You make good points, with the exception of the corporeal punishment. I never understood its significance then or now. All hitting me did was to make me wish I was big enough to hit back. Perhaps consistency is what is missing. As long as children have to raise themselves, like street urchins in Rio de Janeiro, we will have calamity. sk ----- Original Message ----- From: missthin<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: KAREN ALLEN<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:15 PM Subject: Re: [UC] The Blame Game [was: West Philly High re recent violence there]
To Wilma and all teachers I send you my condolences that you have to try to work in today's atmosphere of uncaring, selfish, what has to seem insurmountable obstacles. When I was growing up, the very idea of raising a hand to a teacher or any adult was out of the question. Teachers and principals could and did raise their hands at "bad" students. I clearly remember the large wooden paddle with holes drilled in it that hung in my junior high's principal's office - and he did use it, though it seemed mostly on the boys. It seems that we were, aside from being I think the last generation of children that were more or less "property", meaning that our parents/authority figures could and did give us a smack when they thought we deserved it, reared with a sense of RESPECT. We respected our parents, our teachers, our schools and everything in our home and schools. We didn't go around setting fires for the heck of it, we sure didn't try to take out a teacher for taking something (back then it was usually a comic book or *gasp* a Playboy). Sure we got mad, we complained to each other about that mean old teacher. But we didn't go home and complain. Why? If for no other reason, if we said Mr. or Mrs. whoever said or did ..., our parents would ask what we did to deserve it. And probably get a much worse punishment from our parents! We've gone from basically a parent could do just about anything but kill their kids to no corporal punishment but instead "time-outs" to now if a parent looks at their kid the wrong way the kid can call 911 and the parents end up arrested for child abuse. Do I agree with beating a child? Of course not, violence breeds violence. On the other hand, it seems like the kids are in charge - and that's not a good thing. It's gotten to the point where bad behavior is "entertainment", just watch Super Nanny once. I find myself worried about the future. It sure doesn't look bright. Children are having children, the outside influences for the most part don't seem to be antying that instills respect or values. And most importantly, I just don't see many of the children I run across these days getting an education at home on what's important. Home is where it all starts, with the parent or parents. Race, ethnicity, economic status; from my limited observations, the "gimme or else/it's all about me and I don't care about you" mentality is across the board. There's no way a teacher deserves to be attacked in any way for trying to keep their class in order. There's no way a person walking down the street deserves to be pushed, shoved, spit at, have things thrown at them or made fun of by a group of kids with nothing better to do with their time (homework anyone?). There's no way a child who does want to learn deserves to have their education constantly being interrupted by those who just don't give a hoot. The parents of the kids causing trouble need to be called to account for what their children are doing. And the "not my child, he/she would never do that" attitude has to fought. They also need to understand, somehow, that school is there for learning, not as a form of babysitting and that teachers are people with feelings who care, not the enemy. There are parents who care. What I saw in interviews with a few of them is that they're trying to get their children tranferred out of WPHS. Where they're going to send them, I don't know. *end rant* Wendy On 3/14/07, KAREN ALLEN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: >On 3/14/07, Wilma de Soto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: >> >> I knew someone would intimate that subliminally teachers are to blame >>for what is happening to them. >From: "Dan Myers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> >Subject: Re: [UC] RE: West Philly High re recent violence there >Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 12:56:18 -0400 > >Yes, it is everyone's duty to make sure violence is handled with caution >and eliminated. However, upbringing, the teachers behavior, and the childs' >behavior are ALL to blame. There are many steps in >controlling these types of situations. Obviously, someone stepped in >doodoo. > >Dan Myers > I love the way that it's now presumed that the teachers' behavior was a contributing factor in the out-of-control kids behaving as they do. And I love the way it's implied that it's the teachers who "stepped in doodoo". Let's shift the blame from permissive, non-responsive or AWOL parents to teachers whose job is to teach, not to raise these kids. That's why things are as bad as they are now: The Blame Game. Karen Allen ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html<http://www.purple.com/list.html>>.
