A child in school has many problems when "standing up" to a teacher:
1) The teacher is backed up by the entire school administration. The
child, at least at that moment, stands alone.
2) Virtually any college-educated adult who has worked with children for a
while, can maneuver the child into saying or doing something truly
inappropriate. The child's argument is then undermined or even
disregarded as the new "infraction" becomes “the problem”.
3) No matter how much schools *say* they want parental involvement, it
usually is a lie. Schools want parental *support* - not involvement. Any
parent who disagrees with the “establishment” is considered “another
hysterical parent who can not control his child”. (Yes, that is a quote.)
4) School teachers have been taught rhetoric and have verbal skills which
many parents do not have. Parents frequently are at a disadvantage when
it comes to arguing with the smug, overbearing, paternalistic, elitist and
condescending attitudes of many (not all, repeat, *not all*)
self-proclaimed “educators”.
5) This so-called “serious attempt to awaken parents to their obligation to
support the education of their child” by sending home “contracts” which
the parents MUST agree to, certify, and sign is too offensive for me to
address today. But such contracts all too frequently are wielded like a club
by the schools to beat down the parents. (They have tried it with me -
didn’t work.)
There’s more, but this is not the subject of John’s thread.
John’s daughter is a hero. period.
She is a credit to John, his entire family, his community and our country -
much more so than the globalist, Socialist brainwashing that passes for
“education” in too many educational institutions.
Here’s a tip o’ the ole Stetson to John and his family.
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1) The incident involving my daughter and me is somewhere in the
history of TFL. When search again is fully operable, I’ll try to find it. But
there’s to much to enter here.
2) In an attempt to prevent a backlash from “educators”, let me again
stress I am talking ONLY about those whom the shoe fits. For balance:
There is a teacher at the local high school who is beloved by her students
and their parents. She is NOT an “educator” in the modern sense of the
term. She is a teacher. She teaches. Students learn. She encourages and
develops children’s natural curiosity. Nearly all students love her.
She speaks with parents straight and plain - no surprises, no nastiness,
just facts and suggestions. She’s as gentle and she can be, and as hard as
she must be. It is only her love for her students and her calling that
sustain her against the onslaught of the administration - one of whom she
once called a “worm” (to my nearly hysterical delight).
She is a treasure to our entire county (at a minimum). And there are
many such treasures. How they put up with all the idiotic,
counter-productive “improvements” in their calling is beyond my
understanding.
As much as I despise the “educators”, it is overshadowed by the respect
and admiration I have for the “teachers”. And, no I can’t give a quick and
short definition of each term - but I hope each of you knows what I am
trying to say.
Sorry to be verbose - but his is a hot button for me...
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Again, congratulations, John. Please tell your daughter she has a BIG
bunch of cyber-friends!