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Reader comment on:
Don't Blame the Teachers

Submitted by Bob Dean, Jun 17, 2007 11:36

One of the problems we have in this country is assigning blame…….We are great at blaming everyone else but not so great at defining where the real blame is…..Of course what should we expect when we have a legal system that is fueled by attempting to assign blame to anyone who has deep pockets no matter where the real blame should fall…

It is certainly true that Teachers are assigned a lot of blame that they don't deserve…..Kids blame teachers even though they don't try and are slackers……Parents blame teachers because they can't motivate their lazy kids……Industry blames Teachers because kids aren't prepared and are unmotivated even though they spend billions trying to convince kids that life should be an "experience" not hard work …….Everyone is looking for someone else to make the world better but they refuse to help make any changes or accept any blame themselves…….Teachers come in all flavors from fantastic to minimally qualified……However, every teacher is one of the 24% of the population that ends up with a 4 -year degree……That fact alone puts them in a special class…..

Somewhere along the line we have lost touch with the idea that you get what you earn in this life………too many people have the lottery mentality…….somehow life is supposed to turn out roses even though we refuse to do any gardening……

To be sure there are some teachers who are fantastic motivators but the odds of building an education system that works by putting all of that responsibility on teachers is far less than winning Mega-bucks……..

The sad thing is our education system (and many parents) have bought in to the notion that education should be all fun and games……we don't want to deny kids the experience of the Friday night game, the prom and having a car in high school……..(Things that most of the kids in the world don't even think about)……..If it is not fun then it is not worth doing…..It is this mentality that is putting us farther and farther behind much of the world…….What ever happened to satisfaction from hard work, a job well done and taking responsibility for your own actions and effort……Unless we return to that mind set we can expect to see a steady decline in the status of this country……The progress of this decline is slow moving and many don't seem to grasp it……..For those who do, it's painful to watch!

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.

Other reader comments on this article

Comment By Date

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein have hoodwinked the public into thinking that conditions in our schools are improving.... [MORE]

Ed Greenspan

Oct 28, 2007 16:15

I was reading your comments, and I was thinking about what the real role of the teacher is, because I... [MORE]

Dulce Dedieu

Sep 3, 2007 15:43

After a daunting first year of teaching, I can see why so many teachers leave the profession. First, we are... [MORE]

Donna

Jun 18, 2007 19:54

After reading this article and many of the comments, I felt I had to say something. I have been a... [MORE]

Heather Perkins

Jun 18, 2007 12:09

One of the problems we have in this country is assigning blame…….We are great at blaming everyone else but not...

Bob Dean

Jun 17, 2007 11:36

Re. Don't Blame the Teacher By Diane Ravitch The responsibility for educating a child is placed squarely in the hands of... [MORE]

Phyllis Cynthia Murray

Jun 16, 2007 17:28

When I first read Ravitch's article I thought....great points. Yes, in poorer nations children are hungry for learning and success.... [MORE]

MLR

Jun 16, 2007 13:50

BRAVO to Diane Ravitch! Teachers know the truth. We do everything we can. We talk to the students and to... [MORE]

Judith

Jun 16, 2007 10:51

Ms. Ravitch you are right. The detractors of public education in America have been fooling the public and even many... [MORE]

Paul Preston, Inside Education, Educational Talk Radio

Jun 16, 2007 09:30

To get a real picture of where the U.S. stands in regards to other countries on public education, see the... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 18, 2007 14:07

Ms.Ravitch starts her article with: "The meeting proceeded through the now-familiar litany of bad news: American students perform poorly on... [MORE]

Paul Preston, Inside Education, Educational Talk Radio

Jun 19, 2007 23:50

Paul, by commenting on the "litany of bad news" regarding the state of our public school system, Ms. Ravitch is... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 20, 2007 13:44

Thankfullly, we finally live in a state that has mandatory testing. It's a godsend since most of my childrens' teachers... [MORE]

Moira

Jun 15, 2007 23:03

Everyone who can remember when tests were measures of student success rather than the teacher's... raise your hand....! And by the... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 18, 2007 07:27

Yes, BRAVO for NCLB, it is truly the first step in legislative efforts at public education reform. In addition to... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 18, 2007 14:14

To Diane Ravitch: Thank you! [MORE]

Dennis Fermoyle

Jun 15, 2007 21:28

I am a teacher and have been an assistant principal and a high school principal. I now work for the... [MORE]

Mary

Jun 15, 2007 20:07

Diane Ravitch--this is an awesome statement. Politicians, business people, most conservatives, and all those others who could never hold their... [MORE]

John E. Russo II

Jun 15, 2007 15:36

Those who want to blame the entire set of teachers for the state of education today have never bothered to... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 15, 2007 13:08

Diane Ravich is absolutely correct in identifying the source of America's educational woes in students' lack of work ethic. But... [MORE]

Mary Hudson

Jun 15, 2007 11:39

I only partially agree, because I'm sure a very small percentage of students are as Ms. Ravitch describes. (A very... [MORE]

Anne Spence

Jun 15, 2007 08:27

I agree with Ms. Ravitch that student apathy is a real problem in government schools and with many of the... [MORE]

Crimson Wife

Jun 15, 2007 15:44

You are angry--that 's obvious. However, as a public school Teacher, with excellent evaluations and commendations, I know Diane Ravitch... [MORE]

John E. Russo II

Jun 15, 2007 16:12

I was saddened to read the posting from the mother of the dyslexic student. Having been a special educator for... [MORE]

Jeanne

Jun 18, 2007 10:25

Sorry to hear of your child's educational horror story. BTW, it's Johnny not Jonnie. Remember, teaching is a cultural act... [MORE]

rb

Aug 24, 2007 21:36

I'm a Chinese student. No offense to all the teachers in the US, I have to say that, from a... [MORE]

Vera

Oct 8, 2007 09:22

You dramatically made the case that politically correct textbooks reflect bad scholarship and are part of the problem in The... [MORE]

Jon T. Hill

Jun 14, 2007 19:36

Get rid of active engagement with reflection, expressivism, WAC, and other "dumbed down" nonsense based on racial and gender stereotypes.... [MORE]

Paul Cameron

Jun 14, 2007 19:18

As a committed liberal, I have never been a fan of Professor Ravitch's work--until now. It is good for both... [MORE]

Bernard Freydberg

Jun 14, 2007 19:06

Teachers teach the content set forth by the state standards and benchmarks. They have some say in formal curriculum adoptions,... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 15, 2007 13:25

Who else is there to blame? Kids are sent to school. Teachers are paid to teach them. But they don't... [MORE]

Don Swearingen

Jun 14, 2007 19:05

Thank you for defending teachers. I taught special education for 17 years before being called to another career. I worked... [MORE]

Nancy

Jun 14, 2007 15:30

It's not that most parents don't support their children in school and that they don't push their children to work... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 14, 2007 14:16

School administrators are often caught between student need and lack of funding. This makes them horribly defensive, and have a... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 15, 2007 13:43

I appreciate the sentiment you are expressing to the notion that if parents simply refuse to accept "no" for an... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 16, 2007 17:06

While it is true that many parents either lack knowhow and/or time in order to ensure the best education for... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 18, 2007 07:06

I agree with you that we need stronger legislation and better enforcement in our schools, but, the facts surrounding school... [MORE]

Debbie Smith

Jun 18, 2007 13:42

What Ravitch says is true, as far as it goes, but some things are the fault of the teaching profession,... [MORE]

Charles Connell

Jun 14, 2007 12:58

Kids get A's and B's for work that would have earned us C's and D's because when they get C's... [MORE]

Michelle

Jun 15, 2007 13:47

To: Ms. Ravitch and the Editors No doubt the teachers are wrongfully blamed for the past several decades of public education... [MORE]

Nancy Joyce Jancourtz

Jun 14, 2007 12:24

As the old saying goes, "You can't make chicken soup from chicken feathers". When most of a child's capacity for... [MORE]

Harold Brown

Jun 14, 2007 12:06

I love this article ! I am a special ed dept. head in a urban high school. There are some... [MORE]

Ben Hull

Jun 14, 2007 11:23

I am no expert, just a mother of four children, but I see that in families where there are high... [MORE]

sonja moran

Jun 14, 2007 11:14

Finally someone hears what we teachers are saying. Notice that we are never included in the discussion. Why is that?... [MORE]

Heather

Jun 14, 2007 11:08

Does no one hear the words of Jamie Vollmer? Students go to school and they are there no matter what... [MORE]

Jaime Cordero

Jun 15, 2007 10:41

"The parents are the primary educators of their children. As your school we are here to help" We found this... [MORE]

Linda Jalufka

Jun 14, 2007 10:54

To me, your article is clear and hits the 'Nail' right on the head. Your perspective is so obvious to... [MORE]

Robert D. Mossman

Jun 14, 2007 10:41

I am in my late 50's and have been teaching for 6 years here in North Carolina. In all that... [MORE]

Joe Grace

Jun 14, 2007 10:22

Throughout my years in education, particularly as an administrator, I have not always agreed with Diane Ravitch's ideas or conclusions,... [MORE]

Jim Little

Jun 14, 2007 09:46

I know an outstanding teacher who recently asked her students what career path they were interested in. About 60% said... [MORE]

Fred Jenson

Jun 14, 2007 09:14

The real reason why students are slackers, and why education is ridiculed, etc. is simple: students are forced to go... [MORE]

David

Jun 14, 2007 09:04

Students are the primary agents of their own learning. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make... [MORE]

Thomas Farrell

Jun 14, 2007 08:54

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