Quote Originally Posted by AntiochusIII
I'd like you to blame administrators first and teachers second, if you don't mind.

It's all about the system -- brilliant, great teachers often complain about the system on a regular basis, circumvent its many regulations when they could, and oftentimes produce students who are markedly more interested in their own education than most.

Moreoever, incompetent teachers can be fired at a trigger if the system is better. This, though, can also be blamed on the teacher's union; I heard some horror stories coming from the way of New York about useless, redundant personnel...

In fact, scratch the teachers to the third. Parents are up there competing for first spot with incompetent administration.
I’ll put administrators first if you like, they are usually previous, current or future teachers anyway, but not parents and I’ll tell you why. Parents have recognized that they are not qualified to be “teachers” and have decided to pay to have someone qualified teach their children. That doesn’t absolve them of any responsibility (clearly parents that are involved in their children’s education have better performing children) but it doesn’t allow them to hold the authority over the children that the school does, the school/teacher sets the lesson plan and chooses the books decides what to focus on and what homework to give, the parent has very little to do with this but if a teacher or administer doesn’t like what they have to teach with they could strike just like they do when they want a better contract. Additionally, once a child is school age they spend more time at school than they do around their parents, the school and what goes on there is the #1 biggest influence on our children for 19+ years (some exceptions apply).

I think our school system is broken and some of the examples in NYC are extreme but are representative of the system. I don’t know how to fix it other than to stop using it until it goes away. It makes me sick to think I have a little one just starting out in the system, I soooo hope we get into the charter school we are on the list for, 40 openings and 80 applicants [fingers crossed].



Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
Yesdachi, I'm sorry I misunderstood your post. Apologies. And Doc C, thank you for pointing out my error and showing me the way back to civility.

I get too worked up on this issue.
No worries, it’s an issue worth getting worked up about.