I'm a new elementary teacher, and like the title says, I'm looking for your opinions. I want to hear your concerns about certain topics. Please respond with logical answers. I want to potentially use the convos here as ammo, for lack of a better term, when speaking with my admin, should these topics arise in my required curriculum/classroom. This is your opportunity for your voice to be heard as a conservative parent. (You don't have to answer every one. If you only want to answer 1 or 2 questions, that's great! Any little bit of info helps me)
- How do you feel about school teaching your child what it means to be in a family? Are you ok with your child being taught anyone can be in your family, even if not blood?
- How do you feel about school teaching your child how to handle various emotions?
- How do you feel about school teaching your child activism, white privilege, and/or social justice?
- How would you NOT like to see the topics of slavery taught? What about Japanese Internment camps?
- How do you feel about teachers using a materialistic reward program for homework completion and excellence in your child's classroom?
- How would you prefer bad behavior be addressed when it disrupts the learning of other students?
- Anything else you want to tell me.
Teachers shouldn't talk about family at all. That isn't your job. Many teachers I know today don't even know wtf it means to be in a family.
Teaching emotional control is essential in developmental years. But that means actual discipline, and that means actual punishment or nothing you do is going to help. Also...if you can't get the parents to help enforce proper discipline at home your efforts are useless.
How do I feel about it? I feel like you better hope I don't find you in an alley alone.
Teaching about slavery is fine. But you better teach real history not your cherry picked bullshit. Teach about the near complete desertion of the southern European coast due to the Barbary pirates. Teach about how white women were referred to as "white gold" in the slave trade. Teach about what nations ended slavery and indentured servitude FIRST. Teach about Chinese slave trade, modern African and Islamic slave trade. Teach who Anthony Johnson was with regards to American slavery.
Materialistic rewards are okay, but again, if you don't have the parents invested to participate you're SOL. Try your best, but remember that kids see through your bullshit, and some kids getting rewards and others not, for the same work, will cause you to look like a tool.
Bad behavior is not going to be fixed unless parents on board to whoop ass if need be. You are at a severe disadvantage as a modern day teacher. If I was you I would remove kid from the class. Send to the office. Tell your principal to eat shit if they bother you about it.
In response to your response on #6, office is a LAST RESORT. So, more so what I was looking for is what you do as a parent in the home. Im hoping I can get some ideas that are school appropriate that may help.
Seriously you need to reach out to the parents. Exhaust your measures you were taught in school, but you should reach out to parents on the 3rd occasion imo. They'll fix it or they won't. If that isn't helpful, you have a high chance that you're screwed and your admin will not help much.
What I do as a parent in the home you will not be able to use effectively hahaha
Stay in your lane. Teachers are teachers to these kids, not parents.
None of these topics are the responsibility of the ISD.
Stick to the fundamentals of education, that's it The more time spent on topics that are parental responsibilities, the less time spent on things that are the schools responsibility.
And, you don't have to fear what parents THINK if you stick to the basics.
This is good. I will use this. If I have any thoughts about whether parents would be ok with something...it probably should be off limits.
It's elementary school if it's outside the realm of shapes numbers colors the alphabet following instructions and play nice with one another it most definitely is outside of your purview
Well, there are definitely more complex ideas and curriculum than that beyond kindergarten lol
Right sure I agree but once you step outside the fundamentals not everybody is going to agree
I agree. Which is why I want to hear yalls thoughts, so I have evidence when approaching admin. But I need like 100 more people to respond lol
Whats sad is you ARE going to get lit up over opinions, and your ONLY defense will be to punt the parent to administration cause it's "out of your hands" and your admin isn't going to back you up. They will in turn punt to the state curriculum creating a farris wheel of accountability avoidance. No one wants to be responsible, but they damn sure wanna jam this shit down little kids throats.
None of that sounds like the Alphabet, Spelling, or Grammar.
None of that sounds like Sentence Structure, Composition, or Essay.
None of that sounds like Addition, Subtraction, Geometry, or Logic.
Educators have no legitimate role in defining family.
This should be addressed by counseling or a psychiatrist.
Educate children, political perspectives in ‘education’ is indoctrination.
Slavery should be discussed as a global practice that was widely seen as acceptable, should be put into context with time.
Rewards should only be given for doing something beyond what is required. Rewards should not be given merely for doing what is expected.
First offense, warning and explanation of acceptable behavior. Next offense, expulsion.
Yeah, I am old 🤣
How would you NOT like to see the topics of slavery taught? What about Japanese Internment camps?
Slavery should be taught as the atrocity it was as well as its effect on shaping the current institutions of the US
Japanese Internment camps are one of the dark spots of American history. There should be special focus paid to how racism played into unfounded fears of Japanese Americans and how quickly your rights can be taken away