I do believe that one of the primary goals of schools is to produce good citizens or productive members of society. It is my opinion that traditional educators do have part of the responsibility to work with students as they are already members of a society. The question is what type of society do they belong to? When they come to the institution of the school they have already been raised and are well on a path that has been chosen for them. When I say we do not know what type of society they are coming from that is because everyone comes from a different style of home life. We do not know if they have come from a stressful environment or what kind of values or morals they may have or not have. This means that we can only do our part in instilling in them good values, morals, and the right choices while they are in our care. I believe that the productive part of being a member is part of the responsibilty of teachers, parents, and the community or environment in which the students live. As a parent it starts as the child is young and they should be responsible for telling their child that things such as hitting and name calling are not acceptable ways to act to another individual. The community that our students come from also plays a huge role because teachers have no idea what types of outside influences their students are facing outside of school. The teachers can do something about creating productive members of society. We can teach good character, life long lessons about bullying, school violence etc and work to be good role models to our students.
As much as I feel we should do more to help students along on a productive path I feel that we are in a constant war with media etc as discussed in class. From early on our students have seen inappropriate television, movies etc. We have students who watch tv where all of the violence and crime they continue to watch as part of normalcy in their daily routines. Some of our students have lived in a fantasy world of video games where they are constantly witnessing crime and violence. Our students today are also faced with the realization that are country is at war and that killing the enemy is the right thing to do. It seems to me with these examples and more that perhaps some students by time they reach school age may not be a productive member of a society. A quote that I have heard from the Bisborne Herald can simplify my exact concerns. "Children will always be the most vulnerable members of a community, and it is shameful that by ignoring early signs of trouble, society is motivated only by tragedy, empathy, or sympathy". Why is it that something bad has to happen first before anything is done in our schools about the violence? Teachers have a huge responsibility because the students are in our care for quite some time. We sometimes are their safehaven to get away from the bad and the ugly. Both teachers and parents need to be aware of how the media is impacting our students and continue to find ways to direct them or lead them down a path where the result is that they are becoming a productive member of our society.
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I agree Amanda. We can only imagine what type of home life our students have outside of school. You mentioned media in your blog and I think certain shows, movies and music are too mature for kids to understand. In reality, the interpretation is always open for the viewer. For this reason, it's the parents job to take time out and explain the differences between right and wrong, reality and consequences.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning that kids in public schools have a tendency to have a different up bringing than those in Catholic or private schools. Often times, public education is frowned upon in certain areas. Lack of eduational resources, over crowded classes and different types of home training can stir up quite the commotion. If you have stressed staff and poor communication the students can see that and take advantage. The lack of control can put things over the top, sometimes leading to unfortunate events.
As educators and school personnel, it's easy to forget the impact we make in someone's life when we bring our personal baggage to work. Some kids look forward to their school day because it's the only stable piece in thier life. This is why it's so important that staff and faculty come together and work collectively to help students succeed. When staff is missing a link in the chain, we run the risk of a child falling through the cracks.
I also agree with you Amanda. The media is way out of control. Parents really need to step in and limit what their kids are exposed to on tv and video games. They need to take the game ratings on video games seriously. There aren't any good shows on tv for kids anymore either. I can remember watching looney toons and ducktales as a kid and I clearly remember my mom prohibiting me from watching 90210! Now we have Sponge Bob and Southpark for our kids. It's so different and so out of control!
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ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda and Mary,
ReplyDeleteYes it goes back to parents and attitudes. When my daughter's best friend turned against her and was participating in throwing negative comments toward my daughter, I went to talk to the parents, knocked on their door, and walked away when no one answered and the lights in the house actually went off. I received a phone call from the father saying that my daughter had been following his around and that I had no business on his property. (My daughter said that his had been following her and picking on her). He told me that if my daughter and/or I would not stop "harassing" them, he was going to contact the police. I tried to talk to the teacher (as they were both in the same class), but was told that this was just "typical sixth grade behavior". I later found out that this teacher was somehow related to the girl in question.
Amanda, I enjoyed reading your blog, and you probably already know that I feel strongly about the role of family as the number one model for establishing a child's morals and values. You are right that in today's world teachers are trying to educate children who come from different home structures. Being a single mom, I can relate to the difficult issue of raising three boys in a world filled with violence and immorality. I cannot stress enough my thoughts on divorce and the serious consequences it has for children. From an article I read a while ago from Catholic Exchange, I found the author's words cut deep into the heart of what divorce does to children. "Here's why divorce is your business. The children of our generation’s divorces enter the pool of possible mates for our children. Damaged and hurt by their parents' lack of commitment, they bring the baggage of brittle emotions and insecurity with them into their marriages. They make what is already a struggle ‹the nurturing of healthy marriages in the next generation> even harder. The effect upon children creates a strain upon every resource in our communities. Juvenile delinquency increases. Teachers face ever-mounting discipline problems at school. The ranks of those in need of government assistance and private charity continue to swell. No
ReplyDeletefamily comes through divorce and ends up with the financial resources they would have had staying intact, and the effect is particularly bad on the mother and children. Every year the magic of compound interest works in reverse: Combined resources that the married couple could have set aside for retirement or the kids' education are diminished; less of a return is earned, and the future financial security of everyone is threatened".
(http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?art_id=26842.
I know tht divorce is just one factor in the overall issue of troubled children, but my thoughts are that it most likely is the number one reason so many of our children suffer from so many issues, and consequently bring much of their baggage to school.
Amanda, I think that was a very good point you brought up about the meda. Every year, the video games that they come out with seem to become more violent and inappropriate for children. As parents, they can forbid them in their homes, but whose to say they wont go play it else where? It's really unfortunate that educators can only do so much.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with you. I really believe schools are at a disadvantage when talking about the topic of school violence because our schools come to school with their own set of values and ideas of right vs wrong. The teachers and schools can only do so much but they will never be able to really do any good unless parents are on board with what the school is trying to teach to their children. Many parents teach their children to fight back and not talk about problems and so when schools try to tell children to talk things through they fight against this and say "well my mom told me..." So until schools and parents are on the same plan violence and bullying will never be able to come to an end.
ReplyDelete"The question is what type of society do they belong to?" Great question, Amanda.
ReplyDeleteWhew. (That's what in my head after reading all these comments.) I don't agree, Mandie, that "There aren't any good shows on tv for kids anymore either." I think it goes back the parental guidance and, as we've said so many times, balance.
Ria, Kelly, Nancy, and Mary--you've all illuminated quite dramatically the role of the parents...so, where do schools begin?
Schools have to take a stand against bullying. Teachers have to be there and be aware, not to dismiss negative comments and children picking on children as just "natural". Our ears and eyes need to be open to all that is around us and we need to step in and defend the victims. We need to teach our children to do the same. If they are standing by watching it all happen, they are as guilty as the perpertrator. I have seen rules of the 4 B's - Barf (illness), Blood, Bullies, and Broken things. A child has a right and responsiblity to report these things. Anything that is not in one of these categories are to be looked at and the child(en) can decide if they can do something to solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the approach I take in my classroom is to give the kids what they should be getting at home (and some are). I start everyday with a positive pledge--where they are reminded about how special they are, and how they are all good enough and smart enough to do anything. I give them structure, safety, and an environment with rewards and consequences. I'm consistent and fair. I treat them as if they were my own child. An ex-teacher of mine once said, "Brian, if you're gonna go into teaching you've gotta love kids!" I try to love them everyday.
ReplyDeleteWe also started this school year with a Conflict Resolution program. For the first week or two--we set aside our "regular" curriculum and taught how to handle bullying and conflict.
Unfortunately we can't control what these parents are letting the kids do at home, which is why I have the highest percentage of parents by far at conferences. I REQUIRE it. I've had other teachers sit in my conferences and applaud me for not pulling any punches--I'm not afraid to tell the parents what I think they need to hear. I stay in touch with parents and schedule conferences outside of the mandated school ones.
Parents need to learn to use the ratings on video games and movies. What is rated R for? The package will tell you if it's violence, nudity, language, etc. Parents be aware of what your kids are putting into that little PC mounted on their necks!