We had a meeting with my son's head start teachers yesterday

[Thav]

And it went very well, he's progressing along and has met a few of the goals this year. He had a big jump in progress in January, so that was nice to see.

While they were talking, I took a minute to look around the room at the teachers. There were four teachers, plus the principal in that room. I looked at the folders they had and the documentation they were presenting from. There were 15 pages of progress reports, individual education plans, and classroom notes they were using. There were many more papers they weren't using.

Then I thought about the 18 other kids in my son's head start class. They all have similar meetings with similar reports and documentation. These teachers are dedicated to helping these children become better, despite the current political environment that wants to demonize them as leeches and lazy people. I tell you, these teachers work harder than any wall street banker. I daresay that only a rare few could do the job teachers do.

I've seen my son's teacher's car in the parking lot of the school at 7pm some nights - class ends at 2:30 for her. I know many teachers, and they are not idle during the summer. Anyone who says teachers are lazy and have summers off and the same vacations as kids, needs to be pushed into a lake. Maybe if those people worked 75 hours a week, with no extra pay, are required to take continuing education on their own time or be fired, and have their bosses and their clients/customers continually badger them about how lazy they are, and how their job could be done by a retarded chimpanzee. On top of that, they need to have their pay cut, benefits cut and made more expensive, and have more expectations put on them. Maybe then they would understand how teachers feel.

For those teachers out there who may be reading this: Thank you. Thank you and God bless you.

"100 years from now it will not matter what kind of car I drove or how much was in my bank account. All that will matter is that I made a difference in the life of a child."

[n2doc]

1. Well Said! n/t

[Angry Dragon]

2. K&R

[Uben]

3. My daughter struggled through school all her life.......

...we went to progress meetings every other six weeks, getting her into classes where she could improve the best. I didn't like going to the meetings. They were boring and not very informative, but they were supposed to help my child.

I am proud to say, and I could scream it from the rooftops, she made straight A's on her report card the last two six week periods.
This is her senior year. She has been in resource classes for the last few years, but this year, she has been placed in regular classes, doing the same work as the other students!

I don't know what caused the lights to turn on in her head, but something happened, and I can't help believe the steps taken over the last few years have helped. She went from being a very marginal student to a straight A student in a matter of months.

My greatest hope the last few years has been that she would graduate high school. Now, she's talking college!

My oldest daughter got a BA in psychology and an MBA and graduated at the top of her class, but she had always been very intelligent.

If you have a child that is struggling with school, don't give up. YOU can make a difference! We tutored her every day for years just to keep her getting passing grades. Now, it's like a light went on in her head, and she gets it. Thank godess!

[n2doc]

10. You Rock n/t

[Tippy]

4. K&R....God Bless Teachers

[d_r]

5. I understand exactly what you mean

thank you teachers!

[chill_wind]

6. I worked as a nurse in the Head Start Program, dual certified to teach.

I can absolutely say those teachers were the most remarkable, special dedicated people I have ever known anywhere. I took a lot of work home of my own throughout my time there, but nothing compared to the time they had to invest every day. I would have to say the same thing about my own mother, who taught for her lifetime as a remedial reading specialist.

Maybe if those people worked 75 hours a week, with no extra pay, are required to take continuing education on their own time or be fired, and have their bosses and their clients/customers continually badger them about how lazy they are, and how their job could be done by a retarded chimpanzee. On top of that, they need to have their pay cut, benefits cut and made more expensive, and have more expectations put on them. Maybe then they would understand how teachers feel.

Well said.


K & R.

[monmouth]

7. I hardly remember what I had for dinner last night, but I remember every teacher I had...n/t

[chill_wind]

8. +1000

[woodsprite]

9. I so agree with you.

I remember some so fondly that I still miss them to this day. I wish I had taken more time to go back to visit and keep in touch with some of them after they retired, and I'm almost 50yo. I encourage that with my kids, so the teachers know how much they are appreciated.

Of course, then there was that drunk lady who I had for 1st grade who pulled me off a chair by my foot in reading circle all because I had my legs crossed in an 'unlady-like manner' (I was wearing a pantsuit). Yeah, I remember her too.

[vincenzoesq]

11. Thank you.

O8) Just thank you.

[kag]

12. "Anyone who says teachers are lazy and have summers off...

and the same vacations as kids, needs to be pushed into a lake."

Excellent. Though I might assign them a different fate}( }(

I used to volunteer in my kids' classes a lot. I knew there was no way I could do what those teachers did. I despise people who disparage teachers as "lazy". They are easily the hardest-working people I know.

[bertman]

13. Thanks for that. REC. nt

[Zoigal]

14. Thank you. Wish there were more people like you......z

[demigoddess]

15. I agree, I had a daughter in special ed for years

some teachers I would have gladly murdered but there were others that worked hard to help me and my daughter.

As for regular school, I think we should extend school hours, and the school year should be longer. But i also believe we should hire more teachers to teach those longer hours. No reason the one teacher should spend every minute in the classroom. Why can't a teacher be supported by another teacher??

I see teenagers in high school getting out at 1 o'clock, they go home to an empty house. Some junior high teachers have given up on homework, they expect the students to do everything in class but then send them home at one or two pm.

[MsPithy]

16. Every single person who complains that teachers have it easy,

they have summers off, work half days, have a cushy pension... WOULD NOT LAST ONE WEEK IN A CLASSROOM!

Come to think of it, they don't have the balls to be a cop or firefighter either.

[defendandprotect]

17. Late K&R ---