The Black Informant

Here is a great roundup of the opinions of public school teachers regarding the state of public education and the children they teach…

“Student attitude toward learning is the biggest obstacle in teaching right now. … Students won’t even complete work that is done in class, much less homework. Many teachers have eliminated the giving of homework because the students just won’t do it. … These problems exist because the students do not see the relevance of their classes. … I once had a parent back me up against a wall at a campus ‘open night’ asking me ‘who did I think I was making these boys learn vocabulary?’ “

– Suzanne Ashlock, speech/drama, Central Junior High, H-E-B school district

“It is hard to handle discipline programs and keep on track with the curriculum when the students don’t fear the consequences.”

– Cynthia Murkeldove, career and technology education, Dunbar High School, Fort Worth

“I have many students with serious behavior issues. … These problems can often dominate our day. When I must give these students consequences for their poor choices, often parents do not respect my consequences or support my decisions. Instead, the parent talks negatively about me to their child, so the child also does not respect the classroom rules. … I tell my students’ parents that they are their child’s best teacher for life. If they could understand how important it is for us to work together as a team, then their child will receive the best education he/she can.”

– Diana Toombs, first grade, Polser Elementary School, Lewisville school district

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