5 Ways the Bar has Been Lowered…just for starters!

Having the disposition wanting to start out as gently as possible, the sooner we all come to awareness or flat out recognition that the standards of learning in American education have been lowered to the degree that this educator fears the system may indeed implode. 

5. The first standard I would like to address is behavior that public school students believe is acceptable in their respective classrooms. I have found that it is nothing to have any one or any number of students swearing, albeit, under their breath or by word choice.  Examples:  “You know Teach, this homework assignment really sucks!” and that my friends are as gentle as it’s ever going to get. 

Most often if said homework assignment coincides with their evening plans the feedback or response is going to be far more brutal such as: “F*** You, I’m just not going to do it!” I don’t care if it’s a letter grade down per day, “I’m not f****ing doing it.” 

Where most teachers have become so calloused that this kind of speech doesn’t bother them anymore—”we’re used to it”—that nonetheless does not make it right for students, regardless of age, doing it.

 4. If you haven’t guessed this one by now, let’s just say it is directly related to the above mentioned problem with foul mouths. Who would you send your child to—a guidance counselor, principal, coach, or to some incapable vice-principal? Most of us have learned that there is absolutely NO support when it comes to dealing with students at the administrative level.  First the principal or guidance counselor, or vice principal immediately sides with the student.  No matter how many times the child has received demerits, after school detention, or sent to the principal’s office it will always remain the burden of proof on the teacher to explain how or why the child is disruptive.  What is sickening is the notion that the child after 3 and a half years of being sent up KNOWS there will NOT be punitive action. 

For starters the principal is pissed you sent the kid up! Should’ve contacted the parents, we’re told. Well, HELLO! Jackass, we’ve done that now twice on a weekly basis and still no change in the behavior. So after all of this why does any of these alleged administrators still have the child in school?

There is ample enough evidence to send him/her to alternative school. But the responses we receive are along these lines: “Oh that will follow Johnny for the rest of his life!”  Really? Sure now? What about John’s future? What about his present behavior which is unacceptable—let it continue?

3. What the public schools need to do is reinstall discipline back into the school; consequently, punishment must be reinstalled as well insofar as you simply cannot have one or the other because the two go together, i.e. punishment is the consequence for the benign act of disobedience that warranted the discipline in the first place. When swats and rulers were taken away from teachers, together with absolutely no back-up at all from administration and worst of all most of the time it is okay with the parents.

Discipline needs to be in schools; moreover, any institution is only as good as what those who make up the institution believe. If behavior is unacceptable, there must be discipline; if the discipline doesn’t work, then the student needs adequate punishment. 

 2. The recklessness in which students talk with their teachers is abhorrent. I, for one, believe that this is a tradition that somehow did not reach the closest form of respect for authority. Yeah, yeah, I know one must earn a persons respect. However, that is not to imply what the students of today are doing. 

It would seem that people who are on the lowest level of the academic hierarchy (students) would simply, by being aware of one’s age, education, record, reputation, and the like would be enough. Not with today’s students. The come in with the attitude of teach me or you suck. One thing a person cannot do for another is to make them learn. That is a process that is very subjective per student.

 1. Manners go along way in and throughout life. There is nothing wrong with manners. Showing an adult who comes to work to assist you in learning is a nice thing. Why not tell them? Everyone it seems, but the student themselves, understands and knows what the student is going through. Hey, adolescence is tough. If it’s not our face breaking out or our boobs hurting—yep, even males get sensitive boobs, then it’s that early morning “discovery” that most males love but can’t control. 

Essentially we know because we’ve been through it. We also know what to do about it because we’ve been there and done that, moreover, we have been to formal learning and training to work on how best to deal with whatever your problem may be.

There you have five standards that have been lowered so far that they are becoming the norm of ”acceptable behavior.” I am reminded once again that we all need a driver’s license to drive (legally), we need licenses to practice law, medicine, dentistry, and we also need licensing to work in the education environment. The only thing that we don’t need a license for that is without question the most important endeavor we will ever undertake and that is parenting. 

Where do you think your child is learning the words they are using in your home? Where are they getting the money to have so many CD’s? If they are showing you disrespect, chances are that they’re also showing disrespect to other adults as well. It starts with you.