[m5lange1]

The biggest difference I see in schooling today and schooling of the 50s and early 60s when I was enrolled is this whole accountability thing.

Today the TEACHER is the one to be accountable. It is a logical statement and how do you argue with it? That teachers should NOT be accountable?

I will tell you that in the 50s and 60s the STUDENTS were accountable. The PARENTS were accountable.

Today when a parent comes to school the teachers quake in their boots that they are going to get dressed down for being incompetent and not teaching "Somekid" well enough. The students chuckle up their sleeves. Back then the student was scared stiff and the parents nervous if the teacher called them in.

Teachers were almost above reproach unless they were really out of line. If a students test scores were bad he/she actually had to shoulder some of the blame.

There were exceptions then and there are exceptions now, but by and large BLAME THE TEACHER has become the cry of the day.

While it was not always good that teachers were so seldom questioned in the old days, there were surely some bad teachers, but let us take a look at the effect that all this emphasis on TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY has.

1. It enables some hard case and lazy students to pass off their sloth as the teacher's fault. And they are reinforced by all the blather about the horrible system that they are taught in instead of being told to apply themselves.
:Note I have actually heard Middle school and High school students laughing aobut how they are going to screw up the (standardized) tests to get even with the teachers. They know who is being tested with those things.

2. There are some (not most but some) lazy parents out there. Constantly reassuring them that it is the teacher's fault that their students are failing enables them ot pass off their share of the blame and be even less involved with their child's education. (After all since the system is so poor anyway why should they take a hand in it?)

3. Teaching our nations children should be something we really want good and qualified people doing. Probably a lower expectation than for our surgeons but certainly more important to us than someone writng comercials for patio furnature. So....
a) We pay the teachers a low to moderate wage for the education they are required to have.
b) We criticize them for their one perk (summers off) or take it away completely with year round schools.
c) We make sure eveyone knows we expect teachers to be accountable for the whole child. No lame excuses like so many of their student's parents are addicted to alchahol or drugs. Teachers are supposed to be accountable for the environment too I guess. ("Just cause your field has rocks and ruts is no reason you can't grow as much as that guy overthere with the rich tilled bottomland.")
d)We call supplying them with the buildings and equipment they need "Throwing money at it" wich we all know "won't help".
d) We totally strip the profession of "teaching" of the respect it once had.

Why in the name of common sence do we think we are going to get bright energetic minds to be ready to start a career in this profession?

There is also the fact of self-fulfilling prophesy. Tell the teachers they are in a failed system and tell the students they are in a failed system and tell the parents their children are in a failed system. Beat it down some more. That always helps.

If we totally eliminate the public schools then there will be all private schools.

Hmmmm but where to get the buildings for all these new students? I know, we can use the buildings just closed by the dissolution of the public school system.

Hmmmm what to do for administrators for all of these new buildings. I know, we can hire all those recently unemployed administrators that were just layed off from the public shcool system.

Hmmmm what to do for teachers for all of these new students. I know!! There are all sorts of out of work teachers from the closing of the public schools.

There will however be one major difference. All those hard cases that were refused by private schools now move in and OH NO!!!!! there go the test scores dropping like a rock. Must be all those public school teachers we hired.

And those people who had their children in private schools to avoid that "hard case" element? Too bad, so sad.... no place to run anymore.

Yes teachers should be more accountable than they were in the past but how about a little support along with the accountability? How about a little less bad mouthing? How about some public rehtoric on the accountablity of the student and the parents?