Letters to the Editor...
Accountability
I stayed out of this discussion the first
time I came across it, probably should now
too but here goes...
I am a new teacher but a long time parent.
I have had my differences with the schools.
My son was told to quit high school and quit
wasting everyones time by his health
teacher. This is a person who by everyone's
accounts does absolutely nothing to earn her
paycheck. Unfortunately, he took her
advice, not mine but since them mom has
gotten smarter and he got his degree.
I feel as a teacher I am being held
accountable. I have a plan book that is
checked regularly, I have an observation by
my principal coming up and he reviews many
of the things we do in class. He asked to
see a set of math tests I had given the kids
, and I was more than happy to give them to
him. The lowest grade was an 82 out of 19
students.
I really have a great class this year but I
have some parents who don't consider school
important enough to waste their time on. It
is a service to them that we keep their kids
safe and busy all day while they do other
things.
I wish there was something we could do to
really hold these parents accountable. One
thing I have started to do is document a lot
of little things. I keep track of parent
responses or non responses with dates etc.
I have also been doing little things that
let the parents know that I am keeping
track, like making a note in the corner "2
copies" and things like that. If I can't
force them maybe I can shame them or scare
them into it. I have made notes in kids
files when they come to school with no coats
in January.
I am doing this job because I love it, not
for the paycheck. I taught in a private
school for $8,000 a year just three years
ago. I left there because they lost their
professional attitude towards education.
The school I work in is small and I would
say with only one or two exceptions we have
the best staff of teachers going. We are
concerned for our students and go the extra
mile for them all the time. We support each
other and the students 100%.
I only wish the parents supported us half
that much.
Margaret
Margaret
1/26/02
This month's letters:
Accountability, 1/31/02, by keccles.
Accountability, 1/26/02, by Margaret.
Parent Accountability, 1/24/02, by Lori.
Accountability, 1/24/02, by Keccles.
Accountability, 1/19/02, by Whitebeard.
Proven Research, 1/09/02, by Kara Sherfick.
Keccles, 1/08/02, by Stacy.
Parent Accountability, 1/08/02, by Marilyn Treuil.
school auction, 1/08/02, by ginger taylor /canaan elementary pto.
Parent Accountability, 1/07/02, by Bill Page.
Accountability, 1/07/02, by Keccles.
It's about time we make them accountable!, 1/06/02, by Mkocar.
Do we need them to be accountable?, 1/06/02, by Stacy.
Parent Accountability, 1/06/02, by Little John.
Parent accountability; teacher responsibility, 1/06/02, by Bill Page.
Parent Accountability - the overachiever, 1/05/02, by Don.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by Doodah.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by Jacque/WA/K-1.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by Bill T.
parent accountability, 1/05/02, by sandy m.s..
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by JoAnn.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by a middle school teacher.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by another 5th grade teacher.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by Julie.
No tax rebate, surcharge them, or tuition refund incentive, 1/05/02, by George.
parent accountability, 1/05/02, by jen.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by MaryBeth.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by cato.
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