Why Not Teacher Evaluations by Students?

[marew]

17. You have that right!

Some teachers see up to 150 kids a day, already work many hours overtime, have additional responsibilities in the school setting, must attend faculty meeting, department meetings, stay up late grading tests and papers, etc.

Lost his mind is putting it mildly! He assumes that every student comes from a supportive home that values education, has enough sleep and healthy meals, provides good role models, etc. Obviously, this author has not even the slightest clue what teachers do every day!

From a retired school social worker who has seen it all- up close and personal!

We had a special ed class where the teacher purchased with her own money small items her students could earn. One girl worked very hard and one Friday got a scrunchy for her hair. The kid was thrilled. The girl came into school very depressed the following Monday. Her mother had taken the scrunchy and was wearing it in her hair! And that was one of the 'better' things I saw. Then there was the home I went to where garbage was ankle deep through the entire house and another house had piled up beer cans filled a quarter of the living room. There were medical conditions not addressed by parents, emotional and/or physical abuse, no supervision, etc. After what I saw for decades, I really resent how teachers are unfairly scrutinized and blamed for not doing enough!!

My fellow social workers and I would joke that we wanted to write a book about all the outrageous stuff we saw in families but we never did it. We were absolutely sure no one outside of education would believe a single word we wrote. After one home visit I made I was called by a police officer at my office a few days later. He told me where I went and when I went- they must have been taking down license plate numbers. I said yes I was there. The officer then told me it would not be a good idea to go back there because it was a CRACK house. I promised I would not return!

The majority of teachers do a great job- many under terrible circumstances.

NEWSFLASH! Teacher were not meant to be and cannot be all things to all people!

People like Henthoff who can make such off-the-wall suggestions don't begin to have a clue!