I’m fairly certain that my words here will add nothing new to the conversation and intelligent commentary that already exists on the topic of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But as is so often the case, I am compelled to write if for no other reason than to help me process complex emotions and burgeoning insights.
So, if you will indulge me, I will begin . . .
That Edgar is an active child is not news of the day. That he engages with his world in a way that is different from the way I do, the way his brothers do, perhaps the way you do is not a revelation. That he is intelligent and creative and funny and sweet is an understatement.
Throughout his young life, Edgar has had his share of redirecting, of reprimands. His behavior has attracted attention—and not always in a way that was in…
What causes a dedicated and charismatic teacher to become addicted to crack cocaine—to become burned out and a victim of drugs and/or PTSD?
The answer is not broken schools, teacher unions, or incompetent teachers, but a dysfunctional culture and society demanding through laws and legislation that teachers fix the problem or be accused of failure.
While critics of public education often play the political game by blaming teacher unions and so-called incompetent teachers (even though there are no reputable studies or evidence to prove these alleged claims), few seem to care about what Forbes reported in High Teacher Turnover Rates are a Big Problem for America’s Public Schools.
In March 2011, Forbes reported, “NCTAF’s findings are a clear indication that America’s teacher dropout problem is spiraling out of control. Teacher attrition has grown by 50 percent over the past fifteen years. The national teacher turnover rate has risen to 16.8 percent. In urban schools it is over 20 percent, and, in some schools and districts, the teacher dropout rate is actually higher than the student dropout rate.”
Forbes says, “Teachers cite lack of planning time, workload, and lack of influence over school policy among other reasons for their decision to leave the profession or transfer schools.”
And if you think Charter Schools are any better, you may be surprised to discover what The Washington Post reported, “Teacher turnover, which tends to be alarmingly high in lower-income schools and districts, has been identified as a major impediment to improvements in student achievement.”
The Washington Post said, “The authors (of a study) find that the odds of charter teachers exiting are still 33 percent higher than those of regular public school teachers. There is an even larger difference in secondary schools, where charter teachers are almost four times more likely to leave.”
Half Nelson reveals a primary reason so many teachers quit even if they have the so-called job protection of tenure (a report from the public schools of North Caroline says about a third that quit annually have that so-called precious tenure critics complain of).
Why would someone with such an easy, kick-back job with labor union protection quit?
Dan Dunne (played by Ryan Gosling) is a young, urban, middle school, inner-city history teacher taking drugs to make it through the nights and weekends but during the weekdays he is a popular teacher—the kind that students see as a role model.
I identified with this movie. For thirty years, I taught in public schools surrounded by barrios infested by teen street gangs that had been around for generations. I witnessed drive by shootings from my classroom doorway, riots between gangs, grieved with my students when kids were shot down in the streets never to return to school, and a year didn’t go by that some gang banger that was also a student in one of my classes didn’t threaten me by asking what I would do if a gang jumped me.
Half Nelson brings us closer to that world and reveals another reason why so many teachers quit and never return to the classroom.
If you want to discover the truth about many of America’s schools and why teachers and possibly many students drop out, I suggest you watch this movie that the odds say you haven’t seen.
If the average ticket price of a movie in 2006 was $6.55, and Half Nelson earned $2.7 million in North America, that means less than 500 thousand people saw the film and there are more than 314 million Americans that did not see it.
Maybe most Americans do not want to know the truth, because many parents would have to accept the blame for illiterate and/or failing students. Parenting is a serious job—not a game.
Isham Cook says, “I am not about to leave my university teaching job simply because the experience is egregious at times, any more than the students are about to leave. You deal with it, learn from it, and that in itself is worthwhile.”
“Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook said in his interview with NBC that companies like Apple chose to produce their products in places like China, not because of the lower costs associated with it, but because the manufacturing skills required just aren’t present in the U.S. anymore.
“He added that the consumer electronics world has never really had a big production presence in the U.S. As a result, it’s really more about starting production in the U.S. than bringing it back.”
Reading that AP piece reminded me of an in-service I attended in the early 1990s when I was still teaching. We were told that America’s children, supported by their parents…
During the Thanksgiving holiday our Millennial Generation daughter mentioned that she and some of her friends at Stanford wanted to make a difference and show that their generation cares and is not the most narcissistic generation ever.
She said it was depressing to be labeled with the “narcissist” tag. And it is true, the Millennial are considered by some to be the most narcissistic generation ever.
There are other generations besides the Baby Boomers and the Millennials, the two we hear about the most these days.
1900-1924: G. I. Generation
1925-1945: Silent Generation (I guess this is mine but am I really that silent)
1945-1964: Baby Boomers
1965 – 1979: Generation X
1980 – 2000 – Millennials (also known as Generation Y)
2001 – Present: New Silent Generation or Generation Z
Generation X grew up different than previous generations before them. They grew up in an era where divorce and working moms were commonplace and thus created a group of individuals who became very independent and resourceful who learned to adapt to a wide range of circumstances very early in their lives.
The Atlantic.com ran a piece on the topic and reported, “Millennials Rising, published in 2000 when the oldest Millennials were just 18 pointed to increased rates of volunteering among high school students and decreased rates of teen pregnancy and crime.”
Then in 2006, Generation Me, presented data showing generational increases in self-esteem, assertiveness, self-importance, narcissism, and high expectations.
Maybe both descriptions are true. Millennial are mostly narcissists with high self-esteem that want to make a difference by volunteering and getting involved. Maybe it is that belief in self, that narcissism, that makes them what USA Today reported, “People born between 1982 and 2000 are the most civic-minded since the generation of the 1930s and 1940s.”
Then on Sunday, November 25, my wife and I watched 60 Minutes. Have you heard of “Free the Children”?
Instead of reinventing the wheel, Millennials like our daughter might want to become involved with this nonprofit that was started by a 12 year old in 1994. Most of the donors and members of this group are Millennials or belong to Generation Z.
Craig Kielburger’s mission began 18 years ago when, as a child at age 12, he founded “Free the Children”—an organization now in 45 countries that empowers children to help other children.
Is it that bad to be labeled a narcissist if you are doing some good and working to change the world for the better?
If you doubt the cause of global warming, believe the public schools are failing, or label people as liberals because they do not support all far-right conservative Tea Party candidates and issues, then you may be a patsy of the billionaire Koch brothers.
The definition of “patsy”:
1. A person who is easily cheated, victimized, etc.
2. A person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
3. A person who is tricked or swindled.
Before the 2012 Presidential election, I had never heard of the Koch brothers. A few months ago, as the election heated up, I started to learn who these billionaire brothers were and how dangerous they were to freedom and the quality of life as it exists in America today.
I think that most of the votes that will be cast for Mitt Romney will reveal how many easy to fool patsies there are in…
Another dedicated educator/teacher is forced out due to politics from the top down. When will America wake up and give teachers the power they need to decide how to run the schools?
Union County Public Schools
Human Resources Department
400 North Church Street
Monroe, NC 28112
October 25, 2012
To All it May Concern:
I’m doing something I thought I would never do—something that will make me a statistic and a caricature of the times. Some will support me, some will shake their heads and smirk condescendingly—and others will try to convince me that I’m part of the problem. Perhaps they’re right, but I don’t think so. All I know is that I’ve hit a wall, and in order to preserve my sanity, my family, and the forward movement of our lives, I have no other choice.
Before I go too much into my choice, I must say that I have the advantages and disadvantages of differentiated experience under my belt. I have seen the other side, where…
While I enjoy seeing kids and adults in cute Halloween costumes, I abhor the TREAT factor of Halloween. As an ignorant child, teen and then younger adult, I went trick or treating, wore costumes and went to Halloween Parties. As a teacher and an adult, I was Richard Nixon more than once on Halloween, and one time in the late 1970s I was Aunt Jemima with black face paint—that would probably be politically incorrect today but there were no complaints in the 70s.
However, the last time we gave out treats, they were small boxes of sweet, organic raisins. Then a few weeks later, a neighbor accused me of being cheap because we did not hand out treats drenched with processed sugar. I’m talking about those bulk bags full of miniature Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Juicy Fruits, Tootsie Rolls, Oh Henry!, Butterfinger, Starbursts, Hershey’s, Reese’s, Skittles, Kit Kat, Milky Way…
My wife and I walked to town today and saw the new Alex Cross movie with Tyler Perry. We enjoyed it and recommend it but consider reading the novels first.
James Patterson is the author of the Alex Cross series and I have read several. The novels featuring his character Alex Cross, a forensic psychologist who works as a private psychologist and government consultant, are his most popular and the top-selling U.S. detective series in the past ten years. Patterson has written 71 novels in 33 years. He has had 19 consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds The New York Times record for most bestselling hardcover fiction titles by a single author, a total of 63. James Patterson’s books have sold an estimated 260 million copies worldwide; in recent years his novels have sold more copies than those of Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown combined.
Patterson says, “It’s our responsibility as parents to get our kids to read. This one is big. Huge! We can’t wait for teachers or librarians or their peers to do it. It’s our job to get our kids to read—not the teacher. We need to show them that it is fun and that it is cool. And give them books that will excite them.”
Patterson’s advice works. It wasn’t a teacher that motivated me to enjoy reading. It was my mother. After I fell in love with reading, there was no turning back.
When Patterson’s son was age eight, he and his wife told their child he had to read. His son didn’t like reading at first. By the end of that summer, he had read about seven books and loved most of them.
Watch the embedded video. Listen to what Patterson has to say. If you expect teachers to do the parent’s job when it comes to reading, then the child may be a loser for the rest of his or her life.
We already ask America’s public school teachers to do much more than just teach and demanding that they also do a parent’s job is ridiculous.
Crazy Normal - the Classroom Exposé 