[mike777]

When I lived in La I found almost no one who wanted to send their kids to public schools.. to be honest I found no one who wanted to if they could afford out.


the good news is maybe now they do.


a 7th grade teacher told a student to move to another seat...the student said no....


student WAS suspended for 1.5 days..




the good news is no longer will this kind of stuff be allowed by teachers against students.

La rethinks suspensions.
--

Would love to hear from those of who live in La and where you send your kids to school? I mean anyone on bbo, anyone?

If you live in the suburbs nevermind.

[billw55]

I saw the headline about stopping suspensions. I am wondering, what *are* they going to do with kids who refuse instructions?

[mycroft]

I don't know. What did they do back when? I know that I refused instructions of my teachers several times; sometimes we did it their way, sometimes we did it mine, sometimes we compromised,...

I refused instruction to move (back) to another seat when I was about that age. I like learning in my classes, not getting slapped upside the head. Repeatedly. It still ended up being "all my fault", but we reached a compromise, and I didn't get suspended for 2 days. And it wasn't a public school, neither.

Mencken's Rule applies, as always.

[blackshoe]

What's Mencken's Rule?

[hrothgar]

blackshoe, on 2013-May-16, 10:36, said:

What's Mencken's Rule?

No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.
Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.

[nige1]

IMO school-discipline correlates with educational attainment. For instance, compare Mathematics standards in Japanese, German, British, and American schools. Also disobedience can be dangerous for all, for example in a Chemistry laboratory.

Few teachers are sufficiently charismatic to command attention by simple force of personality. Most teachers harness reward and punishment to maintain an effective learning environment. If a teacher can suspend unruly students or set them extra homework, that may reduce disruptive behaviour and provide a chance for all to learn.

It's cruel and unfair to deprive children of learning opportunities.

[Elianna]

I am a product of LA public schools. Perhaps I was at school at the time you were talking about but perhaps not.

My mother considered sending me to private schools, but we didn't like them, and so I went to public schools for both junior and senior high. I am actually really happy that I went to public schools. I had a chance to meet many different people, both from the same background as me, and who had very different life experiences. I firmly believe that this has had a huge impact on my life, for the better. I think that I've been more aware of the world around me, and better able to understand people who have a different life outlook than I do.

I used to teach at a small all-girls Jewish school, and am currently a teacher at a charter school in San Jose, another district with students that some people look down upon, some of whom have been underserved by the educational establishment. I have found that, while there are obvious differences in culture, parents and students were basically the same in both situations: Parents want their children to be as successful as possible, and students want to learn something that they feel is useful.

I find that my biggest task as a teacher is to convince students that they CAN learn, and that what they are learning will help them in life. I find that once I've convinced students of that, they are very enthusiastic and responsive. I really love my job, but it is exhausting (you may have noticed that there has definitely been a slow-down of posts by me [although perhaps not have cared]). As of now, I can't really imagine a better career, and feel incredibly lucky that I have a great source of support (emotionally and admittedly financially considering how underpaid teachers are) in my husband.

[kenberg]

I suppose that St. Paul in the 40s and 50s was different from Los Angelos in 2013 but, at least roughly, kids are kids. Like Elianna, I went to public school, as did my parents as far as they got (eighth grade for my father, a little high school for my mother) and my kids (one with a Ph.D, the other went to work after high school, both successful). For the most part, I don't much see the point of private schools. That's not the same as saying that my public school experiences were great, often they weren't. Some depends on the school, a lo depends on the kid.

Turning to discipline:
Adolescence is a time for learning what's what. Adults tell kids a lot of stuff. Some of it's true, some of it isn't. So a little experimenting is necessary. There can be issues.
As to suspensions, I was never suspended. I spent some time in detention, a more effective deterrent I think. Prompted by this thread, I read the NPR report at
http://www.npr.org/2...illful-defiance
700,000 suspensions last year! That is a lot of suspensions. I imagine I would have made the list.

There has to be control. I was a pain in the butt, and I was far from being the worst. One of the things kids can learn from their experimenting is that if you act like enough of a jackass someone will do something about it. A very useful lesson. The article does not say that willful defiance will not be dealt with, it simply says the kids won't be suspended. The article speaks of a school where this has been successful, but it does not give details. Details would be of interest.

One of my favorite teachers, Mr. Tighe, explained to the class "I am not under the impression that I can make you do what I say. I believe that I can make you wish that you had". Pretty much right, I think. He has to be able to back this up, and the school has to back him up. But 700,000 suspensions? I can see why they might be looking for another approach.

[jjbrr]

Oooooh Kemo Sabe

[onoway]

[mycroft]

blackshoe, on 2013-May-16, 10:36, said:

What's Mencken's Rule?

hrothgar, on 2013-May-16, 10:39, said:

No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.
Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.

Actually, I was thinking of:

Quote

For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.