Well, I hope your holiday was inspiring. As promised last week, here is Teacher Dialogue Part 2.
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Dear Parents,
Over the course of the past school year I have had the honor of teaching your children. Having worked with them I can tell you they are bursting with potential and opportunity!
That’s not to say they are the best students they can be. They’re not.
Please allow me to communicate my observations regarding their behavior and work ethic at school and in the classroom. Keep in mind that these observations do not apply to all students, but I would say they do apply to many. Think about this like a very unofficial, frank report card.
The following observations may prove tough to swallow, but I assure you they are very accurate. Many students will not appreciate me letting you know about these things, because they are accustomed to getting away with everything.
They back talk and talk under their breath, are rude, and disrespectful to teachers.
They lie regularly and when caught, they don’t apologize or defend themselves. In fact, they think it’s funny.
They come to class unprepared. No pencil or paper. No books or binder. They ‘forgot it,? and then they ask if they, ‘can go to my locker,? which takes way too long because they’re wasting as much time as possible on their way to and from their locker chatting with friends or anything else they can get away with while they’re out of the classroom.
These students are not held accountable for anything. When things do not turn out the way they planned, they make excuses, ‘It’s not my fault. I had soccer practice or cheerleading or skateboarding or video games . . .?
You get the idea.
Many of them dress inappropriately or immodestly for school. For whatever reason they think they are entitled to anything and everything they want. They very nearly do what they want when they want. They get away with it too, because, secretly, they know if they spin their story just the right way, Mom and Dad will think their little angel has been wronged by the big bad school administrators and teachers who are out to get them.
By the way, no one is ‘out to get? your child. We don’t even dislike your child very much (we’re too busy worrying whether or not our job is in danger!). Students do the minimum and when they actually pay attention and do an assignment, they think they should receive extra credit for doing what they should have been doing anyway. Extra credit is for going above and beyond, not for doing the minimum requirement.
They don’t care about excelling, because they know if they can just pass, that is good enough. In fact, they skip the maximum amount of classes (without losing credit) and then come to class so they can pass. Once they come to class again, it’s my responsibility to catch them up with everything they chose to miss. Talk about inconsiderate and disrespectful.
Again, these are only my observations and my thoughts concerning their behavior and work ethic at school and in the classroom. My intention is to inform you of what is going on.
Having a child is a wonderful gift, but it does come with a lot of responsibility. I’m sure many of you teach your children the valuable lessons you should , but many of you are not. Think about what your children see and hear from you and consider whether you want them to do and say the same things. Let your life and the way you live be an example to them of how you want them to grow up.
I care about and love your children very much. I want to see them excel and succeed, but I need your help. Please come to parent teacher conferences whether your child has an ‘A? or an ‘E? so we can talk and evaluate the progress of your child’s education together.
I am sure your child is wonderful, but please know my observations are real and I have these experiences on a daily basis. If you could only see and hear what I do, I think you would be just as concerned as I am. I believe your child can be successful if we work together.
Please, be supportive of your child’s teachers and work with them to educate your child. Thank you for your consideration and patience. I look forward to working with you!
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1. Parents what do you think?
2. Teachers what do you think?
3. I sure wish the writer would contact me.
E-mail Rush at dontrushmedon@charter.net