It can all be ruined by the wrong dragoon at the top. But more importantly are the parent customers, who are the main source of American school ruination.
And here I've spent most of my career in the highly touted private schools as my husband has toiled in the public. Boy, have those fancy private schools fooled you (and me). The personal is surely political. You and I might think the best people, the ones you would like to surround yourself and your children with, are in the private schools. We are mistaken, because this is where you can find a decent number of criminals, particularly of the white collar privileged variety: you know, the kind that are ruining this country because if their undemocratic ideology that has convinced them of their "me first-you be damned" actions. Case in point, the SAT admissions cheating scandal. If you think that is an isolated incident, you would be mistaken. Private schools of all sorts are full of this stuff, with mind-blowing creativity for beating the system.
This is why, if you think you are defending your child from a corrupt environment, you have come to the wrong place. Where are your children going to be exposed to drug use and users? Private school. I wish I could tell you how many of my former students were busted for drug use in my fancy boarding school on the water (or more importantly, the ones who were found out but WEREN'T busted, expelled, etc., and maybe even went on to get special awards, rank, privileges at said school). No, we're not talking about some goth, weirdo who hides in the shadows contemplating rebellion and anarchy: I mean your student leaders and future movers and shakers--they have truly learned some life lessons at school, boy, about how the system works. There is so much surface gloss in American schools, it's a wonder we all don't drown in lacquer.
Remember, those of you who are old enough, how school used to go? Teachers taught during the 8 hour school day, and students were expected to keep up, then be tested on what they learned. Those who were goofing around or cut corners inevitably got a bad grade, and the diligent students learned self-reliance, how to use their time, manage information, and get good grades. They rarely missed school and turned out later in life to be the kind of people you would like to hire as employees or run businesses or government institutions.
Fast forward to now, where all sorts of "value added" changes to education have made this old-fashioned.
Follow the money, yes, who are the super donors, but also follow your local school's tutoring policies--do they allow teachers to be paid extra big bucks to "tutor" students? Think about it, that's a system built for several layers of corruption. A reputable school in the old days wouldn't allow such a thing, because it could compromise the teacher's integrity and be considered unfair to the other students. But nowadays? It can be part of the "value-added" attraction of a school--it's not a coincidence that lots of school have adopted this sort of School-speak borrowed from Corporate America. If you're attracting parents from the system, use the language they understand.
Now, I would say the most stalwart and upstanding teachers would refuse to take money for helping a student, and may agree to help for free in the growing "tutorial" hours built into the school day. But some, sometimes coaches or their academic buddies who got sucked into the system, agree to be paid, and instantly lose their "fairness" clout with the other untutored students, because they know what's what. It is mindbogglingly easy for a compromised teacher to give too much even subtle help in a tutorial or even in a classroom setting. And they might even feel justified into thinking they are being a good Samaritan by doing so--he just needs a hint and he'll remember what I said during our $50 an hour tutoring session! And what about when a teacher is grading that kid's test later, is the money not going to affect the outcome of the grade--due to guilt over the money, or perhaps a feeling of obligation, or even "proof" that the tutorial was successful and worthy of the pay? And for the most cynical, it encourages the parent to spread the word about the amazing results, and pass on the tutor's name to other wealthy parents who can afford such amenities.
I know people, particularly in California, who make a good living free-lancing tutoring in this way--no need to deal with the strictness of any school structure--free to teach! And the SAT/ACTs necessitate a whole industry for this kind of thing. (I'll skip over people who manage to worm their way into a wealthy family's good graces this way and become virtual family members, who may even somehow marry into the wealth.)
My former school went from a nighttime 2.5 hour mandatory study hall, with a rotating schedule of actual teachers supervising it and offering help in their subject, to that plus a mandatory 40 minute tutorial period after school, which morphed into the night study-hall, afternoon study hall, and 30 minute before school study hall, initiated because the school athletes were unable to do the afternoon study halls due to practice and games. The athletes rarely had the extra paid tutorials because it was not considered necessary, except to hit their minimum SAT/ACT scores, which are generally lowered for college athletes anyway. True fact.
This morning study hall time became a much more important thing as my school was becoming more and more competitive in local sports, especially football! This was due to a policy of scouting and recruiting from the local public schools for their ace athletes. But, largely, they rarely showed up to tutorial, knowing the headmaster would "fix" their poor grades, exempting them perhaps, from a devastating or missed test that occurred near/on game day. These athletes were not naturally poor students, many are quite bright, but they are not expected to do school work. The system failed them, by frequently yanking them out of classes for games (often my afternoon classes were bereft of athletes who were traveling to high profile games that might be on TV! and would definitely make the local sports section of the paper!)
Of course, even public school have for years been helping students by issuing Independent Educational Plans for students that have documented learning disabilities. I'm not objecting to the existence of this system that provides things like extra time on tests for kids who slowly process information --who says learning quicker is better? Or kids with visual problems or dyslexia that makes it necessary for others to read to them--I had a kid who went to West Point but was brilliant with an amazing memory who needed to be read to. I'm talking about the wealthy parents who can afford to game the system with a psychologist who documents a student's ADHD that allows for extra time on , say, the SAT that then gets him or her into Stanford or U Penn. And that was partially what happened in the college admissions scandal, along with a little help from coach/ tutors.
If you want to blame professional athletes who seemed to have prima donna attitudes about their privileged lifestyles, you need to look more closely at their breeding grounds, and in particular their high schools who view them as a cash cow in exactly the same way that the NCAA schools do. It's a feeder system that puts athletes on a totally different trajectory that makes them ill-suited for anything other than the narrow world of professional sports, which we all know is a gamble for most of these young guys who get stars put in their eyes by the adults they have come to trust. Once upon a time, a school's lobby or hallways would contain a portrait of the school's founder or history of the namesake. Look at it nowadays: It's a memorial to the athletes who "made the show"--together with pictures and trophies of the local glory days. What is a young impressionable student to do or think about what is important in life? But people of other countries will tell you--America is sports mad. And it is--it takes up way too much American oxygen, especially in schools.
However, non athletic students of wealthy parents also miss a significant amount of school. Often it's for family vacations like ski trips, foreign travel or golfing jaunts taken during the school's scheduled academic days--even during exams! This is the element that just screams entitlement, and woe betide the teacher who tries to hold Ritchie Rich's feet to the academic flame--best way to get an impromptu visit from the principal/headmaster.
Heres a telling detail I recently saw on a school job posting website. The advertisement was for a generic "teacher" for a high school. In the fine print it stipulated "coaches" who could perform classroom duties. Now, for any other teaching job, an ad will lay out very specific types of candidates they are looking for: AP qualified ENGLISH teacher, ESE (a students with disabilities designation for which the teacher needs particular training) MATH teacher grades 9-10, 2 years' experience and state certification required. In this ad even the Bachelor's was "preferred", not mandatory as was the certification and experience. These are the guys running your schools, and frequently, if they stick around, they get in good with the admin, who might direct them to a cheesy online "Leadership Course" that will qualify them to become future administrators. This is who runs many schools, folks, and explains why they often need an office assistant or other person (as an English teacher I have been asked to proofread an incompetent admin's letter they were sending to parents, alumni, donors, etc.). If you are thinking your school's administrators have a higher level of education than their staff, think again. They are most likely to be from the ranks of those athletes who did not get proper schooling when they could have, who did not "get into the show" and now need a new way to utilize the skills they focused on when they were in school. This is particularly true in private schools, and might even be driven by admin's guilt (or empathy, if they were themselves athletes) at the way former student was passed through the system.
And now I want to discuss the way the "other' non coach teachers are treated--and with the exception of some sports fanatic geek history, math, or whatever teachers who want to bask in the sports dazzle as assistants, or love the school spirit of sport, there are those who get put upon to cover coaches' classes or otherwise get treated as expendable as an academic. The double threat (triple threat, in the boarding world) is largely a myth, because it is the rare educator who has time enough for a full plate of academics and sport. Extra money goes to coaches, and there is an attitude that older, experienced teachers can be easily replaced by less expensive bright eyes out of college, and so, retirement is forever dangling once you pass 50.
In addition, is just the general mistrust the general public has been persuaded to believe about educators. Everyone is ogling at you to reveal the fact that you are secretly a child molester/child lover. Why else would you take this low prestige, low status job? Truth is most teachers can't wait to get away from the youngsters at the end of the day to recharge --that's how you tell the iffy ones. If they claim to LOVE being around your kids 24/7 and want to take them on extra trips, etc., "get to know them" as people", watch out. The majority of teachers are not these "star mentors" in that way, and know how to practice good boundaries. The American public tends to lump us with the minority of bad guys, and keeps a jaundiced eye for all educators.
Oh, yes--other countries revere their teachers with less skepticism--supposedly. Russia, China--yet still , not getting paid so much, if that counts. However, some Amereican academic teachers (even some coaches!) are the smartest, most moral people I have known. Beat the capitalists by a long stride. BUT--the bad teachers are the worst of the worst. They somehow seem to think they're pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and indulging themselves. Yes, but you may ask--indulging themselves in what? Well some of this pertains to being in a wealthy private school. It's just not indulging themselves in youngsters. (which a small and signficant sector do, sadly). We had a football coach that seemed to think school met only three days a week, Friday never counted, and you can bet the rest of us who had to cover for his gross ass resented his tight bond with admin.
But more common are the rich parent schmoozers--getting everything from fine bottles of wine to fabulous vacations to cash prizes to box seats at stadiums to the acquiring new professions outside of teaching that require little effort and pay off big. The American Way.
Then there's us in the trenches, who roll our eyes at these jackasses and keep the school together. While the uglies are seducing the 16 year olds and their parents in numerous ways--by the way, they're often coaches, not lowly teachers!!--why stay ten years in the trenches beating your heads against teen or tween angst when you can soar, quite easily, with a National Louis Leadership course!
See, this is the root joke that explains what is really wrong with American education--the predominance of cheesy online higher degrees that are full of nonsense and the latest Education-speak--easily transmutable to Business-speak. "Value-added", for example. These people are the dead weight of American Educaion and therefore American culture. If you want to know why American culture is in the toilet, you only have to look at the values of these cardboard cutouts of role models. They could care less about your kids--they ask "What can your country do for me?" Cynical in spades. They're the ones who will tell you teaching is an easy gig, and give it a bad name. And, for them it is, because they don't put in the effort to research and do it right, to actually teach academics. When they are in the classroom, they are nothing more than glorified babysitters who learn through the grapevine of fellow travelers how to use no pain websites to "teach", while they read the sports web newspapers. They adapt"fun' useless activities from their sports background to fill up the time and convince some students they are great, interesting teachers, maybe their favorite.
But, I don't need to tell you this, you already know it. Or at least suspect. From your own child's school.
Sept, 2021:
Covid Year #2--yes, what a game changer. Sports are on the ropes. Teachers are heroic, and in short supply. Early retirements are happening everywhere, because some people are smarter than me, and value their health over their career and money. I guess I'm just the wrong kind of worry-wart. BUT! Finally getting my public school teacher street cred.
And yes, it's hard. And soo different! My new school is beautiful. Well-managed. Clean and new. More professional in so many ways--in fact, I'm having a hard time sorting out which professional might actually be able to sort out my students' problems. Which they have a lot of...and there's the rub. We take everyone who lives nearby in the right district. And we actually are supposed to figure out HOW to educate kids who have massive problems---indifferent parents, mental and medical problems, epilepsy, learning disabilities, no food at home (we serve breakfast AND lunch for free to all students, no questions asked--teachers have to pay @$4 for the same meal).
If you have a kid who's smart, academically inclined, college bound--let me tell you, if he/she wants a straight, good education, send him/her to public school. The smart and academically gifted get tracked into programs that are advanced, full of fellow "good influences" and with resources to get your kid into college, with a scholarship, plus giving him/her access to fantastic and well funded arts programs. At least here in Virginia. I can't speak for other states like my former one, Florida--I know there are variables there, depending on location. But my friends, the BS you have been fed that a public education is a lesser thing because it's free--totally propaganda. My friends and colleagues cautioned me when I agreed to this job that it is an *ahem* "urban" school. Well, we have no metal detectors at the gates, no open drug dealing, brawls, graffiti or anything of that nature. I do have some sassy black girls who are taking away years from my life..and some boys who still do hoods and "pants on the ground". (How is this still a thing?)
They are all scared of school this year, although they will deny it till the cows line up and sing in harmony. They've been out for 18 months and forgot how to do it. And I have all 9th graders. If you have any feel for the field of education, I accept your condolences. I had 25+ failures in Q1, all kids with more than 10 absences in a two month period--don't forget to subtract the weekends. It is hard. For all of us.
So take a hard job and make it harder. GOP to the task. These corrupt, single-minded folk trying to save their precious brand have really started treading the primrose path. See them in hell, if you care to follow.
They are disrupting school boards, teaching the gullible how to do it, by inflaming them with lies about what public schools do--this critical race theory nonsense, which no schools teach. Let's see, what have my 9th graders been studying this year so far in World History--hmm. The Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia, the Hebrews and Ancient Egypt. The only alarming thing is the number of my students that think Moses' parting of the Red Sea is a historical fact. Now they are moving into Ancient Greek History--the birthplace of democracy, Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato--good ol' white centric philosophers. And 60% of my students are black.
