Genius teachers stage fake gunman attack of 6th graders

[trekgeezer]

What kind of idiots are teaching kids these days?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/13/faked.attack.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

No word about disciplining the teachers, only a statement that the stunt involved "poor judgment".

[Snivelly]

Well, they might not have enough substitutes to replace the morons, that could be why they weren't fired.  They should be glad that's all they got, in some schools if they pulled that crap they might find the students were better armed and not afraid to use what they had. 

Last week I took my 5 yr old to "Beginner's Day" at the school she'll be attending in the fall, and after sitting through the presentations of the various teachers and staff members, I'm thinking the fools who pulled off the gunman stunt are pretty much a good representative sample of the people we're letting teach our children.

[ulthar]

What kind of idiots are teaching kids these days?

I've read some stats that the admission requirements for at least some (high ranking) Schools of Education at major universities are the lowest of any program on campus.  Any program, including some of your more classic "no brainer" college majors.

Well, they might not have enough substitutes to replace the morons, that could be why they weren't fired.

And yet field-qualified, experienced teachers are turned down every day since they don't hold licensure.  For example, I hold a Ph.D. in my field and have about 15 years of teaching experience at the college level or higher.  I've designed professional training programs from scratch, done curriculum development, assessment research and designed laboratory programs.  I know how to teach as well as having a butt-load of experience and know-how in my area of 'expertise.'

Teachers in my field in my state are in HIGH DEMAND.  I was looking at one position in Hilton Head the other day (a very affluent town in a mostly rural, poor state) that has not been filled for three years.

Yet, consider this: to get a high school teaching job in the public school system, I would have to go through a THREE YEAR training program.  Sure, because of my degree and experience, I would be teaching while I do it, but in the interest of philosophy, I have to ask myself why I would submit myself to three years of giving up Saturdays (all the service exams are on Saturday), some week nights and PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE of all these things, just to teach in an environment where local politics is more important that functional success at the job.

So yes, teachers may be the lowest of the low in some respects at least.  The system is designed that way.  The unions control the process, the inputs and the outputs.  And make no mistake - it ain't about education; it's about social control.  Just think - what happens to free thinking, creative students in America's modern schools?

They get squashed.

Sorry for the rant.  But, there is probably nothing bad one can say about the "system" these days that would surprise me.  Some school districts may be good, I don't to be too overly broad in my blanket statements, but overall, I think my own research as born out my conclusions.

[BTM]

Stuff like this makes me think that the people who say schools should all be privatized and make teachers and system compete for tax dollars are right on the money.

What's especially crazy though is how, so far, there doesn't seem to be an discipline for these teacher, but I've heard of students who've gotten far worse punishments for a LOT less under the well-meaning but clueless "zero policy" laws.

[rebel_1812]

I'm horrified by what 'authorities' think they can get away with.  If any of us pulled this stunt we'd be going to jail for a very long time.  Yet, not only are the teachers not being disciplined in any way, as if they have to right to do such things, they have little remorse.  Don't they care that this fear will scar some kids for life?

[DodgingGrunge]

Yet, consider this: to get a high school teaching job in the public school system, I would have to go through a THREE YEAR training program.

I've considered teaching High School literature for many years and have postponed for the same reason.  But what I find most disturbing are the secondary requirements most districts have in place.  The guidelines in place for what you teach are quite lax.  A friend of mine taught introductory and advanced algebra courses for about five years (7th and 8th grade) before being (forcefully) rerouted to teach a general science course.  He hates science but because he completed three college level science courses, he met the district's requirements.  Now forgive me a moment of sappy idealism, but isn't one of the most impacting aspects a teacher can impart on his/her students enthusiasm?!  He ended up transferring to a private school to resume teaching his passion: algebra.

And make no mistake - it ain't about education; it's about social control.  Just think - what happens to free thinking, creative students in America's modern schools?

They get squashed.

I agree 100%.  Students are taught to ask questions that already have answers.  James Burke has compared knowledge to identity and considers educational institutions a means of preserving the identity of the previous generation(s).  And as a free-thinking student, I can relate.  Determined to drop out of High School, I was saved by a single English teacher, Mr. Hudson.  He took a huge gamble and pulled me aside one day, laying in my hand his personal copies of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer.  Not only did he reinvigorate my love of reading, he convinced me to "fight the system" as he was, through education.

But to return for a moment to the initial topic of this thread, placing young students in harm's way (imagined or not), is deplorable.  This reminds me of a police drug raid on a High School a few years back.  Any students in the halls where ordered to the ground at gun point as dogs led the ultimately unsuccessful search for contraband.  The school's security feed was subsequently leaked to the media and broadcast nationally.  There is simply no reason for this kind of behavior.

[flackbait]

Stuff like this makes me think that the people who say schools should all be privatized and make teachers and system compete for tax dollars are right on the money.

They are dead wrong in my opinion. That just means that private schools make more money than they already are. Just because they are private schools doesn't mean they are better. The students from Black River, one of the local private schools around here, are not exactly the brightest students around here. The only reason they have better GPA's then my school is because their school weighs them, my school, a public one doesn't.

Okay, now that my little rant is over I will admit that the public school system could use a major overhaul.

[ulthar]

They are dead wrong in my opinion. That just means that private schools make more money than they already are.

I don't think you know much about private schools.  They DON'T make money - they barely survive.  At least that's been my experience.

Just because they are private schools doesn't mean they are better.

Define "better.' Statistically speaking, privately educated students tend to score better on standardized tests, have higher admission rates into hard-to-get-into colleges/universities, etc.  These things have been measured.

The students from Black River, one of the local private schools around here, are not exactly the brightest students around here. The only reason they have better GPA's then my school is because their school weighs them, my school, a public one doesn't.

Cannot argue with the specifics of the two schools you are talking about, but I would find that VERY difficult to believe in the general case.  Private schools cannot really fake performance - they'd lose admissions, which is their bread and butter.  On the other had, public schools have every reason to falsify performance (via grade inflation) - their federal funding depends upon meeting on-paper criteria, not the number of students who actually get into college.

[Allhallowsday]

  Hot topics, the state of our schools, the availability of guns . . .

I'll ask: these educators want to characterize this incident as a "campfire prank?" 
I'll comment:  it does seem that our schools have become very cold, ominous places.   

[Derf]

First, my reaction to the story: Poor judgment on the teacher's part, but not so much if it helps the kids to mentally prepare for the real thing. The thing that bothered me as much as anything about the VA Tech killing spree was that the students did nothing to stop the gunman. The news stories said he stopped to reload his weapons several times. I realize that this was a highly stressful time, and honestly I have no idea how I'd react; maybe I'd do nothing, too. But if a guy has a gun on a group of people and he has stopped to reload, it would seem that someone would think to start throwing things at the guy, be it books, desks, shoes, whatever, to distract him long enough to tackle him and beat the crap out of him until the police arrived. It seems we are raised to be quiescent sheep these days: We are taught to think that if we give in, we won't get hurt. In a situation like this, this "reasoning" (and I use the term loosely) doesn't work: A psycho was randomly killing people. He didn't want anything but death. If you've got nothing to lose, it would seem smart to try something, however desparate. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to fault the students. I actually agree and tie this in with Ulthar's argument that creative thinking gets squashed in the educational system. Anyone who thinks in ways unlike the majority are browbeaten into submission until we are all willing to accept any abuse leveled at us.

Here, I will turn my rant slightly. I, like Ulthar, have looked into teaching at the high school level. I have taught English classes part time at the local junior college for 16 years. In order for me to teach in high schools here, I could either a.) Take education courses for a couple of years while teaching or b.) Pay the local university service center the equivalent of two years' tuition to be certified and only take intern classes for a year. My nearly 20 years of teaching (I also taught 3 years as a grad student) mean nothing. Education degrees, in my view, are only good to perpetuate education degrees; they serve no useful purpose outside of education classes (don't tell my wife I said this--she's got an education degree and teaches middle school  ). I, too, have a fairly useless degree (Literature and Creative Writing), but I can at least say that the thinking and communication skills I have learned are useful and necessary.

I will also bring up an article I used in my class a few years ago. It was by one of Reagan's Education secretaries (or at least someone in Reagan's Dept. of Education). She claimed that the ultimate goal of modern education is Communism (not in the sense of Russian Socialism, but in the true sense of comminism). Schools teach kids to be well-behaved worker bees to support the state rather than teaching them to think for themselves. She came across as a nutbasket because of her claims that this is all part of some conspiracy, but at the same time, much of her basic argument that it is happening made sense. She claims that many university-level liberal arts professors are strong believers in communism, which I have observed first hand to be somewhat true. These professors then teach that philosophy to their students, who go on to become the teachers of children. Anyone who dissents is ostracized until he either gives in or leaves the profession. This has in fact been attempted on me, but I'm too stubborn to give in. I don't believe there is any organized conspiracy, but the effects are the same.

Now, I've written far too much and it's time for me to stop.