Adults Behaving Badly in Schools

[Modern School]

When people hear I’m high school teacher they often respond, “Wow, that must be tough!” and it is, but not for the reasons one might think. Americans tend to fear teenagers. The news is filled with stories about teen pregnancy, youth addiction, gang violence, teen suicide, and the rare teen rampage, contributing to the hysteria that all high schools are Columbines waiting to explode, or Blackboard Jungles that eat teachers alive. In reality, youth crime, addiction and pregnancy rates have been in steady decline for years and, for the most part, are far lower than they are for adults. When teenagers are harmed by violence, it is most often at the hands of adults. When teens get pregnant, the father is most often an adult. (See Mike Males, Scapegoat Generation, Common Courage Press, 1996). Grownups are the ones who create misguided education policy and who cut education funding. It is the misbehavior of adults, not kids, that truly makes the job so tough.

My first encounter with adult misbehavior at school occurred midway through my first year on the job. I had one particularly small class of juniors and seniors taking chemistry for the second or third time. I had been working harder than I ever had in my life, spending as many as fourteen hours a day grading papers, contacting parents, writing and rewriting curriculum. Even with all my hard work, there was a handful who had given up and stopped attending. So, on the Friday before winter break, when only two girls showed up for class, I decided it was pointless to teach a lesson, and gave them the period to do as they pleased. They spent most of the period gossiping about boys, their favorite rap artists, clothes and the like. I mostly graded papers and ignored them. However, when I overheard them talking about what a “letch” one of my colleagues was, I immediately butted in.

“What do you mean he is a letch?”

For more, please read http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2010/10/educators-behaving-badly.html

[Mnemosyne]

1. Good post, Modern School. Welcome to DU!

Any principal allowing such behavior and claiming it is "cultural" makes them an accessory to teaching kids that inappropriate touching is just something you need to endure.

I am sure he didn't mean anything by his behavior. :sarcasm:

Thank you!:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Where does the principal claim it was cultural?

I don't see that.

[knitter4democracy]

3. I've never understood why anyone protects those guys.

I've known too many of them, too. *sigh*