Public School Woes

[thomas89]

Gotta vent here.

Boy in my daughters second grade class. Beginning of the year seemed more common, but he'd fly off the handle to the point the class gets evacuated. I have my first meeting with school admin. This carried on throughout the year, not always in the homeroom. So when the kids out of his element apparently. Couple weeks back, homeroom teacher is out. Kid gets pissed and shouts the "n" word. I've had enough. Talk to admin, turns out this is his 3rd school. The dad's earned himself a restraining order from one of the prior schools. Refuses to meet with the school to discuss his kid's issues. He's got a decent little rap sheet.

Write all the way to the top..."uhh yeah we're going to carry on as usual, we're seeing improvement." They've got a responsibility to give every kid an education. Didn't even run this by the district safety guy. Funny the district will get a restraining order to protect staff, but my daughter is SOL .... along with the rest of the kids in the class. If my daughter doesn't feel safe she's allowed to leave the classroom. Gee thanks.

Had to laugh at the cherry on top:

Dad's got a beard ... no mustache. Explains a lot.

 

[Djfan]

I was a public school teacher for 18 years - 11 elementary and 7 High school.

I can't recommend that you find other educational options for the kids. It's just a bad thing.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I was a public school teacher for 18 years - 11 elementary and 7 High school.

I can't recommend that you find other educational options for the kids. It's just a bad thing.

Why?

 

[Trial153]

The teachers, administrators, staff and everyone associated with our schools do a fantastic job. On a daily basis they juggle multifaceted issues and make decisions to the best of their ability’s despite fact they are under constraints the lay persons like myself aren’t fully aware of. Am I always happy to agree with things that take place and the decisions that are made? No. However I refuse shit all over school like many parents do. Unfortunately it seems like the parents of the biggest offending students are usually the loudest detractors. Look at the kids and you will see the parents.

 

[rjthehunter]

My girlfriend has a 4 year old. She's looking for a school for him to go to kindergarten at next fall. I went with on a couple of tours. Thankfully she's on board with the private school idea. Public schools generally suck in my experience.

 

[Bambistew]

Same issues going on at my kids school. I really think it was the covid lockdown. Tantamount to getting a dog and not socializing it. Its going to be even worse next year, I have a feeling. My kids are getting home schooled next year.

 

[rjthehunter]

Same issues going on at my kids school. I really think it was the covid lockdown. Tantamount to getting a dog and not socializing it. Its going to be even worse next year, I have a feeling. My kids are getting home schooled next year.

Homeschooling has to be the best option. Just make sure they still get out and socialize with other kids their age.

 

[Addicting]

Gotta vent here.

Boy in my daughters second grade class. Beginning of the year seemed more common, but he'd fly off the handle to the point the class gets evacuated. I have my first meeting with school admin. This carried on throughout the year, not always in the homeroom. So when the kids out of his element apparently. Couple weeks back, homeroom teacher is out. Kid gets pissed and shouts the "n" word. I've had enough. Talk to admin, turns out this is his 3rd school. The dad's earned himself a restraining order from one of the prior schools. Refuses to meet with the school to discuss his kid's issues. He's got a decent little rap sheet.

Write all the way to the top..."uhh yeah we're going to carry on as usual, we're seeing improvement." They've got a responsibility to give every kid an education. Didn't even run this by the district safety guy. Funny the district will get a restraining order to protect staff, but my daughter is SOL .... along with the rest of the kids in the class. If my daughter doesn't feel safe she's allowed to leave the classroom. Gee thanks.

Had to laugh at the cherry on top:

Dad's got a beard ... no mustache. Explains a lot.

It’s tough, as a parent these are some of the things I struggle with the most. Seeing I occasionally have the personality of a reinforced bulldozer, I find having a lovable wife to run interference works well.

 

[Nick87]

Homeschooling has to be the best option. Just make sure they still get out and socialize with other kids their age.

Our oldest is homeschooling I'm still on the fence.

 

[rjthehunter]

Our oldest is homeschooling I'm still on the fence.

I don't currently have a horse in the race. But with what I hear going on in public schools, I'd rather not subject my kids to that.

 

[Nick87]

I don't currently have a horse in the race. But with what I hear going on in public schools, I'd rather not subject my kids to that.

Time will tell

 

[EYJONAS!]

Best thing we've ever done is take our kids outta public school. Took a lot to convince to do it from my wife. We had to adopt a side hustle to pay for it but all the extra work in the end is gonna be worth it. My kids have grown so much I don't think I've even be able to fully comprehend it really.

 

[thomas89]

The teachers, administrators, staff and everyone associated with our schools do a fantastic job. On a daily basis they juggle multifaceted issues and make decisions to the best of their ability’s despite fact they are under constraints the lay persons like myself aren’t fully aware of. Am I always happy to agree with things that take place and the decisions that are made? No. However I refuse shit all over school like many parents do. Unfortunately it seems like the parents of the biggest offending students are usually the loudest detractors. Look at the kids and you will see the parents.

Agree. I think there is a fine line in being a proactive, attentive parent, and being one of the parents that shit all over schools.

For the most part I love the team they have here. One of the reasons I wrote a letter was because some of the staff/admin had voiced they’ve done all they can and are still having issues.

I was told some changes would be made, but I wouldn’t see or hear about them.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Having been closely associated with the schools our kids and grandkids attend now and have attended, having worked several years as classroom volunteer, field trip chaperone, and with my wife and I each serving six separate years on school board, each as chair for multiple years ... here's my take.

I assume other parents are likewise concerned, so I recommend collaborating with them in crafting a well thought out and well written expression voicing concerns about behaviorial issues and distractions, with emphasis on the adverse effects on the educational process for the entire class, as well as the undue stress on the teacher. I don't know where you reside, but in Montana the open meeting law requires that the school board hear public comments regarding items not on the agenda, but of concern and under the purview and authority of the board. Deliver the message to the school board as soon as the next meeting and end your message with a request that this issue be on the next agenda and perhaps even be the topic of a special board meeting. It seems to me that the board should be involved and should be concerned about the degradation of classroom learning due to this student and parent who are obviously misbehaving. Such an approach by a group of parents expressing themselves well and with reasonable concerns will elevate the problem to the proper level for the board to be concerned, which in turn puts pressure on administration to develop healthy resolution and plan of action.

 

[JohnCushman]

My youngest was in public school in New Mexico for a few years. Very much liberal city area. In junior high they were teaching that there was like 56 genders and having gay pride month for kids and having trannys come in to the library to read to the kids. BULLSHIT!!! Luckily he got out of there before being brainwashed.

 

[Nick87]

Best thing we've ever done is take our kids outta public school. Took a lot to convince to do it from my wife. We had to adopt a side hustle to pay for it but all the extra work in the end is gonna be worth it. My kids have grown so much I don't think I've even be able to fully comprehend it really.

That's good to hear, Jonas.

 

[406dn]

A niece of mine is a special needs teacher for children with autism. From what I understand she has the same children for two school years, since the students take a while before they connect, at all with a teacher. A couple of years ago she had boy in her class who threatened violence and had violent episodes with some regularity. I know she went thru hell with this kid. It is nearly impossible to get a student permanently expelled, I guess.

Our children are raised, they went thru public school without too much difficulty. Our grandchildren and now in the same public school district and so far nothing too major regarding trouble.

Public schools have a very daunting mission. They face the entire spectrum of society's children. Actually some of the cream is skimmed off to private schools. So they get an overrepresentation of problematic families. A real dilemma is that a student is no more engaged in their education than their parents are.

It is crucial that children receive an education for a functioning society to exist. I wish there was a better way to convince children that their performance in school shapes their entire adult life.

 

[HuntTalk Freak]

My wife is a teacher and I still want to home school our daughter to a certain degree. Though on the flip side the ability to interact and learn how to respond to difficult social interactions is also very important. She loves going to preschool and playing with friends. We will be moving to an even more rural area in the next couple of years and that should help the public school culture some.

I’ve only known a handful of grown adults that were homeschooled as children and man from that small sample they were all very social awkward, not bad guys just awkward and sometimes escalated stuff beyond what it needed to be. Yes they all became cops as adults.

 

[Bambistew]

My kids have friends that are homeschooled now. Not worried about the social aspect, they have plenty.

The whole stigma of a homeschooled kid will be weird is stupid. Think about how many people you went to school with that were just as weird and socially awkward. I know plenty. I also know of many that were homeschooled and are no more different than the "normal" kids that went to school.

TBH, I really think the social part of it, is really just knowing how not to get bullied and also how to be a follower/bully and do what the other kids do. I mean saying homeschooled kids are weird is just that... Plenty of worthless people in life that made it through school.

My kids are doing advanced math with me at home, because they are taught to the lowest denominator in their classroom to keep the average up, yet the average is below average. Teachers are doing the best they can, but when you have disruptions all day long all the kids suffer. They can't pull problem kids out unless the parents agree to it, and many won't.

I do agree that kids with active parents do well, and kids with worthless parents exhibit the same in the classroom. Right now good kids are outnumbered and not receiving the education they deserve. The school system is going down in flames and has no money, losing kids and still trying to function like they have 20% more kids than they do. I don't know how many times teachers have got pink slips in the last 10 years, but I'll bet its been every other year it seems. Who would want to work like that? 100s have left for better work, or gone to private or homeschool support .We have one of he most costly districts in the US, yet can't function with all that money. Its a bit easier to go to the school board when there is 1000 kids, vs 40,000 and 100 schools. You're background noise, and there are problems everywhere. They are just trying to keep the doors open and kids in school at this point.

 

[thomas89]

A niece of mine is a special needs teacher for children with autism. From what I understand she has the same children for two school years, since the students take a while before they connect, at all with a teacher. A couple of years ago she had boy in her class who was threatened violence and had violent episodes with some regularity. I know she went thru hell with this kid. It is nearly impossible to get a student permanently expelled, I guess.

I am very sympathetic to the special needs aspect, but at some point keeping these kids safe is also a huge priority. I dont think it's doing these kids any favors to allow behavior to go unchecked.

My wife and I are the ONLY parents who wait with our kid in the morning until the first bell. Sad to see how attention starved most of these kids are for an adult. I intentionally try to appear unapproachable and engage the bare minimum while within clear view of a camera. Crazy world.