues when I taught in Iowa. Just a different vibe. Big schools and cities along with open enrollment and busing allow parents to become detached from their students. A lot of parents talk a big game......

Ha. Surprised you remember that. We moved out 3 months after that so I put in a cheaper DW..

I talk about being a decent person, deadlines, how real life is different than school. How most of them will work in the summer and not sit at home.

No prob--you can't scare me-I teach Middle School.

I love the subject and care about what they learn and how it relates to them. I take my job very seriously. They know that. They also know that if they do stupid things, I get after them. Like I said, I treat them like I treated my own kids. It seems to work. Good and bad days.

Most of the kids are great. We usually talk about 5% that are issues. But there are so many issues. Apathy, meanness, refusal to work, moodiness. It is really getting worse. Crazy worse.

The ones I see later are the good ones. The bad ones seem to vaporize. It is human nature to go to the bad. We have to be reminded about the good. I also try hard to go home and close the door to the bad. I have other things I have to do at home. Like my kids and issues. The teachers that "bring kids issues" home with them get eaten alive.

What careers would you recommend to the youth you currently teach?

Most that do not teach do not understand teaching.

In a job-a boss tells adults what to do. Most of the time they do it. Some well, others not.

In teaching-I can just let them go on their own. Even with independent work, kids still have the attention span of sperm. I have to be on them all the time. It is exhausting. We can't let kids leave and go to the bathroom. They ask. I know when every kid poops or has a period. Most cannot be trusted to get up, leave and come back without knowing what is happening.

I am in charge of 35 people that turn over every 85 minutes. If I take a phone call more than 20 seconds, it can take 3 minutes for them to get attention back to class.

We have school procedures that are supposed to be followed. Some adults don't. It makes us hard when we should be unified.

Detox-sometimes it is the adults that are the issue. Not the students.

If they are not interested in a 4 year degree. Don't.

I am all for mechanics, HVAC, welders, etc. We need them. There are not enough of them. Later, if they want to move up or go on their own, then get the business degree.

Anything medical-PT, therapy


But art history, philosophy, social studies are all worthless unless you can teach at a college.

Keep them coming .... I have all summer.

Teachers have 180 contracts. There are 365 days in year.

That means that for every day I work, I get a day off.


Why do teachers need three months off?
Because it takes that long to want to see kids again...... Sorry detox.

Most of the times we complain is just because you cannot make that stuff up in real life.

It takes 3 seconds for the body to put adrenaline in the body. It takes 30 minutes for the body to absorb it. Added adrenaline for hours at a time causes headaches, fat retention, heart problems etc. It takes 3 days to relax. Weekends are 2 and no one sleeps well on Sunday nights.

someone once said
"there are teachers that love their job, and there are veteran teachers."

Which class would you LEAST want to teach for a semester?

A. An all-girl class of 20.
B. An all-boy class of 20.
C. A class of 20 students who have GPAs under 2.5, yet no learning disabilities.
D. A class of 20 "gifted" students who all have two helicopter parents.
E. A class of 7 students with strong ADHD and parents who don't believe in medicine.
F. A class of 40 students who are a typical mix.
G. A class of 12 Golden Retrievers.
H. A class consisting of Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis, Aqib Talib, Deion Sanders, and Dan Fouts.

LOL Rain Man. Ray Lewis/Talib? Do you like in class murders or what?

Only Rain Man could compile this list. He has a great mind.

D or E. Helicopter parents are terrible. Heard the term snow plow parent that knocks everything out of the way. ADHD and no medicine? No thank you.

If I can teach H-do I get to use corporal punishment and get to carry a side arm or taser???????

Update---This year is pure hell.

I have decided...I am out..I am looking for an end date in education after 27 years.

I have hired a career consultant to rewrite my resume and give me some training to get out of the classroom and teaching.

Three weeks ago...I had it. I went to admin and told them things were so bad that my wife told me I could quit NOW. They asked what could I....I do to make a change and not quit...I said I was at the wall. I have no ideas and BEGGED for help. I cannot adapt to the SHIT I was experiencing and feeling and said that I questioned if I could continue in education with what I was seeing. 34 in a class and 10 second attention spans. No joke.

Broke down. Cried. Said I am 50. I cannot control a class anymore. My health is being jeopardized with what is happening. BP has increased 20 points in 2 months-I cannot leave the job at school and wake up at 1am with stress and thoughts about school.

Today I had to have admin take a class for me. Couldn't get 3 words out before I was interrupted.

Sorry to hear this, man.

If you still want to teach, find a small school with good leadership. I'm talking less than 100 students.

That sucks, good educators are hard to come by. Sending good juju your way.

This, maybe the commute wouldn't be bad if you could find a small town school?

Christ almighty.

Deepest sympathies.

I have no idea what to tell you other than best of luck. If there is anything I can do, shoot me a PM.

Oh my goodness.

Do it.

And please know we thank you for not only the near three decades of teaching, but enduring as long as you could.

Not your fault. It's the parents and current culture.

Enjoy your wife and life. Jobs and money are nothing more than a means to an end.

You'll on your feet. Good people always do.

Thanks all. Stayed home today. Waiting for phone calls from a few people.

What Stevie said. Life is more than a job you hate and that tries to kill you. Take care.

Best of luck to you, friend. Sounds like you are making a wise decision.

You've got a lot of connections out here man. All kinds of shit to do.

Update: Hate to take away from all the threads (which I can't keep up with)

But I needed to update.

I am taking a leave of absence-starting sometime in the next week or so. Upwards of 60 days of my PTO. That will take me to late May.

School is not better-is worse in some ways. I do not see it improving.

I completely stunned my principal. Told her I was done-nothing left and feel like I am kicked in the gut every minute of every day. After a day off--I have to come back here and put up with this shit. It has made me anxious, depressed and I am having heart issues.

It is not worth my health. Either I take the days now or after they take me out in an ambulance.

I do have a few things that I can do and are making other plans. Need a reason to get up in the morning.

Thanks for the support everyone.

I can still hook you up with some education contacts out here. Though they will likely warn you away.

good for now. May have a good lead from an old principal. If I decide to stay in education.

Not sure if I should be happy or cry.

Wow.
So it’s mostly from the environment that the pupils expose you to?
Or is it a combo of failed, entire broken down educational system?

There is no discipline. All systems we have in the building are broken. Disrespect is putting it nicely.

I am basically abused every day.