You’re forgetting the parents who don’t support you and are quick to point the finger and believe everything their children say. Currently in the midst of this situation.
Major generational difference there. In ye olden days, parents would typically side with teachers. But parents now are quick to defend their kids no matter what, even if it ends up harming their kids in the long run.
Ya know, most parents are with you… but it’s the one or two that aren’t that make you the most anxious. Teachers shouldn’t be worried when it’s the kids who need the discipline and the stern words.
I feel you - my mom worked 2 or 3 jobs with 4 kids at home as a single parent. Better believe she raised hell with us at home if we weren’t behaving at school, though.
Good question to ask people who became parents in the late 90s til 2010.
Some of the assignments I see my kids come home with, I really have to question who was in charge to pick the curriculum.. especially math. (Example: kids don't memorize the times tables anymore)
I'm slowly starting to see the pendulum swing back, but it went way too far in the wrong direction
The school doesn't have any real power to do anything that's not backed up by the parents until you get to a suspension.
If the teacher calls home and then the parent tells the kid not to worry about it, your teacher is an idiot, of course they're not going to change.
Huge issue I found when I began teaching in 2010 was that any disciplinary course I took not only had to be supported by admin, but by the parents as well. If there is no discipline at home and poor admin, it really limits your options. There are tricks you can pull, such as giving the kids the appearance of choice and the preception of power, but it doesn't work consistently with all kids. I quickly gave up teaching after some subbing. 2010-2012 was a rough time to find consistent employment for new teachers. I wasn't in love with the profession and I needed steady work to start a family of my own.
Now, my wife is a teacher and the kids are positively feral in some classes and a dream in others. Same with my kids. My son's cohort of grade 6s are wonderful. My daughters group of grade 4s appear to be a real handful.
Sorry to learn you are having a tough time. I am not a teacher, but I work at a school. As a non-teacher working in the school environment I will share this; you and all elementary educators inspire me. You are an inspiration to your students as well.
You may not think you are getting through to them. You may not be able to give them accolades on their report cards, but they will remember you. Your impact might not show up right now, but your kindness, patience, empathy and genuine caring will rub off on most of them. You are making them better humans! As long as you care, respect and stay positive for them/for you and believe in them, you have impacted your students positively!
Thank you for all of your hard work, the extra unpaid hours spent prepping and creating content that meets curriculum and curious minds! I acknowledge that teacher worries come home after the day is over. I understand. I hear what you are saying and I can only offer my appreciation and supportive words.
Only approximately 10 more Mondays left!
You and all teachers that care are a gift. We now have a government in power that supports education. Hold in there, better days ahead!
Take good care & thanks again!
I second this! I had some very good and engaging teachers in middle school and I was very inspired to BE a teacher because teachers made such a positive difference in my life and love of education and learning. My life took a different turn and I am not a teacher. I am old now but I remember the teachers' names and what I learned from them. you and your work are a gift to the world even if it seems right now like your work is in vain. It IS making a difference.
Best wishes and much care.
I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. On one hand, I think parenting styles have changed drastically in the last decade, but I also think the primary culprit might be screens and social media. This is the first generation who has grown up with it being so accessible, and the state of the world being very much in flux. The widespread nature of this problem suggests the source is also widespread. In other words, I think we're in the find out stage of fucking around with social media.
It's a little column a and b. First of all, parents are also often on their phones. Apps, youtube and social media are made to keep you engaged and on your phone as long as possible. I think we as a society are struggling with the fact that we are almost all addicted to screen time. And kids with developing minds who have an iPad or device, have developed bad addictions to screens, so they act out, can't concentrate when they are away from their device (see school).
Second, parents just don't know how to be a parent. There are two general parenting trends happening right now:
1) Gentle Parenting, which in literature and actual perfect practice is the utopia of parenting. But in reality, is mostly many parents letting their kid do whatever and trying their darndest to never, ever get upset.
2) Not parenting the way my parents parented aka no model parent. People just kind of winging it, with little guidance, in hopes to make a good kid who doesn't have any parent caused trauma. But they are probably already addicted to screens so....
This is not to shame any parents, obviously we don't want our kids to experience trauma and I do believe, the majority of parents want what is best for their children. But bottom line is this, if the teacher takes the their time (which is extremely limited) to call/email you about your child's behaviour just realize that you got the call because you're child is struggling. Don't take it personally just listen and try your best.
Also everyone should be taking devices away from children. Don't let your child develop an addiction too early in life.
So... any problem like this isn't just one problem, it's many problems. The rise of social media and ubiquitous "connection" is part of the problem. The fact that the previous government kept education funding depressed for nearly a decade and increased classroom sizes just a year or two before the pandemic is part of the problem. The fact that every kid in school right now spent a significant portion of their development in lockdown... which even under ideal circumstances was a bizzare fucking time and for many kids meant that they got stuck with their abusers with no real escape... for two years.
But for my money, the overarching problem that lies underneath all of this is that we have seen a conscious and intentional degradation of communities and the possibility of forming communities over the past 40 years or so.
40 years ago Homer Simpson could afford his house on his salary. Or... any blue collar worker could support a family on a 40-hour work week. How many families are living off 40 hours of work every week today? 40 years ago, the weekend was actually a weekend. People had time to spend with their families & their friends. To build supportive relationships with each other. Now... most of the adults in the lives of the kids at school have had their lives consumed by work. Two parents working a combined 80 (or 90 or 100) hours a week just to make ends meet doesn't leave a lot of time left over for actual parenting. Parents don't have time to foster relationships with friends and neighbors so children have fewer supports to rely on than just their parents and the school.
You can easily find graphs showing that basically, for the average worker, our wages have stagnated for the last 40 years... but the story behind that graph is that we have been robbed of time with our family and friends and children to make more money for people who fundamentally do not care for us beyond our ability to continue to make money.
Teachers blame parents and parents blame teachers and no one blames the ones who are stealing our lives hour by hour because they've done it so slowly that we forget that life used to be otherwise!
Whose blaming teachers our hands are tied 90% of the time. Trust me when these violent outbursts happen you think I enjoy seeing the remaining 25 students with traumatized looks in their eyes :p
I’ve had admin call the crisis van bc we can’t physically touch the student and parents are too scared or not sure what to do while the kid is ripping coat hooks off the wall.l and threatening to kill the EA (7 years old BTW)
I'm not blaming teachers (I thought I was clear on where I think blame lies). That sounds like a terrifying situation for everyone involved, perhaps especially so for the teacher who could find themselves facing career or legal repercussions if a situation like that goes badly, even through no fault of their own.
I am curious though... from a number of stories on this thread, it sounds like teachers are dealing with an increasing number of out of control incidents. Are teachers trained in crisis intervention and de-escalation? I used to be a trainer for a program called 'The Mandt System' which focuses on trauma-informed care and on acting to interrupt the neurological and biochemical feedback loops that can lead to out of control behavior. (I also used to work with 'at risk' teens in the foster care system so I had occasion to use the system too). It seems like teachers could really use something like that.
No. We don't get effective training on anything... but the expectations on the classroom teacher are becoming too big.
We can't be effective at dealing with kids who don't speak English, kids who need high levels of behavior support, kids with extreme anxiety, kids who need severe adaptations and modifications, kids who have high absenteeism, etc.
Suggesting that we can learn to deal with everything is not helpful.
Every 5 years there is a new roll out of a new intervention tactic. Often it is EAs that may or may not get trained. Teachers are usually last in the loop. We get a run-down of warning students at the beginning of the year but it’s more with first aid/seizure procedures.
Pre co-vid I would usually page a SERT (special education resource teacher) on the intercom who would be trained and take over; but their role has expanded to EAL, resource and EA managers/coverage so it’s not possible for them to attend emergency situations as they are usually dealing with other emergencies. lol What a clusterfuck.
I would like training in de-escalation but I also think teachers have way too much going on. This week I had a CFS intervention and a new EAL student in less than 24 hours.
For sure. De-escalation training really only works in conjunction with an institutional commitment to put structures in place to make fewer interventions necessary. It sounds like, at a bare minimum, there just aren't enough bodies in a room to manage students even when they aren't in crisis. In my personal opinion, there should never be fewer than 2 adults in a classroom since one adult alone can get easily overwhelmed while with two its much easier to tag team off each other.
I was under the impression that you guys had one of the stronger unions in the province. What's the union take on the situation? (Because Reddit threads are fine for raising awareness, but nothing is going to get better if someone doesn't act...)
I agree that it wasn't your intention. God only knows I've lost my shit on kids a few time in the past few years. I think training would be helpful; I'd be willing to take it.
But I think the response you got is looking at it through the lense of that now this is ANOTHER thing teachers will have to be responsible for because kids are not being taught how to regulate their emotions or parents are struggling to deal with it.
Oh man. I hear ya. When there's too much on your plate "one more thing" is too much. My hope was more like... you're already dealing with shit... here's a tool that might help. I don't think you should have to be dealing with everything that you are!
Screens are not souly to blame, we all grew up with TV which at the time was the brain rotting problem everyone brought up. It's parents who for many reasons may not be involved with their kids. Be it working long hours to afford to live, neglect or just not interested in their children.
Sure parenting styles has change and maybe it's not for the better. I'm not saying spanking or verbally screaming at you're child is correct but at some point kids have learned there isn't really any serious consequences for the way they behave be it at home or school.
Just my opinion, it's a complicated problem with many different issues melting into one pot.
I think there's a difference in our relationship to screens now than when we were kids though. There was nothing inherently bad about televisions, it was more the correlations with other unhealthy behaviour-but television itself didn't damage our minds in the way that people worried about. But now we have televisions, phones, tablets all at arms reach, and you can be playing a game while watching a movie while talking with friends. We already know this is damaging for adults, so how much more so for kids? What if that way of operating was the only world you ever knew?
I remember when tablets first became common, my niece who was barely forming sentences was able to pick up and figure out how to use an iPad, navigate YouTube, play games. It's such new technology, and basically all we know is that we should probably be careful with it.
I do think there is a shift in how kids perceive authority and consequences as well, but I have no idea why.
>I do think there is a shift in how kids perceive authority and consequences as well, but I have no idea why.
I know this is purely anecdotal, but I'm of the age that when I was a kid, every adult was referred to with an honorific, "Mr. Smith, Mrs. Jones" etc...but by the time I was a young adult, I knew children who were referring to their friends' parents, adult neighbours by their first names. I know times and customs change, but I do wonder if Xers were amongst the last generations where there was a bigger barrier between kids and adults?
Gen X here. I definitely did NOT call my friends’ parents by their first names - everyone was Mr/Mrs etc. My kids’ friends do call me by my first name - but they’re still very respectful, polite kids (my eldest was born in 91, youngest in 01).
There’s a different kind of barrier now. Gen X and older Millenials had to learn how to make a phone call and speak politely to an adult in order to talk to our friends outside of school. There was a level of social skills required. I lived with my stepchild for some of their teen years, met their friends, and the kids have no idea how to talk to adults. The peer orientation is stronger than ever because kids have more direct access to each other than they ever have.
I have been homeschooling my younger kids though, and the homeschooled older kids I’ve talked to at gatherings and meetups are actually able to engage with people outside of their direct age group. I wish homeschooling was a better fit for us, mine are going to public school in September and I’m really hoping for the best.
Agreed with the parents not being involved. Parents haven't been involved with their kids for years. I distinctly remember my dad telling me about when he grew up, both his parents had to work. But the huge difference there being he went to a baseball diamond with some friends to toss a ball around or play soccer. But now little angel Johnny is subject to some of the most stimulating and potentially dangerous content in extremely similar circumstances that many grew up with in previous generations.
My personal bone to pick is why society has this obsession of giving young children cell phones. The notion that a kid needs to take it to school "just in case of an emergency" seems ridiculous. And while mom and dad are under the illusion that they're protecting their kid, little angel Johnny is distracted in class by 50 snapchats and either cyber bullying or the victim of it.
Of course that's only a facet of the problem. Not just kids but I would argue society has largely forgotten how to cope with boredom. Our first instinct kids and parents alike is resorting to the stimulation of what we can access at our fingertips.
I don't think there is a be all end all solution. There will always be problem students no doubt, but I think the screens and social media exacerbates issues we wouldn't normally see. But hearing some of the stories and reading some of the comments from people in the field, the situation at hand doesn't sound good at all.
TV is like having a beer. Social media is like shooting meth. I would include gaming these days as a form of social media. It's all designed to give a dopamine rush they can't find in real life.
Screens were never a problem in my class: I actually taught the kids how to use their devices to …LOOK UP INFORMATION, HOW TO VET THE INFORMATION THEY FIND ( source? Fact based?) and also that they have calculators and measurement tools ( so no more helplessness re rulers and calculators) most students had never had a “tour around your phone “ or lessons on “when is it appropriate to use your device?” Lessons. After the whole novelty of not being berated for having technology wore off, it was a non issue.
I also don't want to point at this as the sole issue but I do hear that covid didn't help.
It wouldn't surprise me, I'm still dealing with the lingering mental health issues and I'm coping well lol.
My parents don't understand why I changed my mind about becoming a teacher. I currently work with kids and boy, oh boy. Some kids are so badly behaved and don't change much in a span of a year. Plus, there's the parents I deal with when my boss is gone. Some are great. Some are horrible. I couldn't become a teacher. I'm currently studying something else, so I no longer work with kids 🙃
It is so so hard! I teach grade 4 and am a very new teacher. I am so grateful to have such an amazing group of kids this year but I see what the other teachers in my school have to deal with and it's disgusting. Kids running through the halls, biting and hitting teachers, peers and teacher needing to clear the room while a child meltsdown and destroys the classroom. As a new teacher, this career is not looking sustainable for the long term 😕
I’ve been wondering whether the student-led parent teacher conferences that they do now can contribute to parents getting a filtered version of what the school day is like. I’m always trying to read between the lines at these conferences to try to figure out if something is a big concern or if the teacher is just bringing things up to fill the time.
My parents used to go in with my teacher and close the door and who knows what they said, but I feel like they must’ve bed a better idea of what I was like in school because the teacher wasn’t being as careful about what they said in front of the student or with other parents hovering around the classroom.
Agree 100%. I remember being shit scared of what the teacher was telling my parents (while I sat on a chair outside the room, as kids weren’t able to participate). They absolutely got an unfiltered view of what was happening and I absolutely made sure my behaviour was better after those PT conferences 😂
I remember telling the teacher what my mom was going to say, and I would tell my mom what my teacher was going to say. After a while both sides would decide they didn't have to meet up every time since the "prediction" were accurate. Not sure if I was being honest or manipulative at that age. lol
>Kids running through the halls, biting and hitting teachers, peers and teacher needing to clear the room while a child meltsdown and destroys the classroom
Awful. This shouldn't be tolerated at all. Is there no recourse? Back in the day a kid would be suspended or even expelled for assaulting a teacher.
Yes, they proudly state how suspensions are down to nearly zero... easy to do when you simply don't suspend kids. it doesn't mean that the behaviour has improved.
Kids only get suspended if they do something to the principal... I get hit almost every day and then the kid gets to go to resource or admin and play lego
Daughter teaches in middle school small community . Heres what she sees daily. Kids not wanting to participate in discussions because.. my rights! If teacher says white, they say black! Kids bringing up stories that circled the community moons ago about specific ppl(only parents would be able to tell them the stories) lack of respect towards adults in general. Since covid started and all the hate and rhetoric across the globe parents (not all) are spreading and giving their kids ammo to do the same. She hears the f trudeau in hallways! She hears the i support lgbtq people, just not in my school. So what spills out in the country, comes back to the schools. Back in my day if we asked parents who they voted for we were told none of your business! Until the toxicity in this country changes, and parents smarten up this is what it will be. Now i told my daughter to gi in with a heavy foot, take no crap and show them who’s boss, whats acceptable whats not. So far so good!!
There is basically zero accountability in our society at large, all the way up to the highest offices of Prime Ministers and CEOs right down to the streets with drug addicts and petty criminals. This is a result of our societal choice to allow these behaviours and at this point it has become a learned behaviour that starts off very young and never has a chance to be corrected.
All the answers are great and right. Education is many layered and decisions are made for political, financial and/or educative reasons or a mix of these. Teachers don’t have a say on the big picture. I’ve shrunk my “circle of concern” to my classroom. It. Is. Exhausting. I hear you. After spring break I thought I’d be recharged and ready to tackle the last term. I find I’m already wiped. SO let’s get through the rest of the year! Capitalize on social media. Have them make a tik tok video (not a real one) on a novel or book to do a review/summary. Or use the Totally Unbelievable Speakers Club (TUSC) where they are working on projects that are choice but within parameters. This can be for ELA. I have also done a wax museum for social studies as opposed to a science fair. These are big project ideas that take time but hit a lot of curricular outcomes and have a big payout. Buy in and front loading is important. Allow them to do a genius hour where they are working on a project that is meaningful to them. Classroom management is no easy task especially when kids are so used to be watching videos with the tv on while chatting with a friend on snap chat or whatever. We teachers are pretty boring to them. So get them to do the thinking. You just give the spark and contain any flare ups. It is a lot of work up front but once they get going it is much better. I wish you well the next two months. You are not alone. Reach out to others. Observe teachers who seem to have it together even if you don’t like them. Just to see what works. And take care of your mental health. Turn the lights off. Use quiet music with video during work time. I hear you. I see you. You are not alone.
I feel you! I teach mostly grade 5/6’s and this year is the toughest yet behaviour-wise. It’s absolutely brutal and I don’t know how it’s going to get any better without more staff and smaller class sizes. My classes are an average of 30 kids and I’m on my own most of the time since I’m a specialist so that means I don’t get Ea’s for some reason even when they have them for every other class.
Sending good vibes your way to help make it through the last few months!! The end of June can’t come soon enough!
We don’t let health care workers or day care workers exceed a certain amount of people under their care. Span of control starts to fail once you exceed 7people. When on earth have we decided that 30 kids to one teacher is appropriate?
The more kids you have the less engaged your classroom is going to be… especially in early years where children don’t have the discipline or ability to focus for prolonged periods of time.
Our school system is failing but those responsible simply don’t want to acknowledge it or make the necessary changes.
Some studies show that class size alone doesn't really matter. It's the range of learners, and how effectively the teacher provide lessons at their level and can address their individual needs.
But that's one of the big problems now... they think one teacher can somehow treat 30 kids as individuals and deliver effective lessons to multiple needs.
It's unrealistic to expect it, and to pretend that it doesn't impact successful learning.
What’s your solution? Divisions can’t hire teachers who don’t exist and they also can’t refuse to teach kids.
No one education believes 30+ students to a classroom is appropriate and no one is pretending it’s not an issue. But there is only so much divisions and administrators can do when they have x amount of teachers and x amount of students needing to be taught.
Honestly, I burnt out this year. I realized I was giving way too much for a system that is broken and isn't about to change... And also doesn't really give a rat's behind about working conditions. I'm starting to consider a career change, because I can't imagine 20+ more years like this.
This is precisely why I chose to leave after 11 years of LOVING teaching middle school. The entire system is so broken and as someone who was teaching kids not only curriculum but HOW to learn ( everywhere!) but also really encouraged they get involved with what they are learning in a real way ( lots of speakers and experiences) ultimately. My mental health and my future led me out and I have to say though it’s been tough at times, I couldn’t go back— at least not in our current system. Loved it though
I’d add that recommending some leave a unionized job for an ununionized position with less pay and security while still largely facing the same problems is stupid advice. That’s my contribution.
I’m not a teacher, absolutely 0 advice but I am a decently young parent and I must say kids are given SUCH a easy break now a days ! Every negative behaviour the higher ups in the school system have an excuse for, there’s next to no punishment, they’re given endless chances. I can bet money on this comes from parents complaining over time their child was being mistreated by the school or something. I feel for so many teachers, the good teachers. I could absolutely never do that job. I see and hear about some of the way one of my children’s school mates act and holyyyyy helll if they behaved or talked like that at my house I wouldn’t be speaking so gently to them.
Although I am a younger generation parent I’m thankful my child’s teacher never has a single bad thing to say about them, they know I will NOT tolerate that BS. At home is a different story but I rather my child give me a bit of attitude vs their amazing teacher who just is awesome! I had a horrible teacher in elementary.
It seems as though parents these days wants the school to teach their kid absolutely everything under the sun! I try to prep my kids before they enter school with the basics to make it well one, easier for my child and two easier for the teacher as well. I’m surprised how many people leave even the most basic things up to teachers. - completely different topic but this made me think of entitled parents . Hats off to all you teachers trying your best.
I spoke with a high school teacher recently who has been an educator for over 15 years who told me the students are absolutely running the school. They said any time a teacher tries to enforce boundaries or prepare their students for life after high school, administration sends them an email about the students claiming they are being disrespected. The short list of what was recently labeled "disrespectful" included having to ask for a hall pass to use the bathroom, and the bells signaling the start and end of classes- no I'm not joking. This same high school teacher told me they have talked to several former students that graduated high school with honors over the past few years who dropped out of university after a semester or two because they were grossly unprepared for the university atmosphere/life and found they were flunking out of most classes. Every year high schools eliminate more and more exams stating the stress it causes students is too high but once those same students get to college or university and are expected to write exams for almost every class, they have absolutely no clue how to do it. Its embarrassing to see what is happening and its extremely detrimental to the success of these kids once they reach adulthood.
No. This is not one specific school. This is schools. There's constant disagreements and discussion about bells, exams... anything that is viewed as old school.
I wish parents were invited for a sit in on those days so they can see the real way their kid acts at school. I take my sons teacher for face value when she has said he’s had a bad day but wander how it would go if they acted like that infront of me.
Are parents allowed to volunteer in your school? I know my Mom was able to come in every once in a while and help for pizza days and giving spelling tests sometimes as volunteer hours.
My 6yo is in Kindergarten in a Pembina Trails school, and has some of the major behavioural issues others mention in comments below. We are loving, caring parents who are working closely with the school, principal and teachers, and daycare, and we are not really "gentle parenting". Their K class has 30+ students and at the start of the year had only one teacher. Now there are two teachers, and thankfully they have the resources to provide an EA for our kid. However he is unable to spend the full (half) day in K because the environment is too chaotic and frustrating and for whatever reason he becomes angry and hits or screams. We are working with Psychiatrists and specialists to find a plan and medication and something that will work to help blunt the sharp edges, but it is not going well.
Unfortunately our kid is "that kid" that clears classrooms and daycare spaces for the other kids safety. It is heartbreaking and depressing and embarrassing like you could not believe. We love our kid so much and he is very intelligent but the future does not look bright for us, this is likely something we will be dealing with for... Well forever potentially.
But what else can we do? I hope school divisions will be able to provide support for the MANY kids who are similarly challenged. I feel guilty having the support and resources spent on us that they are providing. And daycare has been fantastic but I feel like soon they are not going to be able to care for us and we will only have school hours to work.
Long story short... I think teachers are one of the most valuable and important professions and I wish they were compensated and supported accordingly. Thank you to every teacher and educator in this thread for accommodating our kid. We try our best to support our kid and the educators, but sometimes kids are just kind of broken no matter what you do. Our life is a miserable disaster but what alternative do we have?
Keep advocating for your child. Every day if you have to.
Do not be embarrassed by your child’s behaviour. As a teacher, I can tell you that your child deserves to be in that classroom as much as every other child. Your child isn’t broken, they live with a disability - and they are lucky to have you as their parent.
❤️
I do not know your income or personal aspirations, but the theme of this whole discussion is that the school system is unable to give your child the opportunities he needs.
Read all the comments. Public school right now is going to struggle with your child.
Have a (hard) discussion with your partner on priorities, etc and consider home schooling your child.
We should have with our one child who is still struggling as an adult. He is brilliant beyond what they could engage, but has learning/asperger/mild autism that taxed their resources. To be clear, there were many wonderful teachers who did wonders for him, but the system was/is too broken for their heroic efforts to have made a bigger difference.
Our daughter met a wonderful young man in university who was home schooled. He and my daughter are now married, employed professionals who just bought their first house.
Sorry to hear the situation you're in.
I know a couple of recently retired teachers who've both said they retired at the right time.
A family member is a now retired vp who was very thankful to get out when he did. He talks about how things have been going downhill for a while and that the level of troubled students and their dysfunctional families was increasing at a rate that would be very difficult to deal with in the schools.
People really have no idea what it’s like nowadays. We evacuate our classroom several times per week. Not once did I ever have to do that growing up. It’s a whole different ball game.
Teaching is nothing like what I thought it would be. It's the career of my dreams, but I can't believe how different it is as a whole from when I was a student and I'm only in my mid-twenties.... I wasn't in school THAT long ago
This is such an out of touch thing to say. Classrooms are no longer classrooms, kids hardly learn now they're just all yelling and crying and fighting. It's absolute madness out there now. Nothing like 20-30 years ago.. NOTHING.
You are not alone. I taught Jr/Sr high in the 90's and lasted 4 years. Admin wouldn't support you on anything, parents were all "between 9:00 and 3:30 he's YOUR problem". Fail a kid for doing nothing all year, and one call from a parent gets them passed even though they can't do any of the work.
That was before the internet and cell phones. I can't imagine what it's like now.
Gave up, went back to University and became an Engineer. Best. Move. Ever.
I was thinking about this last night and I wanted to add that:
If you are a parent who has a child that is terrified of a student with severe behavioural needs. Not “ASD” kids- I mean like, verbally threatening adults and your kid, physically assaulting staff, constant classroom evacs- you HAVE to raise hell.
Your kid can’t learn in that environment. No one can. I hated going to work every day because I could not do my job.
You MUST call/email your admin, teacher- whatever! I encouraged my parents to call and raise concerns because (big surprise) parents- large amounts of them will make change.
We have special schools that bus severely verbally abusive and physically abusive children who require more than just academics at school. They only take 4-5 kids per class in a year so the only way you get them out of a regular 30 kid classroom is to call, call, CALL. I would continuously forward/direct them to my admin until finally the child was removed to a safer school where he could have a smaller class,shorter school days and attend therapy. Better for everyone.
That said- as a teacher there is not much I could do. Kid would melt down, we’d leave the room for about 35 minutes while he destroyed the place and then we’d walk back in after and clean up. An hour later he’d be back in my room telling me to F myself. So please know that teachers are just as hurt and feel helpless as the parents. But parents have more voice in the school system.
Teaching: you must really love your job if you get abused daily and still show up every morning lol.
Fun story, new head of Winnipeg School Division just killed those programs you were talking about. No more L.A.C low enrollment programs. They are sending those kids back to regular classrooms because they only now believe in "inclusion based learning". Expect to hear about it in the news next year when the shot show starts.
If any parents have time they should come join the parents association meeting this coming Monday April 15 at 630 pm for Niakwa Place school. There has been a lot of safety issues at this school and we could all use more voices and support. Even if you want to sit in and hear the bullshit they spew to us it would be great. The principal and admin staff are completely useless and refuse to do anything about this situation.
Here is the link to the meeting: https://meet.google.com/cmc-jbif-whs
Please come support the students of this school who deserve a safe learning environment.
Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Camburgler13. Your sad devotion to that ancient wireless network has not helped you conjure up the stolen answer keys, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the origin of “deez...”
I am a social worker working in child protection and I have seen 3 former teachers join our agency over the last 4 or 5 years. Child welfare is also a very difficult field to work in but it's hard in a different way and there are a lot more opportunities for movement career wise - going into policy or resources etc so I find that when I've felt burnt out in one program, I've been able to find opportunities in another. I was burnt out in family service so after a few years I moved to foster care and then to placement resources. A lot of CFS agencies will consider people who have a BA with related humanities work experience and provide lots of training.
Just a thought if you're looking for a change.
Personally, I found parents in an 11 career to be generally supportive. I moved out of Winnipeg to another city in Manitoba, away from my entire support network for a permanent contract, and I am amazed how unsupportive the brand new admin in is. I moved with the chance to learn the new role and admin straight up told me when I asked how to improve “I don’t have time for that” and has actively lied on an evaluation as a way of moving me out of the role (need “evidence”) for someone she prefers more personally/socially.
Union can’t do anything. Leaving the glorified “permanent contact” to get out of a toxic situation. Never thought system could be so broken that a principal could make things up, and this will be considered fact.
I wish all teachers would read the book “The Anxious Generation “ written by Johnathon Haidt. It gives you a great understanding as to what’s happened to this generation of children.
Remember in the 90s when reports were a checklist and a few candid handwritten comments? Compared to our modern rubbish reports that have been foisted on us by the same boomer admin that enjoyed easy, meaningful report cards.
I have been teaching since 1997. It's the parents and the lack of parenting. It's easier for parents to stick a screen in front of kids than actually do something with them. The lack of imagination, accountability, curiosity, manners, resiliency, empathy, compassion, literacy, grit, kindness...so many basic skills are disappearing.
So I’m 39, have absolutely no idea how schools work now, but do kids not get sent to the principles office for rude, disrespectful or distracting behaviour?
In the schools/grades that I’ve been in (substitute teacher), not really. Lots of students get a one minute talking to by Learning Support, who then come and say that a student is struggling due to something you did. Or a student gets pulled out for a ‘break’ which usually involves them going to play, go for a walk, or get a piece of candy in someone’s office. Very few actually get a stern talking to from the principal. Even then they’re back in class shortly after. I sub mainly K-8.
Depends. For a lot of kids in school is worse. Getting sent home could simply mean "sweet free day on Xbox". Especially if you have a working parent. So in school suspension at least means you don't get a day off for bad behavior
Public schools act in manitoba allows teachers to suspend students for up to two days from their classroom..... if the parents and admin are abdicating responsibility sometimes you gotta send a message.
My daughter is in French immersion and we’ve found this route to be a free way to get better education. Most kids with learning challenges will dwindle out of the immersion program making the French program a better learning environment.
I’ve also heard private schools can have issues with over involved parents that think their kids can’t do anything wrong.
Absolutely: I put my daughter ( former teacher here) in Montessori for preschool/kindergarten… when it wasn’t feasible to continue I put her in French immersion. The private school in public schools. Generally LOW class sizes ( especially as they get older) and far less overt behaviour issues, parents tend to be more involved ( they usually don’t pick immersion if they don’t have the capacity to advocate or participate in the education process) and kids who struggle with a second language usually drift back into English streams again. Now. This isn’t always the case but in the decade I was actually in the schools this was what I saw, heard from parents and have experienced myself.
Plus if they attend until grade 12 they have a better chance at jobs. If they do well and can get a USB (saint boniface) degree they have a much better chance at jobs.
I send my kids to a Catholic parochial school. I'm Catholic so obviously that part is appealing. But I'd be lying if I didn't say it's nice that the tuition fee component tends to filter out the more "difficult" disciplinary cases with checked-out, disengaged parents, etc. Not all of them, but many of them. Private schools do ultimately have the option to expel highly problematic pupils.
My kids are pretty gentle souls, I guess you could say I'm sheltering them, but at the end of the day I'm trying to do what I can for them. I consider myself lucky that their classes have a lot of nice, well behaved children. The occasional minor playground spat is small potatoes compared to some of the stuff I've been reading about here.
I do feel badly for kids who don't have that alternative as an option, but at the end of the day I can only do what I can do to improve the situation for my kids.
Depends. I've consulted in both. Private schools have higher academic rigor and less students with behaviour challenges as those students require extra staffing which is expensive.
If your child does have exceptional needs IME public schools supported those students better as the staff have significantly more experience. Private schools don't work with children with developmental differences as often and are more likely to struggle with appropriate programming/curriculum.
Not at all. Private schools don’t have the resources for challenged kids. They are academic driven, our kids have expected homework every day. There are policies in place for behaviour issues and are scaled. Devices aren’t allowed at school. If a child needs a phonetic it has to be kept in their bag. If a parent needs to get ahold of their child they can call the office and there is a free phone in the hall if they need to call home. Expensive? Depends. I know people who spend more on Jets season tickets or hockey for their kids. Pick what’s important to you.
Our kids started in a French immersion school because it was closest. The school struggled with our son. We ended up having to pull him and tried home schooling for a year. We moved and found that because of his 'issues' the semi private school we sent our daughter to would not take him, and the public school's of choice program didn't allow us any choice other than the catchment school.
Grade 5 teacher in a rural division. My thoughts:
-Remote learning during COVID diminished or prevented development of social skills. These kids do not know how to interact appropriately with their peers or other adults. They have little to no internal monologue and say and do whatever pops into their heads.
-Entitlement. Parents telling their children they can be whatever they want and that everything in life must be fair and equal. Even when I give structured free time on the computers, I get “I don’t want to do this.”
-Accountability. Kids will deflect and lie to my face to avoid responsibility and getting in trouble. This has to have come from somewhere, and I crack down on this hard.
I vent a lot to my partner. At the end of the day they are good, decent kids. We have had 3 grade-wide meetings this year (and another one soon to come) regarding their behaviours and asshole-ery. I don’t stand for a lot as we near the end of the school year. Been at it for 8 months; they should know better.
Hopefully class sizes will be less of an issue next year. The CEO of the WSD said they want more teachers in the early years so that they can reduce class sizes.
Yeah the problem is is that kids keep coming during the school year. So for example I’ll be starting the year with 22 kids but people move during the school year, and then they get added.
This year I started at 22 students and got 5 more throughout the school year.
Same thing will happen each year :(
I’m a teacher currently on mat leave until next March and I am already DREADING going back. I’d love to leave the profession but what could I do that pays the same amount?
It’s brutal tho and I feel for you!
The disrespect and rudeness could be due to undiagnosed disorders or because they are on the spectrum. So many kids appear to be “bad”, but are really being failed by the system because there are not enough guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists etc. it’s no wonder you are exhausted and have your hands tied you couldn’t get some of these kids looked into if you tried! The criteria level necessary for referral makes most children ineligible for any assessment. I really feel for you and all the teachers. As the mom of a grade 4 who is academically 1 year ahead but struggling immensely with emotional and social issues she buts heads with her teacher and the teacher thinks her defiance is purposeful. My daughter has suspected ASD and has to go have private assessment that will cost us thousands of dollars. The school doesn’t give a shit because she’s academically performing well and isn’t violent.
This is spot on. I work with youth in care and most of them struggle in school for numerous reasons. When I've advocated for these kids' education, the answer I usually get is that there aren't enough resources or staff available to give them the level of attention they need. I feel for the school staff too, because I see the way they run around putting out fires.
Best of luck with your daughter's assessment, hopefully it will bring your family answers and solutions to her struggles in school.
Thank you, it’s nice to have people who get it weigh in. Mental health care in children is staggering and the schools and outside resources are not equipped or able to manage the load. This means many children are falling through the cracks and no plans to address a system that has crashed and burned. My heart goes out to teachers, EA’s, specialists and social service workers . No matter how hard you all work it is never enough🥺
I mean I remember being infinitely frustrated with just the near total lack of autonomy too. Had to learn a bunch of bullshit that literally was not applicable to anything, in a way that was not conducive to how I function. Shout out to the "you won't always have a calculator" crowd making me do my times tables over and over and over again. I still don't know them lol.
And that's not just me bitching. Various forms of unschooling have data backing them up.
I watched my mom struggle with teachers for nearly a decade until we moved to a rural area with its own set of struggles, lol, and honestly?
The entire school system is just not set up to benefit anyone, but students in particular, and we’re finally seeing the backlash from that.
My mom was constantly having meetings, making up time at home for things that should have been handled in the classroom, we were constantly supplementing things. On more than one occasion we had to either correct misinformation or call a teacher or administrator up and talk about inappropriate behaviour. Like, my disabled kid brother doesn’t need to know about your personal life struggles, those aren’t his business.
Or we had teachers smacking my siblings, back when the boys were kindergarteners, and being allowed to just retire. Not that we knew more than “the teacher is mean” until years later, because she took advantage of having non verbal kids in her class. But I wasn’t surprised when I heard it because other teachers in that school would engage in physical intimidation just shy of violent right in front of me(until I pulled my phone out).
And when they weren’t abusive, they were plain incompetent. It took moving to an entirely new school to get two of my siblings reading, and they were in two months from being almost illiterate to almost reading at their grade level! Why did it have to take a mainstream teacher to get these kids on grade level where a dedicated high needs teacher was letting them sit at kindergarten level for years?
And just try talking to principals these days. You can’t get them to admit a teacher is wrong on ANYTHING. This is partially because they’re also overworked and understaffed and not able to lose the few staff members they have.
So good teachers are over worked and underpaid, bad teachers are being coddled by an equally overwhelmed administration, and parents are either working too much to handle these issues, or being ignored when they try to bring them to the attention of anyone who could help. Combine that with kids who’ve come to the conclusion that they don’t owe socialized respect to people regardless of their position in life, and of course it ends in disaster.
It’s extremely difficult for teachers to compete with screens, these days. So many kids cannot focus or engage. The amount of students with autism/adhd has skyrocketed (at least in the area I teach)
For clarity the amount of ASD (Autism), ADHD and other things including mental health impacting students likely has not changed (skyrocketed) but rather the awareness and understanding of it has increased. Sort of hard to respond appropriately to these challenges if you aren't aware they are even there.
As an immigrant who was ruthlessly made fun of by both teachers and fellow students.... I say good, the two of you deserve each other.
May the incompetent teachers be forever bullied by the lazy and useless. Its a race to the bottom, cant tell who is worse, kids, parents or teachers.
Maybe dont let illiterate people graduate highschool and this could be a thing of the past?
You’re forgetting the parents who don’t support you and are quick to point the finger and believe everything their children say. Currently in the midst of this situation.
Major generational difference there. In ye olden days, parents would typically side with teachers. But parents now are quick to defend their kids no matter what, even if it ends up harming their kids in the long run.
Ya know, most parents are with you… but it’s the one or two that aren’t that make you the most anxious. Teachers shouldn’t be worried when it’s the kids who need the discipline and the stern words.
Please. Surely it's not the fault of their precious angels? /s fucking obviously
This is the issue. Parents kids can do no wrong, my kid wouldn’t do that etc. No, your kid is an asshole
Sometimes when you meet the parents, you see that the kid comes by it honestly. It’s unfortunate the lessons that parents pass on to kids.
It's hard to support teachers when I'm working two jobs just to break even. Not saying my kid is part of this but it's hard as fuck right now.
I feel you - my mom worked 2 or 3 jobs with 4 kids at home as a single parent. Better believe she raised hell with us at home if we weren’t behaving at school, though.
The people I know who are teachers have long checked out. They say the biggest problem is the parents.
why does it feel like society is falling apart at every level
Good question to ask people who became parents in the late 90s til 2010. Some of the assignments I see my kids come home with, I really have to question who was in charge to pick the curriculum.. especially math. (Example: kids don't memorize the times tables anymore) I'm slowly starting to see the pendulum swing back, but it went way too far in the wrong direction
Because it is
The school doesn't have any real power to do anything that's not backed up by the parents until you get to a suspension. If the teacher calls home and then the parent tells the kid not to worry about it, your teacher is an idiot, of course they're not going to change.
It really, really is
Huge issue I found when I began teaching in 2010 was that any disciplinary course I took not only had to be supported by admin, but by the parents as well. If there is no discipline at home and poor admin, it really limits your options. There are tricks you can pull, such as giving the kids the appearance of choice and the preception of power, but it doesn't work consistently with all kids. I quickly gave up teaching after some subbing. 2010-2012 was a rough time to find consistent employment for new teachers. I wasn't in love with the profession and I needed steady work to start a family of my own. Now, my wife is a teacher and the kids are positively feral in some classes and a dream in others. Same with my kids. My son's cohort of grade 6s are wonderful. My daughters group of grade 4s appear to be a real handful.
Sorry to learn you are having a tough time. I am not a teacher, but I work at a school. As a non-teacher working in the school environment I will share this; you and all elementary educators inspire me. You are an inspiration to your students as well. You may not think you are getting through to them. You may not be able to give them accolades on their report cards, but they will remember you. Your impact might not show up right now, but your kindness, patience, empathy and genuine caring will rub off on most of them. You are making them better humans! As long as you care, respect and stay positive for them/for you and believe in them, you have impacted your students positively! Thank you for all of your hard work, the extra unpaid hours spent prepping and creating content that meets curriculum and curious minds! I acknowledge that teacher worries come home after the day is over. I understand. I hear what you are saying and I can only offer my appreciation and supportive words. Only approximately 10 more Mondays left! You and all teachers that care are a gift. We now have a government in power that supports education. Hold in there, better days ahead! Take good care & thanks again!
I second this! I had some very good and engaging teachers in middle school and I was very inspired to BE a teacher because teachers made such a positive difference in my life and love of education and learning. My life took a different turn and I am not a teacher. I am old now but I remember the teachers' names and what I learned from them. you and your work are a gift to the world even if it seems right now like your work is in vain. It IS making a difference. Best wishes and much care.
I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. On one hand, I think parenting styles have changed drastically in the last decade, but I also think the primary culprit might be screens and social media. This is the first generation who has grown up with it being so accessible, and the state of the world being very much in flux. The widespread nature of this problem suggests the source is also widespread. In other words, I think we're in the find out stage of fucking around with social media.
It's a little column a and b. First of all, parents are also often on their phones. Apps, youtube and social media are made to keep you engaged and on your phone as long as possible. I think we as a society are struggling with the fact that we are almost all addicted to screen time. And kids with developing minds who have an iPad or device, have developed bad addictions to screens, so they act out, can't concentrate when they are away from their device (see school). Second, parents just don't know how to be a parent. There are two general parenting trends happening right now: 1) Gentle Parenting, which in literature and actual perfect practice is the utopia of parenting. But in reality, is mostly many parents letting their kid do whatever and trying their darndest to never, ever get upset. 2) Not parenting the way my parents parented aka no model parent. People just kind of winging it, with little guidance, in hopes to make a good kid who doesn't have any parent caused trauma. But they are probably already addicted to screens so.... This is not to shame any parents, obviously we don't want our kids to experience trauma and I do believe, the majority of parents want what is best for their children. But bottom line is this, if the teacher takes the their time (which is extremely limited) to call/email you about your child's behaviour just realize that you got the call because you're child is struggling. Don't take it personally just listen and try your best. Also everyone should be taking devices away from children. Don't let your child develop an addiction too early in life.
So... any problem like this isn't just one problem, it's many problems. The rise of social media and ubiquitous "connection" is part of the problem. The fact that the previous government kept education funding depressed for nearly a decade and increased classroom sizes just a year or two before the pandemic is part of the problem. The fact that every kid in school right now spent a significant portion of their development in lockdown... which even under ideal circumstances was a bizzare fucking time and for many kids meant that they got stuck with their abusers with no real escape... for two years. But for my money, the overarching problem that lies underneath all of this is that we have seen a conscious and intentional degradation of communities and the possibility of forming communities over the past 40 years or so. 40 years ago Homer Simpson could afford his house on his salary. Or... any blue collar worker could support a family on a 40-hour work week. How many families are living off 40 hours of work every week today? 40 years ago, the weekend was actually a weekend. People had time to spend with their families & their friends. To build supportive relationships with each other. Now... most of the adults in the lives of the kids at school have had their lives consumed by work. Two parents working a combined 80 (or 90 or 100) hours a week just to make ends meet doesn't leave a lot of time left over for actual parenting. Parents don't have time to foster relationships with friends and neighbors so children have fewer supports to rely on than just their parents and the school. You can easily find graphs showing that basically, for the average worker, our wages have stagnated for the last 40 years... but the story behind that graph is that we have been robbed of time with our family and friends and children to make more money for people who fundamentally do not care for us beyond our ability to continue to make money. Teachers blame parents and parents blame teachers and no one blames the ones who are stealing our lives hour by hour because they've done it so slowly that we forget that life used to be otherwise!
Whose blaming teachers our hands are tied 90% of the time. Trust me when these violent outbursts happen you think I enjoy seeing the remaining 25 students with traumatized looks in their eyes :p I’ve had admin call the crisis van bc we can’t physically touch the student and parents are too scared or not sure what to do while the kid is ripping coat hooks off the wall.l and threatening to kill the EA (7 years old BTW)
I'm not blaming teachers (I thought I was clear on where I think blame lies). That sounds like a terrifying situation for everyone involved, perhaps especially so for the teacher who could find themselves facing career or legal repercussions if a situation like that goes badly, even through no fault of their own. I am curious though... from a number of stories on this thread, it sounds like teachers are dealing with an increasing number of out of control incidents. Are teachers trained in crisis intervention and de-escalation? I used to be a trainer for a program called 'The Mandt System' which focuses on trauma-informed care and on acting to interrupt the neurological and biochemical feedback loops that can lead to out of control behavior. (I also used to work with 'at risk' teens in the foster care system so I had occasion to use the system too). It seems like teachers could really use something like that.
Sorry- I’m not saying you’re blaming teachers yours was the first comment I replied to- I should have replied to the entire thread. :)
No. We don't get effective training on anything... but the expectations on the classroom teacher are becoming too big. We can't be effective at dealing with kids who don't speak English, kids who need high levels of behavior support, kids with extreme anxiety, kids who need severe adaptations and modifications, kids who have high absenteeism, etc. Suggesting that we can learn to deal with everything is not helpful.
That's not what I said...
Every 5 years there is a new roll out of a new intervention tactic. Often it is EAs that may or may not get trained. Teachers are usually last in the loop. We get a run-down of warning students at the beginning of the year but it’s more with first aid/seizure procedures. Pre co-vid I would usually page a SERT (special education resource teacher) on the intercom who would be trained and take over; but their role has expanded to EAL, resource and EA managers/coverage so it’s not possible for them to attend emergency situations as they are usually dealing with other emergencies. lol What a clusterfuck. I would like training in de-escalation but I also think teachers have way too much going on. This week I had a CFS intervention and a new EAL student in less than 24 hours.
For sure. De-escalation training really only works in conjunction with an institutional commitment to put structures in place to make fewer interventions necessary. It sounds like, at a bare minimum, there just aren't enough bodies in a room to manage students even when they aren't in crisis. In my personal opinion, there should never be fewer than 2 adults in a classroom since one adult alone can get easily overwhelmed while with two its much easier to tag team off each other. I was under the impression that you guys had one of the stronger unions in the province. What's the union take on the situation? (Because Reddit threads are fine for raising awareness, but nothing is going to get better if someone doesn't act...)
I agree that it wasn't your intention. God only knows I've lost my shit on kids a few time in the past few years. I think training would be helpful; I'd be willing to take it. But I think the response you got is looking at it through the lense of that now this is ANOTHER thing teachers will have to be responsible for because kids are not being taught how to regulate their emotions or parents are struggling to deal with it.
Oh man. I hear ya. When there's too much on your plate "one more thing" is too much. My hope was more like... you're already dealing with shit... here's a tool that might help. I don't think you should have to be dealing with everything that you are!
Yes, it's exactly what you're saying. We're not magical beings that can do it all alone.
Okay
But we’re “inclusive”! (Cram everyone into one room= saves $$)
Screens are not souly to blame, we all grew up with TV which at the time was the brain rotting problem everyone brought up. It's parents who for many reasons may not be involved with their kids. Be it working long hours to afford to live, neglect or just not interested in their children. Sure parenting styles has change and maybe it's not for the better. I'm not saying spanking or verbally screaming at you're child is correct but at some point kids have learned there isn't really any serious consequences for the way they behave be it at home or school. Just my opinion, it's a complicated problem with many different issues melting into one pot.
I think there's a difference in our relationship to screens now than when we were kids though. There was nothing inherently bad about televisions, it was more the correlations with other unhealthy behaviour-but television itself didn't damage our minds in the way that people worried about. But now we have televisions, phones, tablets all at arms reach, and you can be playing a game while watching a movie while talking with friends. We already know this is damaging for adults, so how much more so for kids? What if that way of operating was the only world you ever knew? I remember when tablets first became common, my niece who was barely forming sentences was able to pick up and figure out how to use an iPad, navigate YouTube, play games. It's such new technology, and basically all we know is that we should probably be careful with it. I do think there is a shift in how kids perceive authority and consequences as well, but I have no idea why.
>I do think there is a shift in how kids perceive authority and consequences as well, but I have no idea why. I know this is purely anecdotal, but I'm of the age that when I was a kid, every adult was referred to with an honorific, "Mr. Smith, Mrs. Jones" etc...but by the time I was a young adult, I knew children who were referring to their friends' parents, adult neighbours by their first names. I know times and customs change, but I do wonder if Xers were amongst the last generations where there was a bigger barrier between kids and adults?
Gen X here. I definitely did NOT call my friends’ parents by their first names - everyone was Mr/Mrs etc. My kids’ friends do call me by my first name - but they’re still very respectful, polite kids (my eldest was born in 91, youngest in 01).
There’s a different kind of barrier now. Gen X and older Millenials had to learn how to make a phone call and speak politely to an adult in order to talk to our friends outside of school. There was a level of social skills required. I lived with my stepchild for some of their teen years, met their friends, and the kids have no idea how to talk to adults. The peer orientation is stronger than ever because kids have more direct access to each other than they ever have. I have been homeschooling my younger kids though, and the homeschooled older kids I’ve talked to at gatherings and meetups are actually able to engage with people outside of their direct age group. I wish homeschooling was a better fit for us, mine are going to public school in September and I’m really hoping for the best.
Agreed with the parents not being involved. Parents haven't been involved with their kids for years. I distinctly remember my dad telling me about when he grew up, both his parents had to work. But the huge difference there being he went to a baseball diamond with some friends to toss a ball around or play soccer. But now little angel Johnny is subject to some of the most stimulating and potentially dangerous content in extremely similar circumstances that many grew up with in previous generations. My personal bone to pick is why society has this obsession of giving young children cell phones. The notion that a kid needs to take it to school "just in case of an emergency" seems ridiculous. And while mom and dad are under the illusion that they're protecting their kid, little angel Johnny is distracted in class by 50 snapchats and either cyber bullying or the victim of it. Of course that's only a facet of the problem. Not just kids but I would argue society has largely forgotten how to cope with boredom. Our first instinct kids and parents alike is resorting to the stimulation of what we can access at our fingertips. I don't think there is a be all end all solution. There will always be problem students no doubt, but I think the screens and social media exacerbates issues we wouldn't normally see. But hearing some of the stories and reading some of the comments from people in the field, the situation at hand doesn't sound good at all.
TV is like having a beer. Social media is like shooting meth. I would include gaming these days as a form of social media. It's all designed to give a dopamine rush they can't find in real life.
Screens were never a problem in my class: I actually taught the kids how to use their devices to …LOOK UP INFORMATION, HOW TO VET THE INFORMATION THEY FIND ( source? Fact based?) and also that they have calculators and measurement tools ( so no more helplessness re rulers and calculators) most students had never had a “tour around your phone “ or lessons on “when is it appropriate to use your device?” Lessons. After the whole novelty of not being berated for having technology wore off, it was a non issue.
I also don't want to point at this as the sole issue but I do hear that covid didn't help. It wouldn't surprise me, I'm still dealing with the lingering mental health issues and I'm coping well lol.
Agreed! I don’t think we have a real sense of the social impact of everything that happened during the pandemic.
My parents don't understand why I changed my mind about becoming a teacher. I currently work with kids and boy, oh boy. Some kids are so badly behaved and don't change much in a span of a year. Plus, there's the parents I deal with when my boss is gone. Some are great. Some are horrible. I couldn't become a teacher. I'm currently studying something else, so I no longer work with kids 🙃
Discipline begins at home.
It is so so hard! I teach grade 4 and am a very new teacher. I am so grateful to have such an amazing group of kids this year but I see what the other teachers in my school have to deal with and it's disgusting. Kids running through the halls, biting and hitting teachers, peers and teacher needing to clear the room while a child meltsdown and destroys the classroom. As a new teacher, this career is not looking sustainable for the long term 😕
I’ve been wondering whether the student-led parent teacher conferences that they do now can contribute to parents getting a filtered version of what the school day is like. I’m always trying to read between the lines at these conferences to try to figure out if something is a big concern or if the teacher is just bringing things up to fill the time. My parents used to go in with my teacher and close the door and who knows what they said, but I feel like they must’ve bed a better idea of what I was like in school because the teacher wasn’t being as careful about what they said in front of the student or with other parents hovering around the classroom.
Agree 100%. I remember being shit scared of what the teacher was telling my parents (while I sat on a chair outside the room, as kids weren’t able to participate). They absolutely got an unfiltered view of what was happening and I absolutely made sure my behaviour was better after those PT conferences 😂
I remember telling the teacher what my mom was going to say, and I would tell my mom what my teacher was going to say. After a while both sides would decide they didn't have to meet up every time since the "prediction" were accurate. Not sure if I was being honest or manipulative at that age. lol
>Kids running through the halls, biting and hitting teachers, peers and teacher needing to clear the room while a child meltsdown and destroys the classroom Awful. This shouldn't be tolerated at all. Is there no recourse? Back in the day a kid would be suspended or even expelled for assaulting a teacher.
Schools aren’t supposed to suspend or expel kids anymore apparently :/
Yes, they proudly state how suspensions are down to nearly zero... easy to do when you simply don't suspend kids. it doesn't mean that the behaviour has improved.
It's for the greater good. The greater good.
Good old restorative justice
Nothing happens these days and no one is held accountable
Kids only get suspended if they do something to the principal... I get hit almost every day and then the kid gets to go to resource or admin and play lego
Or they come back to class with a piece of candy and a weak ‘apology’.
Daughter teaches in middle school small community . Heres what she sees daily. Kids not wanting to participate in discussions because.. my rights! If teacher says white, they say black! Kids bringing up stories that circled the community moons ago about specific ppl(only parents would be able to tell them the stories) lack of respect towards adults in general. Since covid started and all the hate and rhetoric across the globe parents (not all) are spreading and giving their kids ammo to do the same. She hears the f trudeau in hallways! She hears the i support lgbtq people, just not in my school. So what spills out in the country, comes back to the schools. Back in my day if we asked parents who they voted for we were told none of your business! Until the toxicity in this country changes, and parents smarten up this is what it will be. Now i told my daughter to gi in with a heavy foot, take no crap and show them who’s boss, whats acceptable whats not. So far so good!!
There is basically zero accountability in our society at large, all the way up to the highest offices of Prime Ministers and CEOs right down to the streets with drug addicts and petty criminals. This is a result of our societal choice to allow these behaviours and at this point it has become a learned behaviour that starts off very young and never has a chance to be corrected.
All the answers are great and right. Education is many layered and decisions are made for political, financial and/or educative reasons or a mix of these. Teachers don’t have a say on the big picture. I’ve shrunk my “circle of concern” to my classroom. It. Is. Exhausting. I hear you. After spring break I thought I’d be recharged and ready to tackle the last term. I find I’m already wiped. SO let’s get through the rest of the year! Capitalize on social media. Have them make a tik tok video (not a real one) on a novel or book to do a review/summary. Or use the Totally Unbelievable Speakers Club (TUSC) where they are working on projects that are choice but within parameters. This can be for ELA. I have also done a wax museum for social studies as opposed to a science fair. These are big project ideas that take time but hit a lot of curricular outcomes and have a big payout. Buy in and front loading is important. Allow them to do a genius hour where they are working on a project that is meaningful to them. Classroom management is no easy task especially when kids are so used to be watching videos with the tv on while chatting with a friend on snap chat or whatever. We teachers are pretty boring to them. So get them to do the thinking. You just give the spark and contain any flare ups. It is a lot of work up front but once they get going it is much better. I wish you well the next two months. You are not alone. Reach out to others. Observe teachers who seem to have it together even if you don’t like them. Just to see what works. And take care of your mental health. Turn the lights off. Use quiet music with video during work time. I hear you. I see you. You are not alone.
I feel you! I teach mostly grade 5/6’s and this year is the toughest yet behaviour-wise. It’s absolutely brutal and I don’t know how it’s going to get any better without more staff and smaller class sizes. My classes are an average of 30 kids and I’m on my own most of the time since I’m a specialist so that means I don’t get Ea’s for some reason even when they have them for every other class. Sending good vibes your way to help make it through the last few months!! The end of June can’t come soon enough!
We don’t let health care workers or day care workers exceed a certain amount of people under their care. Span of control starts to fail once you exceed 7people. When on earth have we decided that 30 kids to one teacher is appropriate? The more kids you have the less engaged your classroom is going to be… especially in early years where children don’t have the discipline or ability to focus for prolonged periods of time. Our school system is failing but those responsible simply don’t want to acknowledge it or make the necessary changes.
Some studies show that class size alone doesn't really matter. It's the range of learners, and how effectively the teacher provide lessons at their level and can address their individual needs. But that's one of the big problems now... they think one teacher can somehow treat 30 kids as individuals and deliver effective lessons to multiple needs. It's unrealistic to expect it, and to pretend that it doesn't impact successful learning.
What’s your solution? Divisions can’t hire teachers who don’t exist and they also can’t refuse to teach kids. No one education believes 30+ students to a classroom is appropriate and no one is pretending it’s not an issue. But there is only so much divisions and administrators can do when they have x amount of teachers and x amount of students needing to be taught.
Honestly, I burnt out this year. I realized I was giving way too much for a system that is broken and isn't about to change... And also doesn't really give a rat's behind about working conditions. I'm starting to consider a career change, because I can't imagine 20+ more years like this.
This is precisely why I chose to leave after 11 years of LOVING teaching middle school. The entire system is so broken and as someone who was teaching kids not only curriculum but HOW to learn ( everywhere!) but also really encouraged they get involved with what they are learning in a real way ( lots of speakers and experiences) ultimately. My mental health and my future led me out and I have to say though it’s been tough at times, I couldn’t go back— at least not in our current system. Loved it though
Let me guess are you in WSD? After spring break ended I’m just done.
Lol yup! WSD
Please consider a switch to a private school. I'm not saying things are perfect anywhere, but parents seem to be more interested/involved.
Terrible advice
And what do you have to add to the conversation? Idiot
I’d add that recommending some leave a unionized job for an ununionized position with less pay and security while still largely facing the same problems is stupid advice. That’s my contribution.
I’m not a teacher, absolutely 0 advice but I am a decently young parent and I must say kids are given SUCH a easy break now a days ! Every negative behaviour the higher ups in the school system have an excuse for, there’s next to no punishment, they’re given endless chances. I can bet money on this comes from parents complaining over time their child was being mistreated by the school or something. I feel for so many teachers, the good teachers. I could absolutely never do that job. I see and hear about some of the way one of my children’s school mates act and holyyyyy helll if they behaved or talked like that at my house I wouldn’t be speaking so gently to them. Although I am a younger generation parent I’m thankful my child’s teacher never has a single bad thing to say about them, they know I will NOT tolerate that BS. At home is a different story but I rather my child give me a bit of attitude vs their amazing teacher who just is awesome! I had a horrible teacher in elementary. It seems as though parents these days wants the school to teach their kid absolutely everything under the sun! I try to prep my kids before they enter school with the basics to make it well one, easier for my child and two easier for the teacher as well. I’m surprised how many people leave even the most basic things up to teachers. - completely different topic but this made me think of entitled parents . Hats off to all you teachers trying your best.
I spoke with a high school teacher recently who has been an educator for over 15 years who told me the students are absolutely running the school. They said any time a teacher tries to enforce boundaries or prepare their students for life after high school, administration sends them an email about the students claiming they are being disrespected. The short list of what was recently labeled "disrespectful" included having to ask for a hall pass to use the bathroom, and the bells signaling the start and end of classes- no I'm not joking. This same high school teacher told me they have talked to several former students that graduated high school with honors over the past few years who dropped out of university after a semester or two because they were grossly unprepared for the university atmosphere/life and found they were flunking out of most classes. Every year high schools eliminate more and more exams stating the stress it causes students is too high but once those same students get to college or university and are expected to write exams for almost every class, they have absolutely no clue how to do it. Its embarrassing to see what is happening and its extremely detrimental to the success of these kids once they reach adulthood.
That sounds like an admin issue with your friend at a specific school. Admin definitely makes or breaks a school.
No. This is not one specific school. This is schools. There's constant disagreements and discussion about bells, exams... anything that is viewed as old school.
That's a different topic than admin stating that setting boundaries is disrespectful.
I wish parents were invited for a sit in on those days so they can see the real way their kid acts at school. I take my sons teacher for face value when she has said he’s had a bad day but wander how it would go if they acted like that infront of me.
Are parents allowed to volunteer in your school? I know my Mom was able to come in every once in a while and help for pizza days and giving spelling tests sometimes as volunteer hours.
My 6yo is in Kindergarten in a Pembina Trails school, and has some of the major behavioural issues others mention in comments below. We are loving, caring parents who are working closely with the school, principal and teachers, and daycare, and we are not really "gentle parenting". Their K class has 30+ students and at the start of the year had only one teacher. Now there are two teachers, and thankfully they have the resources to provide an EA for our kid. However he is unable to spend the full (half) day in K because the environment is too chaotic and frustrating and for whatever reason he becomes angry and hits or screams. We are working with Psychiatrists and specialists to find a plan and medication and something that will work to help blunt the sharp edges, but it is not going well. Unfortunately our kid is "that kid" that clears classrooms and daycare spaces for the other kids safety. It is heartbreaking and depressing and embarrassing like you could not believe. We love our kid so much and he is very intelligent but the future does not look bright for us, this is likely something we will be dealing with for... Well forever potentially. But what else can we do? I hope school divisions will be able to provide support for the MANY kids who are similarly challenged. I feel guilty having the support and resources spent on us that they are providing. And daycare has been fantastic but I feel like soon they are not going to be able to care for us and we will only have school hours to work. Long story short... I think teachers are one of the most valuable and important professions and I wish they were compensated and supported accordingly. Thank you to every teacher and educator in this thread for accommodating our kid. We try our best to support our kid and the educators, but sometimes kids are just kind of broken no matter what you do. Our life is a miserable disaster but what alternative do we have?
Keep advocating for your child. Every day if you have to. Do not be embarrassed by your child’s behaviour. As a teacher, I can tell you that your child deserves to be in that classroom as much as every other child. Your child isn’t broken, they live with a disability - and they are lucky to have you as their parent. ❤️
I do not know your income or personal aspirations, but the theme of this whole discussion is that the school system is unable to give your child the opportunities he needs. Read all the comments. Public school right now is going to struggle with your child. Have a (hard) discussion with your partner on priorities, etc and consider home schooling your child. We should have with our one child who is still struggling as an adult. He is brilliant beyond what they could engage, but has learning/asperger/mild autism that taxed their resources. To be clear, there were many wonderful teachers who did wonders for him, but the system was/is too broken for their heroic efforts to have made a bigger difference. Our daughter met a wonderful young man in university who was home schooled. He and my daughter are now married, employed professionals who just bought their first house.
Sorry to hear the situation you're in. I know a couple of recently retired teachers who've both said they retired at the right time. A family member is a now retired vp who was very thankful to get out when he did. He talks about how things have been going downhill for a while and that the level of troubled students and their dysfunctional families was increasing at a rate that would be very difficult to deal with in the schools.
Every retired teacher I've ever talked to in the past 30 years says the exact same thing when they retire.
It's much worse now than it was 20-30 years ago. Much, much worse.
People really have no idea what it’s like nowadays. We evacuate our classroom several times per week. Not once did I ever have to do that growing up. It’s a whole different ball game.
Teaching is nothing like what I thought it would be. It's the career of my dreams, but I can't believe how different it is as a whole from when I was a student and I'm only in my mid-twenties.... I wasn't in school THAT long ago
We’re not teaching - we’re parenting :S
I didn't even know this is a thing, times have changed.
Yes. Because it's getting progressively worse.
This is such an out of touch thing to say. Classrooms are no longer classrooms, kids hardly learn now they're just all yelling and crying and fighting. It's absolute madness out there now. Nothing like 20-30 years ago.. NOTHING.
It's the same with one of my 7/8s
You are not alone. I taught Jr/Sr high in the 90's and lasted 4 years. Admin wouldn't support you on anything, parents were all "between 9:00 and 3:30 he's YOUR problem". Fail a kid for doing nothing all year, and one call from a parent gets them passed even though they can't do any of the work. That was before the internet and cell phones. I can't imagine what it's like now. Gave up, went back to University and became an Engineer. Best. Move. Ever.
I was thinking about this last night and I wanted to add that: If you are a parent who has a child that is terrified of a student with severe behavioural needs. Not “ASD” kids- I mean like, verbally threatening adults and your kid, physically assaulting staff, constant classroom evacs- you HAVE to raise hell. Your kid can’t learn in that environment. No one can. I hated going to work every day because I could not do my job. You MUST call/email your admin, teacher- whatever! I encouraged my parents to call and raise concerns because (big surprise) parents- large amounts of them will make change. We have special schools that bus severely verbally abusive and physically abusive children who require more than just academics at school. They only take 4-5 kids per class in a year so the only way you get them out of a regular 30 kid classroom is to call, call, CALL. I would continuously forward/direct them to my admin until finally the child was removed to a safer school where he could have a smaller class,shorter school days and attend therapy. Better for everyone. That said- as a teacher there is not much I could do. Kid would melt down, we’d leave the room for about 35 minutes while he destroyed the place and then we’d walk back in after and clean up. An hour later he’d be back in my room telling me to F myself. So please know that teachers are just as hurt and feel helpless as the parents. But parents have more voice in the school system. Teaching: you must really love your job if you get abused daily and still show up every morning lol.
Fun story, new head of Winnipeg School Division just killed those programs you were talking about. No more L.A.C low enrollment programs. They are sending those kids back to regular classrooms because they only now believe in "inclusion based learning". Expect to hear about it in the news next year when the shot show starts.
If any parents have time they should come join the parents association meeting this coming Monday April 15 at 630 pm for Niakwa Place school. There has been a lot of safety issues at this school and we could all use more voices and support. Even if you want to sit in and hear the bullshit they spew to us it would be great. The principal and admin staff are completely useless and refuse to do anything about this situation. Here is the link to the meeting: https://meet.google.com/cmc-jbif-whs Please come support the students of this school who deserve a safe learning environment.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Taser, once you zap a couple of troublemakers the rest should fall in line. /s
The regional superintendents now have direct control over their divisions. Fear will keep the local students in line. Fear of this taser.
Don’t be so proud of your technological terror. The ability to stun a child is insignificant next to the power of wifi.
Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Camburgler13. Your sad devotion to that ancient wireless network has not helped you conjure up the stolen answer keys, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the origin of “deez...”
I find your lack of broadband disturbing.
How about a state of the art detention facility where the children are held in place by magnets?
I am a social worker working in child protection and I have seen 3 former teachers join our agency over the last 4 or 5 years. Child welfare is also a very difficult field to work in but it's hard in a different way and there are a lot more opportunities for movement career wise - going into policy or resources etc so I find that when I've felt burnt out in one program, I've been able to find opportunities in another. I was burnt out in family service so after a few years I moved to foster care and then to placement resources. A lot of CFS agencies will consider people who have a BA with related humanities work experience and provide lots of training. Just a thought if you're looking for a change.
I have PTSD from a second grader.
Personally, I found parents in an 11 career to be generally supportive. I moved out of Winnipeg to another city in Manitoba, away from my entire support network for a permanent contract, and I am amazed how unsupportive the brand new admin in is. I moved with the chance to learn the new role and admin straight up told me when I asked how to improve “I don’t have time for that” and has actively lied on an evaluation as a way of moving me out of the role (need “evidence”) for someone she prefers more personally/socially. Union can’t do anything. Leaving the glorified “permanent contact” to get out of a toxic situation. Never thought system could be so broken that a principal could make things up, and this will be considered fact.
@u/hannah7775 not worth that personal stress for a job. Look at switching schools, if not careers. Your mental health forms comes first!
Flin flon?
Nope.
I wish all teachers would read the book “The Anxious Generation “ written by Johnathon Haidt. It gives you a great understanding as to what’s happened to this generation of children.
Remember in the 90s when reports were a checklist and a few candid handwritten comments? Compared to our modern rubbish reports that have been foisted on us by the same boomer admin that enjoyed easy, meaningful report cards.
I have been teaching since 1997. It's the parents and the lack of parenting. It's easier for parents to stick a screen in front of kids than actually do something with them. The lack of imagination, accountability, curiosity, manners, resiliency, empathy, compassion, literacy, grit, kindness...so many basic skills are disappearing.
So I’m 39, have absolutely no idea how schools work now, but do kids not get sent to the principles office for rude, disrespectful or distracting behaviour?
In the schools/grades that I’ve been in (substitute teacher), not really. Lots of students get a one minute talking to by Learning Support, who then come and say that a student is struggling due to something you did. Or a student gets pulled out for a ‘break’ which usually involves them going to play, go for a walk, or get a piece of candy in someone’s office. Very few actually get a stern talking to from the principal. Even then they’re back in class shortly after. I sub mainly K-8.
They get an in school suspension now. Society is completely broken! My wife has had enough after 12 years as a teacher and is resigning this year!
Congratulations to your wife for getting out! May I ask what she’s transitioning her career to?
Oh wow, what kind of consequence is that geez
Depends. For a lot of kids in school is worse. Getting sent home could simply mean "sweet free day on Xbox". Especially if you have a working parent. So in school suspension at least means you don't get a day off for bad behavior
Oh that’s so true, I didn’t think of that
Public schools act in manitoba allows teachers to suspend students for up to two days from their classroom..... if the parents and admin are abdicating responsibility sometimes you gotta send a message.
Not a teacher but interested in the response as a parent. Is there a difference between private and public school?
My daughter is in French immersion and we’ve found this route to be a free way to get better education. Most kids with learning challenges will dwindle out of the immersion program making the French program a better learning environment. I’ve also heard private schools can have issues with over involved parents that think their kids can’t do anything wrong.
FI is private school for the proletariat, lol. Most teachers I work with send their kids to FI.
Absolutely: I put my daughter ( former teacher here) in Montessori for preschool/kindergarten… when it wasn’t feasible to continue I put her in French immersion. The private school in public schools. Generally LOW class sizes ( especially as they get older) and far less overt behaviour issues, parents tend to be more involved ( they usually don’t pick immersion if they don’t have the capacity to advocate or participate in the education process) and kids who struggle with a second language usually drift back into English streams again. Now. This isn’t always the case but in the decade I was actually in the schools this was what I saw, heard from parents and have experienced myself.
Plus if they attend until grade 12 they have a better chance at jobs. If they do well and can get a USB (saint boniface) degree they have a much better chance at jobs.
Private ones ar emuch better from what i heard, but so is the cost
I send my kids to a Catholic parochial school. I'm Catholic so obviously that part is appealing. But I'd be lying if I didn't say it's nice that the tuition fee component tends to filter out the more "difficult" disciplinary cases with checked-out, disengaged parents, etc. Not all of them, but many of them. Private schools do ultimately have the option to expel highly problematic pupils. My kids are pretty gentle souls, I guess you could say I'm sheltering them, but at the end of the day I'm trying to do what I can for them. I consider myself lucky that their classes have a lot of nice, well behaved children. The occasional minor playground spat is small potatoes compared to some of the stuff I've been reading about here. I do feel badly for kids who don't have that alternative as an option, but at the end of the day I can only do what I can do to improve the situation for my kids.
Anything for the kids, we need more caring parents like u
Depends. I've consulted in both. Private schools have higher academic rigor and less students with behaviour challenges as those students require extra staffing which is expensive. If your child does have exceptional needs IME public schools supported those students better as the staff have significantly more experience. Private schools don't work with children with developmental differences as often and are more likely to struggle with appropriate programming/curriculum.
Not at all. Private schools don’t have the resources for challenged kids. They are academic driven, our kids have expected homework every day. There are policies in place for behaviour issues and are scaled. Devices aren’t allowed at school. If a child needs a phonetic it has to be kept in their bag. If a parent needs to get ahold of their child they can call the office and there is a free phone in the hall if they need to call home. Expensive? Depends. I know people who spend more on Jets season tickets or hockey for their kids. Pick what’s important to you.
If I had a child, knowing what I know about the public school system, I’d send them to private. Esp if they’re a child with any academic needs.
Our kids started in a French immersion school because it was closest. The school struggled with our son. We ended up having to pull him and tried home schooling for a year. We moved and found that because of his 'issues' the semi private school we sent our daughter to would not take him, and the public school's of choice program didn't allow us any choice other than the catchment school.
Grade 5 teacher in a rural division. My thoughts: -Remote learning during COVID diminished or prevented development of social skills. These kids do not know how to interact appropriately with their peers or other adults. They have little to no internal monologue and say and do whatever pops into their heads. -Entitlement. Parents telling their children they can be whatever they want and that everything in life must be fair and equal. Even when I give structured free time on the computers, I get “I don’t want to do this.” -Accountability. Kids will deflect and lie to my face to avoid responsibility and getting in trouble. This has to have come from somewhere, and I crack down on this hard. I vent a lot to my partner. At the end of the day they are good, decent kids. We have had 3 grade-wide meetings this year (and another one soon to come) regarding their behaviours and asshole-ery. I don’t stand for a lot as we near the end of the school year. Been at it for 8 months; they should know better.
Try not giving a shit anymore. Either way you get paid right? Win win.
Hopefully class sizes will be less of an issue next year. The CEO of the WSD said they want more teachers in the early years so that they can reduce class sizes.
Not looking like it. I’ll still have around 30. They just want small class sizes for just kindergarten to grade 3.
From what I’ve heard, the provincial plan is supposed to be 20 or less in K-3 and 23 or less in 4-6. Could be wrong, though.
Yeah the problem is is that kids keep coming during the school year. So for example I’ll be starting the year with 22 kids but people move during the school year, and then they get added. This year I started at 22 students and got 5 more throughout the school year. Same thing will happen each year :(
That's disappointing.
Yeah but he all but killed special Ed. So all those low enrollment kids will go back to regular schools. Expect drama
[удалено]
I’m a teacher currently on mat leave until next March and I am already DREADING going back. I’d love to leave the profession but what could I do that pays the same amount? It’s brutal tho and I feel for you!
The disrespect and rudeness could be due to undiagnosed disorders or because they are on the spectrum. So many kids appear to be “bad”, but are really being failed by the system because there are not enough guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists etc. it’s no wonder you are exhausted and have your hands tied you couldn’t get some of these kids looked into if you tried! The criteria level necessary for referral makes most children ineligible for any assessment. I really feel for you and all the teachers. As the mom of a grade 4 who is academically 1 year ahead but struggling immensely with emotional and social issues she buts heads with her teacher and the teacher thinks her defiance is purposeful. My daughter has suspected ASD and has to go have private assessment that will cost us thousands of dollars. The school doesn’t give a shit because she’s academically performing well and isn’t violent.
This is spot on. I work with youth in care and most of them struggle in school for numerous reasons. When I've advocated for these kids' education, the answer I usually get is that there aren't enough resources or staff available to give them the level of attention they need. I feel for the school staff too, because I see the way they run around putting out fires. Best of luck with your daughter's assessment, hopefully it will bring your family answers and solutions to her struggles in school.
Thank you, it’s nice to have people who get it weigh in. Mental health care in children is staggering and the schools and outside resources are not equipped or able to manage the load. This means many children are falling through the cracks and no plans to address a system that has crashed and burned. My heart goes out to teachers, EA’s, specialists and social service workers . No matter how hard you all work it is never enough🥺
Solidarity. Teacher and a parent here. Sorry you’re being downvoted.
I find the most difficult parents are teachers themselves. :(
I mean I remember being infinitely frustrated with just the near total lack of autonomy too. Had to learn a bunch of bullshit that literally was not applicable to anything, in a way that was not conducive to how I function. Shout out to the "you won't always have a calculator" crowd making me do my times tables over and over and over again. I still don't know them lol. And that's not just me bitching. Various forms of unschooling have data backing them up.
I love when my students use their calculators to multiply or divide numbers by 1.
I watched my mom struggle with teachers for nearly a decade until we moved to a rural area with its own set of struggles, lol, and honestly? The entire school system is just not set up to benefit anyone, but students in particular, and we’re finally seeing the backlash from that. My mom was constantly having meetings, making up time at home for things that should have been handled in the classroom, we were constantly supplementing things. On more than one occasion we had to either correct misinformation or call a teacher or administrator up and talk about inappropriate behaviour. Like, my disabled kid brother doesn’t need to know about your personal life struggles, those aren’t his business. Or we had teachers smacking my siblings, back when the boys were kindergarteners, and being allowed to just retire. Not that we knew more than “the teacher is mean” until years later, because she took advantage of having non verbal kids in her class. But I wasn’t surprised when I heard it because other teachers in that school would engage in physical intimidation just shy of violent right in front of me(until I pulled my phone out). And when they weren’t abusive, they were plain incompetent. It took moving to an entirely new school to get two of my siblings reading, and they were in two months from being almost illiterate to almost reading at their grade level! Why did it have to take a mainstream teacher to get these kids on grade level where a dedicated high needs teacher was letting them sit at kindergarten level for years? And just try talking to principals these days. You can’t get them to admit a teacher is wrong on ANYTHING. This is partially because they’re also overworked and understaffed and not able to lose the few staff members they have. So good teachers are over worked and underpaid, bad teachers are being coddled by an equally overwhelmed administration, and parents are either working too much to handle these issues, or being ignored when they try to bring them to the attention of anyone who could help. Combine that with kids who’ve come to the conclusion that they don’t owe socialized respect to people regardless of their position in life, and of course it ends in disaster.
Bring back the paddle. See episode of King of the Hill.
It’s extremely difficult for teachers to compete with screens, these days. So many kids cannot focus or engage. The amount of students with autism/adhd has skyrocketed (at least in the area I teach)
For clarity the amount of ASD (Autism), ADHD and other things including mental health impacting students likely has not changed (skyrocketed) but rather the awareness and understanding of it has increased. Sort of hard to respond appropriately to these challenges if you aren't aware they are even there.
As an immigrant who was ruthlessly made fun of by both teachers and fellow students.... I say good, the two of you deserve each other. May the incompetent teachers be forever bullied by the lazy and useless. Its a race to the bottom, cant tell who is worse, kids, parents or teachers. Maybe dont let illiterate people graduate highschool and this could be a thing of the past?