The Flint Journal’s Sunday edition reported there were 75,515 disciplinary referrals that occurred in the Genesee County Public School Districts during the 2007-08 school year.
The breakdown of these actions was as follows: Bullying (1,720); Physical assaults (2,776); Vandalism (404); Drug use (116) (?); Possession of weapons (117); Alcohol (66) (again?); Robbery (51); and Arson (85). These numbers, while appalling, should come as no shock to anyone who remotely knows the public schools situation in this country.These figures of course do not include detentions,disciplinary writing assignments, or trips to the principals office.
We virtually have no disciplinary control in the schools. Teachers wring their hands and pull what little hair they have left out by the roots – all in the name of being politically correct while not showing discrimination to minorities. We have handcuffed teachers into being little more than babysitters for those parents refusing to take responsibility for the actions of their children.
There is little doubt in this writer’s mind the majority of these incidents were reported in the Flint Schools. It is a travesty that teachers are unable to control their students in the classrooms.
The children who create such problems are only spoiling the chance for students, encouraged at home by their parents, wishing to take advantage of the educational opportunity being provided for them.
This is not saying that we fail to produce a good amount of finely educated kids from our high schools. However, one just has to look at the dropout rates in the Michigan’s major school systems to see that there is a growing problem with the entire education process.
During the Baby Boomers days in school, a paddle did a pretty fair job of handling ADD, ADHD and Ritalin swallowing students. Today, a teacher easily would be in jail facing assault charges and human rights violations for even pondering the use of physical discipline on a student.
Teachers earn every cent they make in today’s academic environment. It’s a testament to the dedication they show that more educators don't just snap and use a child as a battering ram against classroom walls.
God bless each and every one of you.
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Good post, Craig. Thanks. As a former teacher, elementary principal and university instructor of upcoming teachers, I need to comment. In the elementary school, I saw far too many parents balking at ANY amount of homework and ANY amount of suggesting that children need to be responsible. Responsible for doing homework, for their actions, for respecting others. Excuses were made that their children have after-school activities... soccer, cheerleading (first grade!), piano, dance, etc. As a principal, it was easy to see a relationship between parent and child, as the child was usually a carbon copy of the parent.
I left teaching at the university level last spring, when it became all too clear that the future teachers I was instructing had the same mind-set as the second or fifth graders I used to teach. Lack of responsibility, blaming others, no work ethic, etc.
I worry for my grandchildren's education... and their future.
Where did we go wrong?
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