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Can confirm. My sister teaches but feels more like a babysitter. All she does is break up fights and she's an elementary school teacher. On the flip side, these kids will be working for my kids.

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Maybe that teacher needs to fail her students from attending the next grade

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This was on another site. From what I gather in the thread, this is a normal high school not in a poor area.




I teach high school. Age range 15-18 years old. I have seen students who can't do the following:

-Read at grade level. Some come into my classroom at a 3rd/4th grade reading level. There are some students who cannot sound out words.

-Write a complete sentence. They don't capitalize the first letter of the sentence or the I's. They also don't add punctuation. I have seen a student write one whole page essay without a period.

-Spell simple words.

-Add or subtract double-digits. For example, they can't solve 27-13 in their head. They also cannot do it on paper. They need a calculator.

-Know their multiplication tables.

-Round

-Graph

-Understand the concept of negative.

-Understand percentages.

-Solve one-step variable equations. For example, if I tell them "2x = 8. Solve for x," they can't solve it. They would subtract by 2 on both sides instead of dividing by 2.

-Take notes.

-Follow an example. They have a hard time transferring the patterns that they see in an example to a new problem.

-No research skills. The phrases they use to google are too vague when they search for information. For example, if I ask them to research the 5 types of chemical reactions, they only type in "reactions" in Google. When I explain that Google cannot read minds and they have to be very specific with their wording, they just stare at me confused. But even if their search phrases are good, they do not click on the links. They just read the excerpt Google provided them. If the answer is not in the excerpts, they give up.

-Just because they know how to use their phones does not mean they know how to use a computer. They are not familiar with common keyboard shortcuts. They also cannot type properly. Some students type using their index fingers.

These are just some things I can name at the top of my head. I'm sure there are a few that I missed here.

Now, as a teacher, I try my best to fill in the gaps. But I want the general public to understand that when the gap list is this big, it is nearly impossible to teach my curriculum efficiently. This is part of the reason why teachers are quitting in droves. You ask teachers to do the impossible and then vilify them for not achieving it. You cannot expect us to teach our curriculum efficiently when students are grade levels behind. Without a good foundation, students cannot learn more complex concepts. I thought this was common sense, but I guess it is not (based on admin's expectations and school policies).

I want to add that there are high-performing students out there. However, from my experience, the gap between the "gifted/honors" population and the "general" population has widened significantly. Either you have students that perform exceptionally well or you have students coming into class grade levels behind. There are rarely students who are in between.

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Can confirm. My sister teaches but feels more like a babysitter. All she does is break up fights and she's an elementary school teacher. On the flip side, these kids will be working for my kids.

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Another teacher commented...



AP is supposed to be the advanced group!

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Has she tried having sex with them?

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I remember that from when my daughter was in elementary school. Her math homework required the most ridiculous methods to get simple answers, like drawing diagrams, breaking down the calculation in to small parts, etc. It was a full page of nonsense just to do one long division problem. I showed her the old fashioned way and it was a revelation to her. She went to school and showed her friends and that resulted in parent-teacher conference where I was dressed down by her peevish math "teacher" and the Vice Principal. They actually said that if she didn't write our their ridiculous process that the problem would be considered wrong, even if she got the answer correct using the traditional method and showing her work.

And that was at a highly sought after public elementary school with a waiting list.

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My daughter’s class was the first in the district that didn’t have to do spelling tests. Vocabulary tests were tossed also. Sentence structure and punctuation? Nobody got time for that.

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So what you are saying is teachers can't or will not teach?

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I recently moved from Private high school math and physics to public school seventh grade math. What does person reports is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not that the students are dumb, they just don't know anything. And the reason they don't know anything is because nobody cares to know anything, it's no longer valued. We live in a culture that is now openly hostile to intellectualism.

classical education is the immediate answer, but we also need the culture at large to value scholarship.

not propaganda

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Sigh...

You can't teach chemistry to kids who can't do basic match no matter how good you are.

Everything is scheduled and there isn't time for me to get you from fractions through algebra in a school year even with willing and capable students.  

I taught a young lady stoichiometry when she spoke almost no English.  She was intelligent and worked hard and was able to do the math.  It was a piece of cake, in comparison.

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I'm not sure how anything I said would bother you or be considered a naive take.

I'm not just talking about my experience with my kids but my wife's experiences with her kids when she was a teacher.  Short of an actual disability, every struggling kid she ever had her class had shit bird parents and it was no different when I was in school.  All of the "smart" kids had parents who were present and active in their lives.  I don't think it's a coincidence.

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well, intellectualism is literally white supremacy, so...

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Common Core is the root of the failure.


I understand Common Core math is functionally correct.  If I have one more snobby cunt say "you don't like it because you don't understand it," I'm going to break their jaw.


It's a terrible way to teach math.  The old way of teaching put men on the goddamn moon.  The current generation can't tell time without Siri.


Full disclosure: I have a Masters in Education.  Fight me.  

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Leave Cormac McCarthy alone!

Kharn

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Equality and diversity are strenghts, not deliberate weakness foisted upon us.    Note sarc face.



That is absolutely the case in my local schools - they will NOT fail anyone, period.  Bunch of bullshit, but there it is.

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Common Core is the root of the failure.


I understand Common Core math is functionally correct.  If I have one more snobby cunt say "you don't like it because you don't understand it," I'm going to break their jaw.


It's a terrible way to teach math.  The old way of teaching put men on the goddamn moon.  The current generation can't tell time without Siri.


Full disclosure: I have a Masters in Education.  Fight me.  

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I can’t do anything of those things and I have a Masters degree

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Common Core is the root of the failure.


I understand Common Core math is functionally correct.  If I have one more snobby cunt say "you don't like it because you don't understand it," I'm going to break their jaw.


It's a terrible way to teach math.  The old way of teaching put men on the goddamn moon.  The current generation can't tell time without Siri.


Full disclosure: I have a Masters in Education.  Fight me.  

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My wife teaches high school Family and Consumer Sciences (aka Home Economics).

Many of her students are completely unmotivated. In an elective class. They do no work, assuming they even show up.

I think some of her Culinary Arts classes have maybe half of the class that can even do the in-kitchen labs, because the other half hasn't completed the safety requirements.

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Has she tried having sex with them?

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Believe it or not, while many teachers are misguided and some are just evil, most teachers deserve better and and many are awesome.

The system is a total and complete failure and should be scrapped.   I'm working with juniors and seniors that are functionally illiterate and don't have any desire to improve.  There are individual teachers standing against that tide, but their effect is limited to to a few students each.  

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Common Core is might work for the top 10% of performers, but the troubled students are left in the dust.

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And teachers think they should be paid more. lol

Sounds like the education system is failing the children.

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There's a bunch of us standing against the tide and fuck it I'm not going to stop!

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A little caution on that.

My daughter is pre-pharmacy.  She had 32 hours of college credits when she graduated from HS.

When we got to orientation at her 4 year college, they said that for the STEM majors, concurrent classes can make the time more difficult when they get to their 4 year school.

Kids knock out all the "basics" like history and comp 1, then when they start at the 4 year school, they have to take ALL math and science classes, which can overwhelm them.  

I think this semester the kid had to take physics, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry.   She declared a minor in business simply to mix in some easier/ non science classes so her schedule wasn't so bad.  

She'll still be there 4 years doing things that way.   She's on a full ride so the cost doesn't matter, but I thought she'd be able to get her BS earlier, but it's not that simple.

Were she in business?   Absolutely, get that first year out of the way.   In STEM majors?  Might not be the best idea.

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One of the problems is that so many kids qualify either for Sped or 504 programs.  Once in a program they are provided accommodations and scaffolding. The teacher and now a para-professional are constantly supposed to provide them with one on one help and basically easier assignments and tests.  If you fail one of those kids it's a Shit Storm for the teacher.  Many of the kids that are now "being served" just think its fucking hilarious that the teacher and now a $10/hr para has to kiss their ass and bend over backwards for them, documenting every detail of their plan.  It fucking sucks so it's easier just to pass the dumb little mother fuckers.  I'm not saying all Sped and 504 (adhd) kids are like that, but they are qualifying more and more, and making it easier to become qualified.  Parents know that if they can Sped qualify their kid they won't have to pass State exams and can still graduate.   I teach at at junior High and their already damaged when we get them.  Many, many 6th graders are reading at a 2nd or 3rd grade level.  Then, their fucktard parents don't make them come to school.  What the fuck am I supposed to do?  

I teach in rural Texas.  We have good curriculum.  We have good teachers.  I've been in their rooms.  They're tap dancing like mother fuckers for these kids, busting their fucking ass.  Half the class is either drooling and staring into space or going bananas, killing the entire fucking operation.  It's a sad state of affairs even in Districts that are doing it the right way.

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This was on another site. From what I gather in the thread, this is a normal high school not in a poor area.

I teach high school. Age range 15-18 years old. I have seen students who can't do the following:

-Read at grade level. Some come into my classroom at a 3rd/4th grade reading level. There are some students who cannot sound out words.

-Write a complete sentence. They don't capitalize the first letter of the sentence or the I's. They also don't add punctuation. I have seen a student write one whole page essay without a period.

-Spell simple words.

-Add or subtract double-digits. For example, they can't solve 27-13 in their head. They also cannot do it on paper. They need a calculator.

-Know their multiplication tables.

-Round

-Graph

-Understand the concept of negative.

-Understand percentages.

-Solve one-step variable equations. For example, if I tell them "2x = 8. Solve for x," they can't solve it. They would subtract by 2 on both sides instead of dividing by 2.

-Take notes.

-Follow an example. They have a hard time transferring the patterns that they see in an example to a new problem.

-No research skills. The phrases they use to google are too vague when they search for information. For example, if I ask them to research the 5 types of chemical reactions, they only type in "reactions" in Google. When I explain that Google cannot read minds and they have to be very specific with their wording, they just stare at me confused. But even if their search phrases are good, they do not click on the links. They just read the excerpt Google provided them. If the answer is not in the excerpts, they give up.

-Just because they know how to use their phones does not mean they know how to use a computer. They are not familiar with common keyboard shortcuts. They also cannot type properly. Some students type using their index fingers.

These are just some things I can name at the top of my head. I'm sure there are a few that I missed here.

Now, as a teacher, I try my best to fill in the gaps. But I want the general public to understand that when the gap list is this big, it is nearly impossible to teach my curriculum efficiently. This is part of the reason why teachers are quitting in droves. You ask teachers to do the impossible and then vilify them for not achieving it. You cannot expect us to teach our curriculum efficiently when students are grade levels behind. Without a good foundation, students cannot learn more complex concepts. I thought this was common sense, but I guess it is not (based on admin's expectations and school policies).

I want to add that there are high-performing students out there. However, from my experience, the gap between the "gifted/honors" population and the "general" population has widened significantly. Either you have students that perform exceptionally well or you have students coming into class grade levels behind. There are rarely students who are in between.

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The business minor actually a great idea.  My son is a 17 yr old junior and is trying to figure out what he wants to do.  He really likes chemistry, but isn't sure. I've told him, "Whatever you decide to do, make sure to get some business classes under your belt because every single career eventually turns into running a business and a large focus on sales.  If you want to be an electrician, you'll start by crawling around under houses working for someone else. Then you'll go independent and get a van and an assistant . . . then before you know it you have 5 vans and 8 or 9 people working for your and your job is 90% running the business and generating new business. Same goes for engineers or lawyers or dentists.  I'm a lawyer with an economics degree and an MBA and it was shocking how little business knowledge my fellow law students had - and the complete lack of law school instruction regarding how to actually run a law practice.  I'm a partner now and and being able to do budgets and sales and collections is more important than simply knowing the legal side of things.  If you don't have the business chops, you're just a worker drone. A pharmacy program probably doesn't spend much time at all teaching students how to profitably run a pharmacy.