Sandra Hay: It’s the system, not teachers, failing children
Teachers are being blamed more and more for the fact that some students do not graduate, as if we have all the power over the children in our charge. If a child is getting failing grades, do you not think that we try everything to help that child? It is the school board members who have voted to cut out classroom aides and the certificated, trained clinicians who provide intervention for failing kids, replacing them with untrained and non-certificated staff.
Students learn how to game the system because there is no consistent follow-through at home. They know that no matter how bad it gets at school, they can still go home and get rewarded to stay out of their parents’ hair by playing video games or doing whatever they want just to not be a problem.
Some parents will do work for their students then argue about failing grades or whine to pass them so as to not hurt their sensitive nature. It is hard to go the extra mile for a system that smiles and shakes your hand just so that you will take it when they turn around and stab you in the back.
Sandra Hay, Merced
This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Sandra Hay: It’s the system, not teachers, failing children."